Held on 20 March, International Francophonie Day – or, in the spirit of the day, Journée internationale de la francophonie – celebrates the French language, spoken by more than 321 million people across five continents, and the diversity of francophone culture.
French is the fifth most spoken language in the world – fourth on the internet – and francophone countries have 1.2 billion inhabitants in total, and hold 16 percent of global wealth.
There are 144 million learners of French around the world, making it the second most taught foreign language. And the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) – the organisation dedicated to the promotion of the French language and the ties between French-speaking countries – reports the overall number of French speakers is rising, despite a decline in the number of learners in Europe.
This is largely because of the language’s presence in African countries. Of the 212 million people who use French daily, 60 percent live in Africa.
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International Francophonie Day was founded in 1988, to commemorate the signing of the Niamey Convention in Niger on 20 March 1970, the date of the establishment of the Agence de coopération culturelle et technique, the precursor to the OIF.
The day is marked with community events around the world, including film screenings, poetry competitions, exhibitions and debates.
Education
The focus for 2025 is on the role of education in sustainable development.
“In a world in the throes of numerous crises and upheavals, education is the foundation for promoting inclusive societies, where citizens are enlightened and equipped to meet contemporary challenges and those of the future,” OIF says of the “je m’éduque donc j’agis” (“I educate myself, therefore I act”) theme.
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The OIF’s mission also includes the promotion of “peace, democracy and human rights” and it has an operating budget this year of €68.62 million.
The organisation had, until this week, 93 member states – but on Monday, Niger and Burkina Faso left, followed on Tuesday by Mali.
All three countries had been suspended from the organisation following military coups, in 2023, 2022 and 2020 respectively.
(With newswires)
Listen to a selection of broadcasts from French language public service media in Canada, Belgium, Switzerland and French overseas territories here.
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