Francophonie Festival will promote regional integration

The Francophonie Festival which was celebrated in Ghana recently by the French-speaking Embassies in Ghana, has ended successfully with an assurance that it will create a platform that will promote improved regional integration.

The event, which featured in particular literary and performing arts, also brought about value addition to the careers of the Ghanaian youth and would thus lead to the socio-economic development of Ghana and further ensure political stability within the West African sub-region.

The week-long festival included economic and academic events such as the job and entrepreneurship fairs, which enabled students or young graduates to meet  businesses and associations for various job opportunities.

A roundtable discussion with successful businessmen was also dedicated to entrepreneurship. 

The French Ambassador to Ghana, Mr François Pujolas, told the Daily Graphic in an exclusive interview at his office that the occasion provided the platform for exchanging and showcasing culture, and providing guests the opportunity to sample French foods and drinks and align themselves with a rich selection of literature, dance, fashion and craft exhibitions.

Mr Pujolas, who was with two other colleague ambassadors during a joint interview at this office in Accra, said many students took part in a French Contest, “le Grand Concours”, which showcased their incredible abilities to master the language. 

John de Baptist Kouao, from the University of Education, Winneba, won the specialist category and Carlos Dossou-Yovo, from the University for Development Studies (UDS), Navrongo Campus, won the non-specialist category. Both of them won a trip to France!

The term “Francophonie” refers to all the states and governments worldwide that share the French language. “

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It was created by the International Organisation of La Francophonie (IOF) in 1970 and represents one of the biggest linguistic zones in the world. 

Mr Pujolas expressed appreciation for Ghana’s participation as a member of the IOF since 2006 and said the festival also helped to promote regional peace, democracy and human rights. 

He said for Ghana to have French as a second language was very important, as the language was spoken by many countries and would thus open opportunities to the rest of the region and serve as one’s passport to the world.

The French Ambassador said its mission was to embody the active solidarity between its 80-member states and governments, representing 57 members and 23 observers, which together account for a population of over 890 million people, including 274 million French-speaking people.

Former Malian Head of Mission

For her part, the immediate past Head of the Malian Mission to Ghana, Madam Konandji Aissata Coulibaly, noted that Ghana was surrounded by French-speaking countries and said that created a unique opportunity for meeting French-speaking people and Francophiles.

She said he was, therefore, happy that the country was putting in more efforts towards paying great attention to the language.

The former Ambassador was happy that there was total and full cooperation by French-speaking countries towards the festival

She said members derived a lot of benefits from the association which appreciated cultural diversity and the rule of law.

Egyptian Ambassador

The Egyptian Ambassador, Mr Mohamed Mostapha Heider, said an important aspect of the festival was the film screening, saying that films or cinemas were a true reflection of the culture and development of a people.

He announced that Egypt rewarded a young Ghanaian for his excellent participation in the film industry contest last year and said that young man would be participating in a competition in Cairo this year.

Mr Heider gave an assurance that Egypt would always support young talents.

He, however, disclosed that the Francophonie organisation held regular summits every two years.

The French Ambassador was also happy that France and Ghana had very close relations in sports, particularly football. 

Writers Email: kate.hudson@graphic.com.gh