Francophonie Festival 2019 - La France au Ghana

The Francophone Embassies in Ghana and Alliance Française cordially invite you to the opening ceremony of the 2019 Francophonie Festival to be held at Alliance Française on Saturday 16^th of March, in the presence of H.E Prof. Matthew PREMPEH, Minister of Education, of Hon. Charles OWIREDU, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration as well as the Francophone Ambassadors in Ghana.

This year, to launch the festivities in grand style, the Franco-Togolese Afro-funk group, Vaudou Game will take the stage with an opening concert.
Following annual tradition, the Francophone Embassies in Ghana together with Alliance Française Accra are organising various events in honour of the Francophonie. Its cultural and linguistic diversity will be celebrated in a laid back and joyful atmosphere: concerts, film screenings, French language singing (Karaoke), job application workshops, competition in French, gastronomic and artistic events, and a stand-up comedy.
The International Day of the Francophonie is celebrated on the 20^th of March every year all over the world.
Ghana and La Francophonie
Ghana has, since 2006, had the status of the associate member within the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF in French). The Francophone community in Ghana commends the tremendous efforts the Ghanaian government is making to improve regional integration through the development of the French language across the country. Last year, 1^st February 2018, the Council of Francophone ambassadors in Ghana called on H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo at the Presidency. During the meeting, several proposals geared towards the development of French and La Francophonie in Ghana were tabled for discussion, among which were:

• Building of international media partnerships with the Ministry of Communication
• Continuous support for government’s initiatives in education and cooperation in pivotal sectors including culture, sports, security, economic relations and the public service.
• The reinforcement of relations between Ghana and the International Organization of La Francophonie through the establishment of a linguistic pact, Ghana’s accession to other OIF bodies such as the Francophonie Universities’ Agency (AUF) and the International Association of Francophone Mayors (AIMF), as well as the hosting of a major OIF event in the country.
• Strengthening of Francophonie at the institutional level in Ghana

The Francophonie Festival in Ghana therefore represents a unique opportunity to meet francophone or ‘Francophile’ persons and develop partnerships with the francophone communities. Out of the 88-member states of the OIF, 21 of them have a diplomatic representation in Ghana. These are Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso, Canada, Czech Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, France, Gabon, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Lebanon, Mali, Mexico, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Switzerland, and Togo.
The term “Francophonie” refers to all the states and governments worldwide who share the French language. The International Organization of La Francophonie, created in 1970, represents one of the biggest linguistic zones in the world. Its mission is to embody the active solidarity among its 88-member states and governments (54 full members, 7 associates and 27 observers), which together represent over one-third of the United Nations’ member states and account for a population of over 890 million people, including 274 million French speakers.
IOF organises political activities alongside the four main objectives which it has been assigned:

• To promote the French language, cultural and linguistic diversity,
• To promote peace, democracy and human rights
• To support education, training, higher education institutions and research
• To foster cooperation in favour of sustainable development.

The organisation has its headquarters in Paris, France, with regional offices all over the world, including the West African Reginal Bureau (BRAO) in Lomé, Togo.