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March 16, 2004
EDITORIAL
La Francophonie: In All Its Colours and Passions
By George
Paturca
La fête de la francophonie has been an annual tradition, celebrated
March 20, in five continents. L’Agence de cooperation culturelle
et technique, known today as Agence intergouvernementale de la francophonie,
was founded in the 1970s in Niger. Abdou Diouf from Senegal is the current
general secretary of this organization. Whether one day, one week or one
month in March, everybody’s energy is turned up 100,000 volts in
thinking, speaking and acting French.
The francophone spirit impacts not only the 56 officially francophone
countries with their 500 million French speaking people, but it impacts
the entire world. Despite various accents, the francophone family is in
fact growing stronger in its diversity from Quebec to Benin, from Romania
to Vietnam. The author Moliere’s language lives in its heures de
richesse with their specific accents.
It’s time again for competitions, fun and joie de vivre! Each country
will showcase its best knowledge of literary/linguistic essays, concerts,
exhibitions, conferences, sports and gastronomy through its best representatives.
There will be a fruitful competitiveness ready to consolidate the links
of friendship and respect among the people. Last year, for example, there
were more than 800 cultural events organized by 116 countries. This year,
these figures will certainly be higher.
In today’s world, the respect toward other cultures is becoming a
part of the ruling parties in order for all communities to be on good
terms with one another. The 32nd UNESCO Conference held in Paris last
fall precisely stressed the promotion and the maintenance of the cultural
diversity, which proves to be as vital as the biodiversity for living
in solidarity and the Universal civilization (Leopold Sedar Senghor).
The francophone world must be a perfect example to follow. If the francophone
world is well understood, it will turn to understand the others with altruism.
France, through its own recognized personality, will continue to work
unselfishly to prove its best intentions in order to give a boost to all
its friends around the world without mettre sa langue dans sa poche!
La francophonie constitutes a real counterbalance to the standard and
therefore is a strong partner for pluralism. In order to cope with the
present and future developments and challenges, it is necessary that the
members of this large nation be incorporated into the political and economical
social structures. Beyond the beautiful words — nevertheless so very
necessary for culture, diplomacy, civilization, human rights — the
French language has to pose itself in a pragmatic way in everyday life,
from Internet to the young people’s language. Let us be cognizant
of the great decisions made during the last francophone summits: to assert
the use of French in the World Trade Organization negotiations (Cancun,
September 2003); to involve all the francophones in the media (Geneva,
December 2003); and to accept for the first time at the Cannes film festival,
movies from lesser known countries like Guinea, Lebanon, Tunisia, under
the Cinemas du Sud.
The spirit of Du Bellay lives through his contribution to the Renaissance
to remind us his Deffence et illustration de la langue francoyse (1549),
as well as Antoine Rivarol from the Siècle des Lumières
and his famous, unforgettable Discours sur l’unniversalité
de la langue française (1784). The two main words are timeless:
defense and universality. It’s up to us to keep them in our approaches,
to continue the legacy they left behind. Let’s not forget our latin
cousins, the hispanophones and lusophones. Together, these three linguistic
zones could courageously cope with the problems of the mondialization
with dignity.
The USA is also getting ready to celebrate la francophonie, from New Orleans
to St. Louis and San Francisco, from New York to Atlanta and Chicago.
In Washington, DC, the cultural events for this occasion will be celebrated
for a month as in the previous years. A walk across the capital is an
opportunity for francophone discoveries. The cherished child of the city,
George Washington’s friend and architect, Pierre Charles l’Enfant,
left behind magnificent projects for the new federal capital. From his
tomb on the top of the Arlington cemetery, he overlooks the metamorphosis
of this unique city. From the Smithsonian gardens with Rodin’s sculptures,
to the Meridian Hill Park and Jeanne d’Arc’s statue, from the
Capitol and the Library of Congress with tens and tens of francophone’s
names, from Dupont Circle and Hillwood Museum to the White House and Kennedy
Center (two beautiful Matisse tapestries)… etc., the sites are numerous
and the discoveries marvelous.
La Grande Fête organized by la Maison Francaise, Friday, March 19
at 7 pm, as well as the other events in our cosmopolitan capital, are
giving us the chance to feel French in every aspect. Bonnes fetes francophones!
George Paturca is an assistant professorial lecturer in French, CCAS.
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu
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