Celebration of the International Day of La Francophonie at Expo 2020 Dubai
On the occasion of the International Day of La Francophonie, the organizers of Expo 2020 Dubai, the International Organisation of La Francophonie, the Luxembourg Pavilion and all the member pavilions of the great family of La Francophonie are getting together to celebrate this special day at the Expo with events for the general public and for an institutional audience.
This year we are marking the International Francophone Day at Expo 2020 Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, a member country of the International Organisation of the Francophonie. This day will be an opportunity to celebrate the French language, spoken by more than 320 million people on five continents, and to highlight the richness and diversity of French-speaking cultures.
In addition, the pavilions will be keen to promote the values of peace, solidarity, democracy and equality. Indeed, this solidarity and the bonds of friendship between our communities are more important than ever in order to provide solutions to today’s challenges and to build a Francophonie for the future that focuses on youth.
“The celebration of 20 March in Dubai will conclude a wonderful participation of the Francophonie in the World Expo, highlighting the richness, values and diversity of the Francophone space.” explains Oria Vande Weghe, Commissioner General of the Francophonie at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Under the theme ”Francophonie of the Future”, the International Organisation of the Francophonie (OIF), together with the countries of the Francophonie present at Expo 2020 Dubai, invite you to explore the diversity of Francophone linguistic, cultural and artistic expressions by visiting their pavilions and enjoying a host of activities and special events.
Programme of the International Day of La Francophonie at Expo 2020 Dubai:
| 10h-19h | Grand jeu de la Francophonie : learn French words and win gifts! | Pavilions Belgium, Canada, Comores, Congo RDC, France, Gabon, Guinée, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Maurice, Montenegro, Morocco, Vietnam |
| 10h30-11h15 | Francophonie Parade | Avenue Al Ghaf |
| 10h30 | Animations by the students (GEMS Modern Academy, Sorbonne Abu Dhabi, Université fédérale des EAU) | Sea Stage |
| 11h30-13h | Agora de la Francophonie | France Pavilion |
| 11h30 | Animations by the students (GEMS Modern Academy, Sorbonne Abu Dhabi, Université fédérale des EAU) | Sea Stage |
| 12h-12h45 | Comic workshop | Belgium Pavilion |
| 12h30 | Kids choir with Tania Kassis Academy | Canada Pavilion |
| 12h30 | Animations by the students (GEMS Modern Academy, Sorbonne Abu Dhabi, Université fédérale des EAU) | Sea Stage |
| 14h-14h45 | Comic workshop | Belgium Pavilion |
| 14h-14h30 | Kids choir with Tania Kassis Academy | Sun Stage |
| 15h-15h30 | Kids choir with Tania Kassis Academy | Sun Stage |
| 16h-16h30 | Kids choir with Tania Kassis Academy | Sun Stage |
| 16h30-17h | Official ceremony | Al Wasl Dome |
| 20h-21h30 | Concert de la Francophonie : dancer Jeny BSG (Belgique), singer Marie-May (Canada), DJ Willy William (Maurice) | Jubilee Stage |
La Francophonie in brief :
- According to the 2022 report of the OIF’s Observatoire de la langue française, the French language is spoken by 321 million speakers, nearly 80% of whom use it daily.
- French is the 5th most widely spoken language in the world and the 4th most widely used language on the Internet.
- The official language of 32 states and governments and of most international organizations, French is also the language of instruction for more than 93 million people, and a foreign language learned by more than 50 million people.
- The International Day of La Francophonie was established in 1988 to commemorate the birth of institutional La Francophonie, a space of solidarity between countries sharing the French language and a recognized actor in international relations.
- La Francophonie makes a significant contribution to the search for solutions to the major challenges facing the French-speaking world through its four main missions: the French language and cultural and linguistic diversity; peace, democracy, and human rights; education, training, higher education and research; and sustainable development, the economy and solidarity.
- La Francophonie represents a community of 88 states and governments (54 members, 7 associate members and 27 observers), including the United Arab Emirates, with a population of more than one billion people, including more than 320 million French speakers.
- The institutional Francophonie came into being on 20 March 1970 at the Niamey Conference in Niger.
Presentation of the OIF :
Created on 20 March 1970 in Niamey (Niger), the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) implements political, educational, economic and cultural cooperation between its member countries, at the service of the populations.
The OIF offers its member states and governments support in the development or consolidation of their public policies and carries out international policy and multilateral cooperation activities, according to four main missions:
- Promoting the French language, multilingualism and cultural diversity
- Promoting peace, democracy and human rights
- Supporting education, training, higher education and research
- Develop economic cooperation for sustainable development.
Particular attention is paid to youth and women, two of the IOF’s main priorities.
