By Tabora Bojang
Alliance Française de Banjul Thursday celebrated the International Francophonie Day to honour the French language and its rich diverse cultures.
Celebrated annually around the world, Francophonie represents a global community of millions of people who share ideas, traditions, artistic expressions and a passion for communication.
Although The Gambia is an English-speaking country, it has since become an observer member of the Francophonie, maintaining deep engagement and collaboration with the Francophone world in terms of bilateral and cultural exchanges, education, business and women empowerment.
This year’s celebrations began with a march-past of students and teachers from the Traffic Lights to the Alliance Francaise offices along Kairaba Avenue. The students represented schools such as Marina, Nusrat, Ecole de Banjul, Sbec Lycée Sénégalais de Banjul, Diana Mariam, Latri-Kunda Upper and Senior Secondary, and military students.
The participants showcased different talents in drama, quiz and poetry competitions with Latrikunda Sabiji emerging winner of the quiz competition.
Alliance Francaise director, Marion Ray-Essien, said: “March is the Francophonie month all over the world. This means in every country, every French speakers’ are celebrating the French language. A lot of people think the French language is about France and Europe but no, it’s much bigger than that.”
Director Ray-Essien added that French is now the 4th most spoken language in the world and most of its speakers are here in Africa.
“So, for us the Francophonie is an occasion to bring everybody together to share good moments and to remember that all French speakers stand in solidarity beyond cultures, religion or countries of origins. We are all gathered around this language and it is a great time for us to celebrate and learn about each other.”
She expressed her gratitude to the French speaking community in The Gambia, students, teachers and partners of Alliance Française for their commitment and determination in promoting Francophonie.
“I think it is a big move for The Gambia to have this community growing and to give more opportunities to young Gambians,” Marion added.
Asked about her impressions on the performance of students, director Marion said: “I am very impressed by the quality of the performances. The students talked about very strong topics and subjects such as human rights, women rights, environmental preservation, sustainable development and the importance for Africans to claim their heritage and to be proud of their continent.
Alliance Française président Fatou Jagne-Senghore, said the management and board of Alliance Française de Banjul are excited in organising this annual event to celebrate and promote the French language and cultural diversity.
Jagne, a veteran journalist and human rights activist, expressed her pleasure that the Francophone community in The Gambia is thriving with growing reach and influence.
“There is a growing interest in learning and appreciating the French language. We want to encourage all parents to support their children learning multiple languages. Francophonie is also about promoting local language to strengthen multilingualism,” she added.
The president of the French Teachers Association, Yusupha Manneh, himself a French language instructor, thanked Alliance Française for organising the event.
“Francophonie is a global community and Gambia is part of that community. So we really value this celebration and I believe it will help our students sharpen their understanding of the French language and culture as well as interact and exchange ideas with their mates,” Manneh stated.
