Zimbabwe: Celebration of the Francophone Week
By Misheck Rusere – Seven French speaking European countries will this month from 14 to 19 March converge in celebration of the Francophone Week which is celebrated each March of every year.
The Seven diplomatic missions represented in Zimbabwe namely Embassies of Romania, Canada, Algeria, Belgium, France, Switzerland, as well as the European Union who are organizers of the week long event will this year celebrate the 41st anniversary of the International Francophone Week.
The events will be held simultaneously in Harare and Bulawayo.
The country’s Embassies which are members of the International Organization of La Francophonie will partner with Aliance Francaise to present a Francophone activities and celebrating their diverse cultures in a bid to educate the Zimbabwean community about their cultural activities.
“Each year in March, the main French-speaking Embassies, governments and institutions in Zimbabwe partner with the Alliance Française in Harare and the French School to present a series of films, concerts and activities that reflect the diversity of the francophone world. The goal of this non-profit week of celebration is to bring cultural activities to the Zimbabwean community that educate the public and improve cross-cultural understanding,” said Jennie Loiseau who is the cultural and communications officer in a statement for Aliance Francaise.
The International Organisation of La Francophonie was created in 1970. Its mission is to embody the active solidarity between its 70 member states and governments (56 members and 14 observers), which together represent over one-third of the United Nations’ member states and account for a population of over 870 million people, including 200 million French speakers. IOF organises political activities and actions of multilateral cooperation that benefit French-speaking populations.
