By Manal Abdel Fattah
Today, the French Embassy in Cairo held a press conference on the occasion of the launch of Francophonie Month 2024, a month that witnesses the organization of several events to celebrate the French language and Francophone values.
In his speech, Ambassador Eric Chevalier, the French Ambassador to Cairo, expressed his happiness that the group of Francophone ambassadors in Cairo chose the headquarters of the French Embassy in Egypt to hold the press conference at the beginning of Francophonie Month 2024.
The Ambassador stressed that Francophonie has been able over the years to expand its borders, especially through the efforts of Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, as we affirm our common adherence to the values of cooperation, mutual respect and cultural pluralism, which are values defended by the International Organization of Francophonie.
The ambassador explained that these Francophone values have a special resonance today in the context of the current regional turmoil, announcing that France will host, on October 5 and 6, the Francophonie Summit in cooperation with the acting Swiss presidency under the slogan “Creativity, Renewal and Implementation.”
The ambassador pointed out that this summit will be full of hopes as it will continue the work that was started by the Djerba summit, under the Tunisian presidency, with the aim of maximizing the opportunities for resolving crises and promoting peace in the Francophone space, as well as strengthening the defense of women’s issues through developing a network of the Francophone Feminist Alliance.
The ambassador stressed that the upcoming Francophonie Summit will also highlight the International City of the French Language, the project launched by French President Emmanuel Macron, on an area of 1,600 square metres, designated for permanent and institutional exhibitions, in addition to a 25-seat presentation hall and 12 workshops designated for artists, researchers, and businessmen.
The ambassador stressed that the war on Gaza and the tragedy on the Egyptian border affected the events this year, stressing that what civilians are suffering in the Gaza Strip kept them away from the festive atmosphere this year.
The ambassador explained that the programs celebrating the current month of Francophonie will focus on common values of coexistence, rejecting the values that divide peoples, and also putting an end to the sorrows experienced by some peoples of the region.
Ambassadors and representatives of Belgium, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, France, Greece, Guinea, Lebanon, Mali, Mauritius, Niger, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, Switzerland, Chad, Tunisia, Vietnam, as well as Cyprus, Argentina, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, Thailand, Ukraine, and also participated in the press conference. The University Agency of Francophonie and the International Organization of the Francophonie.
It is worth noting that the French language is the fifth most spoken language in the world, and has more than 320 million speakers across the five continents, including 60 million in Africa, a number that is expected to increase in the coming years.
Francophonie Month 2024 is a special opportunity to show that Francophonie also means a set of values that includes many countries, and among these values are cultural and linguistic diversity, peace, democracy, human rights, women’s liberation, as well as education and sustainable development, which are the values that the French-speaking countries, represented in the group of ambassadors, desire. Francophones in Cairo, in their reinforcement on the occasion of these events
