The Francophonie Festival, 2 to 6 October

Francophonie, a driver of global transformation

From 2 to 6 November at the Gaîté Lyrique in Paris and other venues, this multidisciplinary Festival will be open to the general public, with a particular focus on young people. It will celebrate a vibrant, outward-looking Francophonie. Inspiring Francophone figures, artists, thinkers and researchers from around the world, will talk about their careers and share their world view.

The programme will include:

• The “Ce qui nous rassemble : langues, langages et imaginaires” (what unites us: language and imagination) exhibition, with some 30 international artists including Mounir Fatmi, Tania Mouraud, Véronique Béland and Rachel Marks. Guest Commissioner: Dominique Moulon;

• Two concert evenings with Fally Ipupa, Angélique Kidjo, Pierre de Maere and Ronisia;

• A gala of French and international comics, in partnership with Les Hauts de l’Humour, with participants including: Gad Elmaleh, Alex Vizorek, Paul Taylor and Laetitia Mampaka;

• A pop-up Francophone bookshop, in collaboration with the International Association of Francophone Booksellers (AILF), offering books from Francophone publishers that have not yet been distributed in France;

• Film screenings and previews in partnership with major film festivals, and talks with directors including Kaouther Ben Hania;

• Literary events with participants including Zeina Abirached, Tania de Montaigne, Wilfried N’Sondé, Kim Thúy and many more;

• Performing arts shows with a LIVE MAGAZINE dedicated to Francophonie, a storytelling evening led by Jihad Darwiche in collaboration with Francophonies – Des Écritures à la Scène and the Centre des Arts du Récit, a model trial with the Paris Bar Association, and a poetry session with Scènes du Golfe, with participants including Lisette Lombé, Féfé and Marc Alexandre Oho Bambe;

• A series of lectures, coordinated by Achille Mbembe, focusing on the new figures of French-language thought, with participants including Barbara Cassin, Souleymane Bachir Diagne and Patrick Boucheron;

• Artistic and cultural workshops for visitors throughout the Festival, aimed at individuals, school groups and families, and classes to discover unusual languages that are rarely taught, with teachers from the French National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilisations (INALCO);

• Round tables dedicated to cultural and societal issues in the Francophone space.

The full programme of the Francophonie Festival and all practical information will be unveiled at a press conference scheduled for 10 September 2024.

The French language and Francophonie will be the centre of attention in Paris and Villers-Cotterêts

The Institut de France, Universcience, the French National Library (BNF) and other venues are taking part in the Festival with events scheduled between 2 and 6 October 2024;

• The Centre des Monuments Nationaux and the Cité Internationale de la Langue Française in Villers‑Cotterêts will foster the momentum of the Festival across much of France;

• On 3 and 4 October 2024, STATION F will host FrancoTech, a trade show for innovation in French that represents the economic dimension of the Francophonie Summit;

• Lastly, in parallel to the Francophonie Festival, the Francophonie Village, organized in cooperation with the International Organisation of La Francophonie, will be hosted at CENTQUATRE-PARIS from 2 to 6 October 2024.

Francophonie Festival Resonances events, March to October 2024

Since 20 March 2024, more than 150 projects, led by more than 500 partners, have been deployed in 40 countries worldwide. Many Francophonie Festival partner events are being held this summer:

• Song dictations at the Francofolies de la Rochelle, 11 to 13 July 2024;
• The artistic residence of the #ChanteEnFrançais song contest at the Cité International de la Langue Française and the Francofolies de Spa, from 16 to 21 July 2024;
• The “Ça va, ça va le monde” lecture series, in partnership with RFI, at the Avignon Festival from 16 to 21 July 2024;
• Carrefour Caraïbe-Afrique at the Summer Encounters organized by Chartreuse-Centre National des Écritures du Spectacle from 13 to 19 July;
• The Grand Concert at SuperFrancoFête in Quebec on 27 August, broadcast on France 2 during the Summit.

A message from the Commissioner

Francophonie, a driver of global transformation

“Making a Better World”: the Francophonie Festival invites artists, thinkers, researchers and entrepreneurs from all over the world to answer this pressing call to dream, reflect and take action.

In a fractured world, threatened by climate, geopolitical, technological and economic challenges, these inventors and architects reveal the power in sharing the French language, as matter for creation, invention and emotion, a tool for thought and dialogue, and a driver of cooperation and solidarity.

From March to October 2024, all around the world, 40 countries and more than 500 organizations, not to mention the spontaneous proposals, are getting stuck in, celebrating a living, inventive Francophonie, open to the plurality of other languages. May the diversity of the initiatives born of this movement, and the power of inspiration of the personalities brought together during this period, enlighten us and give us all strength to take action, individually and collectively, to repair, reinvent and re-enchant the world.”

Valérie Senghor, Commissioner of the Francophonie Festival