Villers-Cotterêts Summit: Embracing the Francophonie culture

Bonjour!

Following the Francophonie Week 2024 last March, a new series of festivities took place in the Philippines, leading up to the 19th Francophonie Summit held at the Château of Villers-Cotterêts in France. On Oct. 4, the summit was held at the Cité Internationale de la Langue Française, a space dedicated to the French language and Francophone cultures, inaugurated by French President Emmanuel Macron on Oct. 30, 2023. This historic château was the site of the 1539 ordinance that declared French the official language for all legal documents in France. In this remarkable setting, France emphasizes the core values of the Francophonie under the theme, “Create, innovate and do business in French.”

For the first time in 33 years, France hosted the summit that addressed political, economic, digital and cultural issues, and gathered the delegations of the member-countries of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF). It is a key highlight of 2024 in France, alongside the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Liberation and the upcoming reopening of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral.

Francophonie in the Philippines

French is spoken by more than 300 million people across 106 countries and territories, with 132 million learners worldwide. Used daily by 235 million individuals, it is the fifth most spoken language in the world. Additionally, French holds official language status in 29 countries and governments among the 88 members of the OIF.

Founded on March 20, 1970, in Niamey, Niger, the OIF is a diverse and unique organization that promotes French language alongside political, educational, economic and cultural cooperation among its member-countries. This unity around the French language is reflected in the work of Léopold Sédar Senghor, a Senegalese poet, philosopher and politician who served as Senegal’s first president from 1960 to 1980. Through his speeches, Senghor emphasizes French as a language of universal civilization, shaping the identity and culture of Francophone peoples. His advocacy for Francophonie as a cultural community beyond political borders laid the foundation for international cooperation based on linguistic and cultural sharing. In his speech in October 1981, at the Académie des sciences d’outre-mer, he proclaimed: “Francophonie is and must remain the common solidarity that unites millions upon millions of people across all continents through the use of French language. Francophonie is the use of French language as an instrument of symbiosis beyond our own national or regional languages, to strengthen our cultural and technical cooperation, despite our different civilizations.”

Francophonie represents a political and ideological vision of a world united through the richness of its languages and cultures. Much like the OIF’s ideals, the Philippines is a vibrant example of linguistic and cultural diversity with over 170 regional and local languages spoken across its many islands.

Although not a member of the OIF, the Philippines holds a promising outlook for French language. With a positive image and growing opportunities in industries such as services, business process outsourcing and student mobility, the French language enjoys a favorable position. The Alliance Française in Manila and Cebu, prominent universities like the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University and the association of French teachers, contribute significantly to French language education and promotion. Each year, these cultural organizations in charge of promoting French language and culture enable around 4,000 Filipinos to learn French.

France is also committed to enhance the visibility and recognition of French language teachers in the Philippines. This year, the Philippines became the 74th country to join the language assistant program, which is managed by the embassy. Starting in the 2025 academic year, this program will provide Filipino students with the opportunity to teach English in a French-speaking environment in France for seven months. This experience will allow them to immerse themselves in French language and culture while sharing their own. It also offers valuable training and professional development, enhancing their future career prospects. Filipino youth will be able to apply starting the end of October.

Celebrating the Villers-Cotterêts Summit in the Philippines

All week long, celebrations related to the Francophonie Summit featured a variety of events organized by key actors of the French language, with the full support of the embassy. France Volontaires hosted a photo exhibition at the Alliance Française gallery in Manila, showcasing works from their photo contest, highlighting the submissions of French and Filipino volunteers. They also organized the French Volunteering Day under the theme “Francophonie: In Service to All” at the University of the Philippines Diliman, with Cebu set to be the next host for this event on Oct. 11. UP Diliman screened the film Arthur Rambo by Laurent Cantet, organized by the student association UP Le Club Français. The Alliance Française in Manila and Cebu also prepared a Special Francophonie Day on Oct. 5, featuring a French gastronomy lunch, French language initiation courses for beginners and cine-clubs screening movies from Francophonie directors. Additionally, the 3rd edition of the online singing competition, Symphonie 2024, organized by the Association of French Teachers, allowed students to compete for a chance to participate in the French Student Idol 2024 regional competition in Singapore on Oct. 19.

Interested in joining the Francophonie family? Enroll in the French language course at Alliance Française de Manille and Alliance Française de Cebu!

Vive la francophonie, Mabuhay!

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Marie Fontanel is the Ambassador of France to the Philippines and to Micronesia.