The Swiss animated movie Ma vie de courgette (My Life as a Zucchini) directed by Claude Barras will be screened during French-language film week in Vietnam (Photo courtesy of the organisers)Hanoi (VNA) - A variety ofactivities, including art events, concerts, film screenings and a writingcontest will be held nationwide to celebrate International Francophone Day 2018in Vietnam.
International Francophone Day, celebratedevery March 20, is an opportunity for Francophones globally to demonstratetheir strong attachment to French language, confirm their aspirations to livetogether in their diversity and honour humanity’s global values.
“French language, connecting for action” isthe theme chosen to honour the French language this year.
The theme aims to highlight the diversityof the language and the importance of solidarity as Francophone countries andgovernments face the challenges of a new era.
The theme also allows each nation, city,organisation and individual to exercise creativity as they plan activities tocelebrate Francophone communities and to highlight the richness and livelinessof the French language.
An official ceremony is due to take placeat 6.00pm on March 16. The event is jointly held by Vietnam’s Ministry ofForeign Affairs, the International Organisation of Francophonie (OIF) and theGroup of Francophone Embassies, Delegations and Institutions in Vietnam (GADIF)at the Centre of International Conference. At the ceremony, GADIF will presentan Award of Honour and an Award of Youth to two Francophones with significantcontributions to Francophone communities.
A free-entrance concert featuring the albumNU-BASS 6tet by Swiss band NU-BASS will be held on the following day at Tuoi Tre (Youth) Theatre at 8pm. Founded in 2015 by pianist Francois Lindemann, the bandfeatures a unique combination of various musical instruments, includingcontrebasse, oud, piano and tabla.
The highlight of the celebrations will bethe 11th Francophone Film Festival which will showcase the cultural diversityof the Francophonie, from March 17 to April 1.
It will kick off in Ho Chi Minh City on March 17 while in Hanoi from March 18. Thefestival will present 11 films in genres of drama, comedy, musical andanimation from Switzerland, France, Germany, Morocco, Wallonie-Bruxelles,Canada, Lebanon and Burkina Faso.
The films, which have won prestigious prizes,will be screened in HCM City, Hanoi, Hue and Vinh with Vietnamese subtitles,while the Vietnamese movies will have French subtitles.
Besides, a programme Cultural Coloursshowcasing unique cultural features and cuisines of Francophone countries willbe held on the campus of the Faculty of French Language and Culture, Universityof Languages and International Studies on March 18.
Another highlight of the festival is the internationalconference entitled Cultural Diversity and National Unity: Sharing Experiences betweenMorocco and Vietnam on March 27 at the Institute for Africa and Middle EastStudies. It will be followed by the launching of the book Histoire d’Anh Ma by Pro.Abdellah Saaf, which has been translated from French into Vietnamese.
In addition, the third journalistic writingcontest for young Francophones has been launched by Le Courrier du Vietnam, theonly French-language newspaper in Vietnam. With the theme Strength of Words,the contest is open to all Francophones from 18 to 35 years old and closes onSeptember 15.
In HCM City, a collection of 60 photostaken by Swiss physician and bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin (1863-1943) duringhis life in Vietnam will open on March 19.
The exhibition is organised by theConsulate General of Switzerland in HCM City and its partner, the Associationof Admirers of Alexandre Yersin, in Switzerland to mark the doctor’s 75th deathanniversary. The exhibition will be free for the public until March 23 at theInstitute of Cultural Exchange with France (IDECAF) on 28 Le Thanh Ton Streetin District 1.
The organisers will offer a free screeningof a documentary about the life and career of Dr Yersin titled Ce n’est pas unevie que de ne pas bouger (What is Life If You Don’t Commit to Something?)directed by Stéphane Klebb, a renowned Swiss film director, at 6:30 pm on March19 at IDECAF.
A wide range of other cultural activitiesare also being organised in Hue, Vinh, HCM City, Da Lat, and Can Tho.
More detailed information can be found onthe website http://www.20mars.francophonie.org.
The date of March 20 was chosen asFrancophone International Day to commemorate the signing in 1970, in Niamey(Niger), of the Treaty establishing the Agency for Cultural and TechnicalCooperation (ACCT) — today the International Organisation for La Francophonie.
Vietnam was among the founding countries ofthe International Francophonie Organisation in 1970. Over the years, the IFOhas maintained active cooperation with Vietnam including the exchange oftraining and technical expertise in a number of fields.
French is spoken by 274 million people in80 countries across the world.
Vietnam is home to the biggest number(674,000) of French-speaking people in Asia. - VNA
International Francophone Day, celebratedevery March 20, is an opportunity for Francophones globally to demonstratetheir strong attachment to French language, confirm their aspirations to livetogether in their diversity and honour humanity’s global values.
“French language, connecting for action” isthe theme chosen to honour the French language this year.
The theme aims to highlight the diversityof the language and the importance of solidarity as Francophone countries andgovernments face the challenges of a new era.
The theme also allows each nation, city,organisation and individual to exercise creativity as they plan activities tocelebrate Francophone communities and to highlight the richness and livelinessof the French language.
An official ceremony is due to take placeat 6.00pm on March 16. The event is jointly held by Vietnam’s Ministry ofForeign Affairs, the International Organisation of Francophonie (OIF) and theGroup of Francophone Embassies, Delegations and Institutions in Vietnam (GADIF)at the Centre of International Conference. At the ceremony, GADIF will presentan Award of Honour and an Award of Youth to two Francophones with significantcontributions to Francophone communities.
A free-entrance concert featuring the albumNU-BASS 6tet by Swiss band NU-BASS will be held on the following day at Tuoi Tre (Youth) Theatre at 8pm. Founded in 2015 by pianist Francois Lindemann, the bandfeatures a unique combination of various musical instruments, includingcontrebasse, oud, piano and tabla.
The highlight of the celebrations will bethe 11th Francophone Film Festival which will showcase the cultural diversityof the Francophonie, from March 17 to April 1.
It will kick off in Ho Chi Minh City on March 17 while in Hanoi from March 18. Thefestival will present 11 films in genres of drama, comedy, musical andanimation from Switzerland, France, Germany, Morocco, Wallonie-Bruxelles,Canada, Lebanon and Burkina Faso.
The films, which have won prestigious prizes,will be screened in HCM City, Hanoi, Hue and Vinh with Vietnamese subtitles,while the Vietnamese movies will have French subtitles.
Besides, a programme Cultural Coloursshowcasing unique cultural features and cuisines of Francophone countries willbe held on the campus of the Faculty of French Language and Culture, Universityof Languages and International Studies on March 18.
Another highlight of the festival is the internationalconference entitled Cultural Diversity and National Unity: Sharing Experiences betweenMorocco and Vietnam on March 27 at the Institute for Africa and Middle EastStudies. It will be followed by the launching of the book Histoire d’Anh Ma by Pro.Abdellah Saaf, which has been translated from French into Vietnamese.
In addition, the third journalistic writingcontest for young Francophones has been launched by Le Courrier du Vietnam, theonly French-language newspaper in Vietnam. With the theme Strength of Words,the contest is open to all Francophones from 18 to 35 years old and closes onSeptember 15.
In HCM City, a collection of 60 photostaken by Swiss physician and bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin (1863-1943) duringhis life in Vietnam will open on March 19.
The exhibition is organised by theConsulate General of Switzerland in HCM City and its partner, the Associationof Admirers of Alexandre Yersin, in Switzerland to mark the doctor’s 75th deathanniversary. The exhibition will be free for the public until March 23 at theInstitute of Cultural Exchange with France (IDECAF) on 28 Le Thanh Ton Streetin District 1.
The organisers will offer a free screeningof a documentary about the life and career of Dr Yersin titled Ce n’est pas unevie que de ne pas bouger (What is Life If You Don’t Commit to Something?)directed by Stéphane Klebb, a renowned Swiss film director, at 6:30 pm on March19 at IDECAF.
A wide range of other cultural activitiesare also being organised in Hue, Vinh, HCM City, Da Lat, and Can Tho.
More detailed information can be found onthe website http://www.20mars.francophonie.org.
The date of March 20 was chosen asFrancophone International Day to commemorate the signing in 1970, in Niamey(Niger), of the Treaty establishing the Agency for Cultural and TechnicalCooperation (ACCT) — today the International Organisation for La Francophonie.
Vietnam was among the founding countries ofthe International Francophonie Organisation in 1970. Over the years, the IFOhas maintained active cooperation with Vietnam including the exchange oftraining and technical expertise in a number of fields.
French is spoken by 274 million people in80 countries across the world.
Vietnam is home to the biggest number(674,000) of French-speaking people in Asia. - VNA
VNA
