Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — The French Consulate General conducted a superb musical evening that highlighted the beautiful mixture of cultures of the Mediterranean region recently.

The musical evening took place at the residence of the French Consul General in Jeddah, and was named “The spirit of Granada” performed by the fine authentic singer Francoise Atlan and the fascinating Qanun performance of Nidhal Jaoua.

They played a variety of marvelous classical Andalusia poetic songs, telling love tales from the diverse culture of Al Andalus in a beautiful mixture in both Arabic and Spanish languages.

The musical evening was part of the “26th meetings of the Francophone” in Saudi Arabia.

The French Consul General Mostafa Mihraje emphasized: “The celebration of the Francophone, happens once every year, in March, and it is a celebration by the speakers of French language about 300 million people around the world, and the most important thing that is the speakers of the language share common values.”

Mihraje added: “The goal of the celebration of the Francophone is to highlight the cultural richness of these nations. This year we managed to bring the singer Francoise Atlan, who made us discover the Arab Andalusian heritage. The celebration will include Francophone weddings, seminars and meetings and these events will conclude with a huge celebration called the Francophone village where every Francophone country will display its own culture.”

After the musical evening, singer Francoise Atlan said: ”I was very happy, impressed and so excited to be here. It was the first time to sing in Saudi Arabia, so it was like a dream.”

The “26th meetings of the Francophone” in Saudi Arabia, is conducted by members (states) of the International Organization of La Francophonie, a global foundation whose members have in common the French language and certain values such as, in particular, cultural diversity, peace, democratic governance and other values.

The organization has 84 members, states and governments all around the world.

The organization contributes to the prevention of conflicts within the French-speaking world while also promoting cultural diversity.

On March 20 each year, the International Day of La Francophonie is celebrated around the world by the members of this organization.

This day dedicated to the French language and is an opportunity for Francophones around the world to celebrate their solidarity and desire to live together, in their differences and their diversity, sharing the values of the Francophonie.