(Paris) The Secretary General of La Francophonie intends to challenge Member States on the decline of French in international organizations during the OIF summit this weekend, urging them to “redouble their efforts” so that the French language, in progression in the world, “continues to occupy its place”, she said in an interview with AFP.
Posted yesterday at 11:25 p.m.
“We realize from our reports that in international organizations, there has been a decline” of French, argues Louise Mushikiwabo, secretary general of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), met at the headquarters of the organization in Paris.
But “it is our States that sit […] and decide in these organizations and I would very much like to wake them up”, she notes, indicating that she would launch an “appeal” to the heads of state and government of countries with French in common during their 18e summit, Saturday and Sunday in Djerba (Tunisia).
Heads of State will be called upon “to ensure that the French language is kept in their international bodies” and “in education at country level” in particular. For meme Mushikiwabo, “it is at the institutional level that we must redouble our efforts”.
La Francophonie is made up of women and men who share a common language, French. It is then an “institutional mechanism” aimed at “promoting French and implementing political, educational, economic and cultural cooperation” within the 88 States and governments of the OIF (54 members, seven associate members and 27 observers), specifies the organization. The OIF’s mission is to promote the “French language and cultural and linguistic diversity”, “peace, democracy and human rights”, to develop economic cooperation and to “support” education.
321 million speakers
Mme Mushikiwabo points out that according to the latest figures from the OIF, the number of French speakers has increased from 300 million in 2018 to 321 million in 2022, a “7% increase” that comes from the African continent.
She confides that she is “dissatisfied with the European Union […] where we see that the tendency, even in written documents, is to move towards the facility offered by English, while the EU is the second most important bloc in the Francophonie”.
“The French language is the very foundation of our organization, but we are not at all in the supremacy of the French language; we are not jihadists of the language, we are there so that the French language is taught, spoken, used, ”she explains. The role of La Francophonie “is to ensure that the French language continues to occupy its place”.
Former Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr.me Mushikiwabo was elected Secretary General in October 2018. She is the only candidate for his succession. The election of the next Secretary General will be submitted to the vote of the Heads of State and Government at the summit.
While the theme of the summit is digital, Mme Mushikiwabo wishes, if she is re-elected, “to work to ensure a greater presence on the web” of French, “the fourth most used language on the Internet”.
Asked if the recent anti-France movements in several West African countries could lead to a rejection of the French language, Ms.me Mushikiwabo says he disagrees.
“The revolt that we see in the French-speaking youth in Africa comes from political disenchantment”, from the “frustrations of daily life” and vis-à-vis “the ruling class” and by extension from France which is the former colonial power, she says. “It is not at all a rejection of the French language”.
“These countries have invested enormously in the French language for education, communication”, etc. “The French language is not ready to leave the African continent”, she judges, calling for a “reflection” on the crises which are shaking the French-speaking world and the multiplication of coups d’etat in West Africa. .
“I think our leaders need to listen a lot more, to pay attention to citizens, that’s why our programs at the OIF have been refocused and tightened to create an impact on citizens,” he said. she.
At the Djerba summit, a political closed session will have the theme of “citizen distrust”.