Let’s celebrate the Francophonie in Singapore!
The Francophonie represents all women and men who share the French language. It is estimated today that 321 million people speak French in the world and that in 2050 there should be 700 million French speakers on the five continents.
La Francophonie also includes values such as solidarity, humanism, peace, democracy as well as linguistic and cultural diversity which are shared by the 88 member states and governments of the International Organization of the Francophonie (OIF) created on 20 March 20 1970.
In Singapore, the Group of the Ambassadors of the Francophonie was created in September 2020 and brings together more than 20 foreign missions. Currently chaired by the Ambassador of Mexico, it meets regularly to help promote the French language and the Francophonie in the City-State.
The French language is well spoken in Singapore! More than 10,000 people learn French, making it the first foreign language studied in Singapore outside the four official languages. In addition, the size of the French-speaking expatriate community residing in the City-State is estimated at 30,000 people.
Since 1988, the Francophonie has been celebrated around the world on 20 March. In many countries, at the initiative of the embassies of OIF member countries, the Francophonie is celebrated not only on the International Day of La Francophonie but for several weeks under the aegis of the Francophonie Festival.
The Group of the Ambassadors of the Francophonie in Singapore has also taken over the management of the Francophonie Festival, which has existed for fifteen years in the City-State.
Held annually in March, the Francophonie Festival in Singapore invites the Singaporean public and Francophones to celebrate the French language and Francophone cultures through programmes in the culture, education, science and the lifestyle thanks to the support of dozens of local partners.