France will host the Francophonie Summit next October, a first since 1991. The International Day of the Francophonie offers me, this March 20, the opportunity to point out the obvious: the Francophonie is an opportunity for France and an opportunity for French-speaking countries.
It is first of all a space in which the French language constitutes a formidable asset for major cultural, artistic or scientific exchanges. But the reality of the projects it promotes must become even more visible. Scientists, such as the chemist Moungi Bawendi or the biologist Margaret Buckingham, and artists, such as Delphine Diallo, Angélique Kidjo or Adama Diop, can be the voices of these intercountry dialogues.
In economic terms, the French-speaking area produces 16% of global GDP and shows growth of 7%. This will be much more tomorrow, because French-speaking markets are experiencing demographic growth and economic expansion. The Minister responsible for Foreign Trade and Attractiveness that I am strongly encourages French companies that would like to launch or strengthen their exports to consider the absence of a language barrier as a means of investing in these markets. Being able to export, contract, work, negotiate in French is an opportunity that all our small or medium-sized and mid-sized businesses must seize, as well as our start-upparticularly in the most innovative sectors, such as artificial intelligence.
Speaking French can be a source not only of opportunities, but also of pride: the mark of strength, of a difference, of an ability to cultivate linguistic diversity in today’s world. Pioneers of French-speaking entrepreneurship, like Nelly Chatue-Diop, president of Ejara, or Florence Bassono, founder of Faso Attiéké, are real examples.
The 19the The Francophonie Summit, next October, will be an opportunity to reaffirm for France and its 87 partners within the International Organization of the Francophonie (OIF) the ambition for the language that we share.
A major challenge
Promoting the French language is first and foremost a major challenge for France. In 2018, our country adopted an international strategy for the French language and multilingualism, presented by the President of the Republic, with three priorities: learning in French, communicating in French and creating in French. This strategy is deployed in France, but also around the world, through our network of French education abroad, with 580 establishments, but also our French Institutes and our Alliances françaises. This educational and cultural network, the densest in the world, is the breeding ground for numerous, ever more ambitious cultural, academic and scientific cooperation projects.
But this promotion of French is also at the heart of the mission of the OIF. The 19the The theme of the Summit will be “Create, innovate and undertake in French”. Host country, France must make this event a diplomatic moment, serving human, economic and cultural ties between OIF member states. Because the French language is destined to occupy a special place in the emerging world: 321 million people speak French today and 55 million people learn it throughout the world. There will be 750 million French speakers in 2070.
The Francophonie is rich in those who gave it birth and make it shine every day: creators, authors, artists.
Backed by the Summit, the Francophonie Festival “Refaire le monde”, which starts this month and ends in October, aims to celebrate a young, lively Francophonie open to the world, embodied by inspiring personalities from all continents. ; a Francophonie, in short, a vector of creation, innovation, cooperation and solutions to global challenges. It will give rise to around a hundred events, in France and around the world, linking more than 400 partners in 40 countries. I invite you all, French people who reside in France or abroad, French-speaking diasporas present in France and around the world, to participate in these events and to get involved in the life of this festival.
With this event, we will show the state of mind with which the French language projects itself into the future. We will honor the literatures that it has generated, from the Caribbean to North Africa, from France to Quebec, and throughout Europe, those of Éric Chacour, Andrée Chedid or by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, who embody a language coming from all sides. We will celebrate today’s artists. Above all, we will promote a language which has, over time, become the language of the universal.