The 20th Francophonie kicked off Friday to celebrate the dynamism of French language and the importance of linguistic exchange. A diverse range of cultural programs including film screenings, conferences, intervarsity theatrical meetings and concerts will take place through March 31.

The Francophonie, which takes place in March every year, was initiated by the embassies of member and observing governments of the International Organization of La Francophonie.

Coordinated by the General Consulate of France in Shanghai and the Alliance Française of Shanghai and co-organized by the consulates of Switzerland, Canada, Luxemburg, Belgium (Wallonie-Bruxelles delegation), Austria and by the office of Québec, these events are an occasion to celebrate the growing popularity of French in China.

The opening ceremony at Shanghai Theatre Academy was organized by the Consulate General of Switzerland in Shanghai. Swiss Consul General Alexander Hoffet took part in the festival alongside the Consul General of France, Emmanuel Lenain, and the head of Alliance Française of Shanghai, Pascale Delpech.

Hoffet made an opening speech. He said 2015 is a special year for the Francophonie in China because it celebrates the 20th anniversary of the event. "Meanwhile, this year marks the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Switzerland," Hoffet said. "It is an honor for Switzerland to open the Francophonie Shanghai."

"The word Francophonie is not just about the value of the French language, but an appreciation for multiculturalism and multilingualism," Hoffet said. "In China, there are almost 100,000 French learners and about 1,500 French teachers. More than 140 universities have a French department. Therefore, the Francophonie is also an opportunity for Chinese people to enhance their interest in French."

He pointed out that multiculturalism and multilingualism is a characteristic of Switzerland. "As there are four official languages in Switzerland, we can experience the diversity of languages and cultures in our daily life every day. Internationally, my country cooperates with different countries," Hoffet said. "I am very happy to contribute to the spread of our values in Shanghai."

For the opening, the Swiss movie Henry Dunant: Red on the Cross by Dominique Othenin-Girard was screened. The movie, which recounts the founding of the Red Cross by Henry Dunant, highlights the Swiss values of solidarity and the humanitarianism, which are shared by the Francophonie.

Othenin-Girard is one of the two French-speaking directors who will come to the "Francophone Film Encounters" screenings in Shanghai, which show 20 never-before-seen French-language films from 20 countries.

The other director, Benoît Mariage, from Belgium, will present Scoutings at Shanghai Normal University Saturday, and at Alliance Française of Shanghai, Sunday.

The other films that will be screened include The French Minister from France, Another House from Quebec, The Foreigner from Bulgaria, and Monsieur Lazhar from Canada.

Participants will also have the opportunity to meet two French-language writers. Tahar Ben Jelloun, a poet and writer from Morocco who writes in French even though his native tongue is Arabic, will speak at the Aurora Museum Thursday. The Algerian author Yasmina Khadra will appear Tuesday at Tongji University.

For music, Olivier Juprelle from Belgium (Wallonie-Bruxelles delegation) and Webster from Quebec will perform at Tongji University Friday, and two bands, Ginkgao from France and Adieu Gary Cooper from Switzerland, will perform Saturday at Mao Livehouse.

In 2014, there were an estimated 274 million French speakers in the world. The number is expected to grow to 650 million in 2050.

Director Othenin-Girard gives a talk Friday.

 

Lenain, Othenin-Girard and Hoffet

Photos: Courtesy of the Consulate General of Switzerland in Shanghai