This Friday, January 26, Mr. Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, Secretary of State to the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, and Ms. Françoise Nyssen, Minister of Culture, have launched at the Quai d'Orsay a broad consultation on the promotion of the French language and plurilingualism in the world.
The President of the Republic wanted to mobilize the actors of the French presence internationally around linguistic issues to reach the definition of concrete proposals to modernize the use of French and promote plurilingualism. He commissioned the French Institute, operator of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture, to implement this international consultation.
All French citizens, francophones and/or francophiles throughout the world are invited to contribute to the website from 26 January www.monideepourlefrancais.fr which was launched on this occasion and will remain active until the International Day of La Francophonie on March 20.
Mr. Lemoyne recalled the ambition of the President of the Republic regarding the Francophonie, and said that the launch of this consultation inaugurated an ambitious work, to which everyone was invited to contribute. He said: ' We are here to take action. We are committed to it, and these ideas will not be ignored. They are intended to feed the overall plan that the President of the Republic will announce on March 20, for the promotion of French and plurilingualism in the world.”
Ms Nyssen indicated that the Ministry of Culture would mobilize in three ways before detailing its axes: “First, I want us to be able to promote the diversity of francophone cultures in France. (…) And since bridges are two-way, I want to accompany our own voices abroad – and not just in French-speaking countries, all over the world. (…) Finally, it is essential that the ministry mobilize to support the mastery of French in France. This language we share with millions of people, on five continents, it is a gateway to other cultures, other literatures, other ways of seeing and thinking. »
Interviewed by Ivan Kabacoff, presenter of the program «Destination francophonie» on TV5 monde, on their own idea for French, the two ministers also made a proposal that they have posted on the site. Ms. Nyssen moved that strengthen the mastery of the language through artistic practice, drawing on [s]' theatre courses and eloquence competitions Mr. Lemoyne, for his part, moved that “ in a context where France intends to be at the forefront of artificial intelligence, robots also speak French ».
The consultation will be continued during an international conference on French language and multilingualism in the world on 14 and 15 February, which will bring together personalities and actors from civil society and young citizens of different nationalities in Paris locally engaged in innovative approaches.
Françoise Nyssen, Minister of Culture, Jean-Michel Blanquer, Minister of National Education, and Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, Secretary of State to the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, will take part, as will Leïla Slimani, personal representative of the Head of State for the Francophonie.
Organized in thematic workshops (French as an economic and professional issue, French through the media and contemporary culture, education and training, practical methods of action, etc.), the seminar will lead to the implementation of recommendations for the promotion of the French language and multilingualism in the world that will be transmitted to the President of the Republic.
The synthesis of the proposals submitted online and the discussions held within the framework of the conference will guide and consolidate an overall plan for French and plurilingualism in the world that the President of the Republic will present on 20 March, international day of la francophonie.