Tuesday 29 September, 12:30

A Journey with the Spirits of Voodoo — Philippe Charlier

Free

Philippe Charlier, forensic physician and anthropologist and research director at the Musée du quai Branly, draws on fieldwork in Africa and the Caribbean to investigate vodou cosmologies. Following the justicial divinity Heviosso, the egungun dances of Benin and the spirit flight with zombies in Haiti, he examines the circulating metaphysics of vodou, where gestures are meaningful and disease and death are rarely considered merely natural. Charlier presents powerful funeral rituals and the role of intermediaries between the living, souls and ancestors.

In French.

Rue Jean-Calvin 10,
1204 Geneva, Switzerland

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Photo Credit: DR

Wednesday 26 August, 18:00

Unlike Flowers

Lectures & Workshops

Jardin botanique

Francesco Pennacchio, photographer and author of Unlike Flowers, speaks with Fred Stauffer, Curator at the Geneva Botanic Garden, and Danaé Panchaud, Director of the Centre de la photographie Genève, about archives and memory.

The session examines how family photographs, field herbarium specimens and layered photographic reconstructions function as repositories of life, methods for processing grief, and instruments of scientific understanding. Pennacchio discusses retracing his mother’s routes and superimposing archival images with new photographs to reconstruct shared memories and reveal the epistemic value of archives.

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22 – 26 August

The St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre: Between Faith, Politics and Violence

Lectures & Workshops

Musée de la Réforme

This guided tour examines the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, exploring its causes — religious tensions, political manipulation and collective fears — and the immediate dynamics that transformed an attempted assassination into widespread violence. It investigates how the massacre affected relations between Catholics and Protestants, its spread beyond Paris, and its symbolic resonance within the Reformation. The narrative situates the events in broader social and political contexts, revealing the mechanisms that turned political rivalry into mass sectarian bloodshed.

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28 January – 23 December

Our Biodiversity: Memory game

Lectures & Workshops

Jardin botanique

This interactive memory challenge invites participants to test their memory while exploring practical ways to preserve biodiversity based on Geneva’s municipal strategy. Players match “before-and-after” images that illustrate individual and institutional actions, and each correct pair reveals concise information explaining the measure. The activity examines themes such as habitat restoration, species-friendly practices, urban greening and policy responses, helping participants understand the impact and rationale behind everyday and organisational conservation choices.

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4 May – 28 August

History of the Salève Cable Car

Lectures & Workshops

Téléphérique Salève

This guided tour explores the history and engineering of the Salève cable car, a landmark linking Geneva to the mountains. It examines early ascents, its inauguration and the technical challenges of construction and operation. Visiting the upper station reveals Maurice Braillard’s modernist concrete design and the structural solutions behind the installation. The session blends heritage, technology and architecture to explain how the cable car became an iconic cross-border monument.

In French.

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28 January – 23 December

Create Your Own Rousseau-Style Herbarium

Lectures & Workshops

Jardin botanique

This workshop explores the traditional process of assembling a herbarium specimen, inspired by Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s collections. Participants learn scientific techniques for pressing and mounting dried plants on old paper, practice botanical labelling and nomenclature, and select specimens to create a personal herbarium sheet. The session examines preservation methods, identification principles and the historical context of Rousseau’s approach, combining practical skills with scientific insight to produce a lasting botanical object.

In French.

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Thursday 27 August, 18:30

Stretching Class

Lectures & Workshops

MAH

An active stretching session that examines mobility, flexibility and postural alignment through guided exercises. The workshop explores dynamic and static stretching techniques, breathing strategies and progressive sequences to improve range of motion, reduce muscle tension and prevent injury. Participants practice practical routines adaptable to different fitness levels and learn principles for integrating stretching into weekly training to enhance recovery and functional movement.

In French.

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A Journey with the Spirits of Voodoo — Philippe Charlier