19 Nov 2017

About 500 000 people around the world learn French language annually.

Speaking at a ground breaking ceremony of the construction of the new Alliance Francaise in Gaborone recently, French Ambassador to Botswana, Mr Pierre Voillery has said Gaborone Alliance Francaise offices were part of one of the biggest cultural network in the world with more than 800 offices in 132 countries in five continents.

Established in 1980, the Alliance Francaise de Gaborone has been working every single day on its three missions of teaching French and promoting French language, increasing awareness of French and franco phone cultures and promote cultural diversity.

The Ambassador said French language was very present in Africa in the sense that 30 out of 54 African countries were members of the Organization International de la franco phone and 21 countries had French as an official language.

He said even in the SADC region, four out of 15 member states had French as an official language or largely spoke French, adding that Botswana had long shown interest in teaching French to its youth, most particularly by introducing French as a second language in secondary education.

Mr Voillery stated that nowadays there are more than 40 schools in Botswana that offer the possibility to its students to learn French, and there are about a hundred teachers in both public and private sector.

For her part, director of the Alliance Francaise, Ms Aurelie Gbeffa said her office has for many years had the intention of moving to reduce rental costs and offer to its clientele its services best suited to their needs and wants in a suitable place.

She said the first phase of the rehabilitation would concern Building One, which would host the reception, the administrative offices and the media library and the construction of a hut that could receive cultural and artistic activities.

Building Two will house classrooms, and will be renovated in a second time depending on the funding obtained.

Ms Gbeffa explained that the final step will be devoted to the construction of a green theater and a restaurant.

“This last phase will see the light of day in about five years,” she said. ENDs