After four years without a Francophonie summit, that of Djerba ended on Sunday. The thirty Heads of State and Government present, to which are added the ministerial delegations, parted with the good hope of seeing each other again this time in two years.
“Djerba did not disappoint… Tunisia did not disappoint,” repeated the secretary general of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), Louise Mushikiwabo, at the end of the summit.
An opinion shared by the Premier of Quebec, François Legault, who took a significant place in this summit since he was rapporteur for the plenary session on French in the digital world and was the guest speaker at the inauguration of the Francophone Economic Forum.
“We have clearly explained to several countries of the Francophonie the issues that we ourselves have in Quebec for the survival of our language,” said the Prime Minister. “We talked about the importance of forming a common front to win, or not lose, the battle with English. I was even surprised to see that it was also a challenge in Europe and Africa for several participants to offer an alternative, among others to young people so that they have the opportunity to have content in French. »
François Legault believes that we were right not to postpone this summit, as Canada proposed, so as not to legitimize a president who dissolved the Tunisian Parliament and had a Constitution adopted by referendum giving him full powers. “Yes, in some African countries, there is still work to be done to improve democracy and respect for human rights, but what is also important is that we have the chance to meet the countries of the Francophonie and to share. »
Unlike Justin Trudeau, he also met the Tunisian President, Kaïs Saïed, on Sunday morning. “I took the opportunity to tell him that we also have concerns about democracy. And that we hope that it will go well on December 17, ”date of the next legislative elections.
The pride of Tunisians
For the Tunisians, who came en masse to the village of La Francophonie, the mere fact that this summit was held already appears as a victory and an element of pride. “Tunisia fought for the organization of this XVIIIe Summit of La Francophonie and won”, headlined the Tunisian newspaper The Press, close to the government. An obvious allusion to those who, like Canada, had suggested postponing it.
“The OIF process for organizing a summit in a country does not consist in checking whether all the democratic elements are present. And besides, everyone also understands that today democracy is not going well in the world,” the newspaper told The world the secretary general of the OIF, Louise Mushikiwabo, herself from a country that is not an example of democracy, Rwanda. Note, however, that Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea, which have recently suffered coups, were not invited to Djerba.
“More than a language that we share, the Francophonie is also about values of openness and democracy,” repeated Justin Trudeau, taking stock of his visit. Not only does the Canadian Prime Minister want more democracy in Tunisia, but he goes so far as to express his “hope that the legislative elections next month will lead to an increase in the number of women in Parliament”. The last Tunisian Parliament had 23%.
Mushikiwabo re-elected
It was no surprise, since she had no competition, that Louise Mushikiwabo was reappointed for a four-year term. The former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Rwanda was elected to this post at the Yerevan summit in 2018. Anxious to reconcile with Rwanda after years of discord, France, the first donor to the Francophonie, had played a decisive role in this election, which is still held behind closed doors and proceeds by consensus rather than a formal vote.
In this new mandate, the Secretary General intends to go further in certain projects, such as the one aimed at promoting the economic autonomy of women in rural areas. A youth radio that will broadcast in five Sahelian countries is expected to be launched soon in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The OIF also promises more content in French on the Internet, even if the task seems enormous for such a modest organization.
In the morning, François Legault met with representatives of MEDEF, a French employers’ organization. “We have to do a lot more with France,” he said, recalling that two of the largest French companies are associated with Quebec, Airbus through Bombardier and Alstom, whose Caisse de depot et placement is the main shareholder. The Prime Minister even spoke of “doubling trade” with France, without specifying when or how.
In two years, the next summit will take place in France. It will take place in Villers-Cotterêts, a symbolic place where François Ier signed in 1539 the famous ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts, which for the first time imposed French in official documents rather than Latin. The Château de Villers-Cotterêts, which will open its doors in the spring, already houses the Cité internationale de la langue française.
Singer Yseult, whose parents are from Congo, will be the godmother of the next summit, President Emmanuel Macron announced after meeting her in Djerba. A name that is already causing controversy since the singer, winner of a Victoire de la Musique in 2021, had left France with a bang last year for Belgium. She then declared to the London daily The Guardian : “In France, I feel blamed because I am myself”