Journee De La Francophonie Celebrates Cultural Diversity, Unity in Lagos
Yinka Olatunbosun
In an effort to build stronger cultural diversity and growth between France and Nigeria, this year’s International Day of Francophonie organised by Alliance Francaise de Lagos in partnership with the Consulate-General of France Consulate General of Switzerland and Deputy High Commission of Canada in Nigeria has marked the auspicious day with movie screenings and an award ceremony.
The event was a day set aside to explore environmental and climate challenges and biodiversity in partnership with Nestle Nigeria.
The Consul-General of France in Lagos, Laurent Favier, who spoke on the theme of the event, described climate change as a general concern.
“The idea is to innovate and find better adaptive solutions to fight against it,” he declared.
Aside from fighting climate change, the mission of the International Organisation of Francophonie (OIF) is to promote the French language and cultural diversity.
According to him, “The second objective is to promote peace and human rights, support education and develop economic cooperation, but in a sustainable, development way.
“Nigeria is surrounded by French-speaking countries and it’s important to be able to communicate and relate with our neighbours.”
Directeur, Alliance Française de Lagos, Marc Brébant, stated that: “Journee De La Francophonie is a celebration of the French language, and is celebrated every March 20 all over the world. Here in Lagos, we decided to mark this day with movie screenings and award the best French students of some secondary schools in Lagos.”
Brébant said the competition this year involved 15 secondary schools and 12 winners emerged.
He noted that the movies selected, a French and a Canadian movie, were selected based on this year’s theme.
“The theme this year was chosen by the members of the Group of Francophone Ambassadors (GAF) and has helped consolidate the cultural programming of the Francophonie month in Lagos, Abuja, and in the nine other cities where there is an Alliance Française operating,” he stated.
Each year, a theme to convey a message about the French language and 10 words illustrating it, is chosen by Francophone partners (France, Belgium, Quebec, Switzerland, and the International Organisation of La Francophonie) for an initiative called ‘Tell me ten words.’ This year’s theme is: ‘Tell me ten words for the planet’.
He added that the OIF’s mission is to promote the language, cultural and linguistic diversity, peace, democracy, human rights, education, training, higher education, research and economic cooperation for sustainable development. In Nigeria, he said French is the first foreign language taught at secondary school level with about 15,000 French teachers, 10 Alliances Françaises, a French Institute and two French high schools.
In his remark, the Deputy Commissioner, Canada’s High Commission, Carlos Rojas-Arbulu, said speaking a language that connects Nigerians to the rest of the world is beneficial not just for communication purposes but for education and business. He added that next year, they intend to connect with more partners, engage with more people, and build on what they’ve achieved so far.
As part of the celebration, two films were shown at Alliance Francaise Lagos, the first was a screening of Karnaval, a Canadian film directed by Henri Pardo that won the Audience Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. The second, A French film named The Crusade by Louis Garrel (2021) was featured in the Cinema for the Climate selection at the Cannes Film Festival.
Championing their commitment to the cultural, environmental and educational development, Nestle Nigeria, Representing Nestlé Nigeria, Victoria Uwadoka, Corporate Communications, Public Relations, and Sustainability Lead, congratulated Alliance Française on the success of the celebration, and commended this year’s theme for reinforcing the importance of a healthy environment.
“We are experiencing severe weather changes unlike anything we’ve seen before, and these are all tied to climate change. Our actions impact the planet, and we must raise awareness about adopting the right behaviour to protect our environment. I’m particularly pleased that we are engaging children and youths in this conversation, ensuring the message reaches every corner. This is why for us at Nestlé, we were happy to partner on this year’s edition of Journee de la francophonie,” Victoria stated.
Nestlé Nigeria is advancing sustainability education through its Nestlé for Healthier Kids programme, a partnership with state education boards across 35 schools in the FCT, Ogun, and most recently, Lagos. The programme teaches children about nutrition, hygiene, physical activity, and environmental sustainability, equipping them with the knowledge to make informed choices for their well-being.
Finally, the French Bazaar was rounded off with a karaoke box of Francophone songs, Nigerian culinary tastings, and a DJ set of English and French music.
