By Daniel Anazia

This year’s celebration of the Journee De La Francophonie (International Day of Francophonie) in Lagos was a vibrant showcase of cultural diversity and unity between France and Nigeria.
 
Organised by Alliance Francaise de Lagos in partnership with the Consulate General of France, Consulate General of Switzerland, and Deputy High Commission of Canada in Nigeria on March 20, the auspicious day, which aims to foster stronger cultural diversity and growth between two countries was marked with movie screenings and award ceremony.
 
The movies include Karnaval (Canadian) and The Crusade (French). The movies highlighted environmental and climate challenges, and biodiversity in partnership with Nestle Nigeria. Best French students from 15 secondary schools in Lagos were recognised with 12 winners emerging.
 
Karnaval, directed by Henri Pardo won the Audience Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, while The Crusade by Louis Garrel (2021) was featured in the Cinema for the Climate selection at the Cannes Film Festival.
 
Speaking at the event, Consul General of France in Lagos, Laurent Favier, emphasised the importance of addressing climate change and promoting sustainable development. “Climate change is a general concern. The idea is to innovate, find better adaptive solutions to fight against it,” he said.
 
Favier noted that the mission of the International Organisation of Francophonie (OIF) is to promote the French language and cultural diversity. “The second objective is to promote peace and human rights, support education and develop economic cooperation, but in a sustainable, development way. Nigeria is surrounded by French speaking countries and it’s important to be able to communicate and relate with our neighbours,” he stated.
 
Directeur of Alliance Française de Lagos, Marc Brébant, explained that the Journee De La Francophonie is celebrated worldwide on March 20 to promote the French language and cultural diversity.    

According to him, the movies selected, French and Canadian were picked based on this year’s theme. “The theme this year: ‘Tell Me Ten Words For The Planet’, was chosen by members of the Group of Francophone Ambassadors (GAF) and has helped consolidate the cultural programming of the Francophonie month in Lagos, Abuja, and nine other cities where there is an Alliance Française operating,” he added.
 
The Alliance Française Directeur, further said each year, a theme intended to convey a message about the French language and 10 words illustrating it is chosen by Francophone partners (France, Belgium, Quebec, Switzerland, and the International Organisation of La Francophonie) for an initiative called, ‘Tell me Ten Words.’
 
On his part, Deputy Commissioner, Canadian High Commission, Carlos Rojas-Arbulu, said speaking a language that connects Nigerians to the rest of the world is beneficial not just for communication purposes but for education and business. He added that next year, they intend to connect with more partners, engage with more people and build on what they have achieved so far.
   
Championing its commitment to the cultural, environmental and educational development, Nestle Nigeria, represented by the Corporate Communications, Public Relations and Sustainability Lead, Victoria Uwadoka, said the theme for this year is core to Nestle’s operations globally and in Nigeria.
 
Her words: “We are experiencing severe weather changes from how we used to know it and these are all tied to climate change. Our actions have an impact on the planet and we need to create more awareness on the right behaviour to adopt to protect the climate.”