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Seventy countries around the world are organizing events to promote and celebrate the French language in the coming days as part of the Semaine du Français and La Francophonie. On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron will announce a series of initiatives to promote the French language.
More than 1,500 events will take place during the week in 70 countries. Five hundred bookstores, dozens of badociations, libraries, schools, universities, museums, theaters as well as hospitals will organize events only in France.
The international network of French institutes and French alliances, francophone schools, will also host events abroad during the Semaine de la langue française and la francophonie.
A plan to promote the French language and multilingualism will be announced by President Emmanuel Macron on March 20, International Day of La Francophonie. President Macron has made promoting French language and culture a priority.
Calling Anglophones
In Kenya last week he called the students of the University of Nairobi to choose France for their postgraduate studies. He made similar representations to young entrepreneurs during a trip to Nigeria last year.
Rwandan Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo badumed the rotating presidency of the International Organization of La Francophonie last year, in a move considered by badysts as a way to loosen relations between France and Rwanda.
The two countries quarreled over the role played by France in the preparation of the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Rwanda, a former French colony, turned its back on France by joining the Commonwealth in 2009 mainly composed of old British colonies.
There are 274 million Francophones in the world, the majority in Africa. The French language is the second most studied language in the world, with some 125 million students and 900,000 French teachers abroad.
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