Saudi Gazette

THE Cultural Service of the French Consulate and the Circle of the Friends of French Culture conducted the closing ceremony of the 26th “Meetings of the Francophone" in Saudi Arabia" at the Residence of France in Jeddah recently.

March is celebrated every year as the month of francophone by all French speakers around the globe.

The closing ceremony named “The evening of culture” showcased the cultural wealth of the different francophone countries that participated in the event, such as Lebanon, Ivory Coast, France, Switzerland, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Chad, Burkina Faso, and many others.

The participating countries displayed a wide variety of authentic cuisines, delicacies, traditional costumes and cultures.

During the evening music from different countries and languages were played. Also African folklore dances were performed. A young girl sang the very famous French song “La vie en rose”, originally by Edith Piaf.

Mostafa Mihraje, consul general of France, emphasized: “Our goal is to highlight the cultural diversity for the francophone family through dances, shows, costumes and the variety of food. All of these are important things for the francophone family.”

Ali Karanouh, consul general of Lebanon, noted: “We are glad to participate here, where every francophone country is showcasing its identity and culture. We gather here as francophone despite the differences between our cultures.”

Moroccan Consul General Ibrahim Ajouli said: “This is a good and a happy celebration; we can consider it as a part of the entertainment movement in all the cities of Saudi Arabia.”

Egyptian Consul General Hazem Ramadan said: “We are participating here as one of the francophone countries. We also want to showcase the civilization, achievements, cuisines and the tourism of Egypt.”

The “26th Meetings of the Francophone” in Saudi Arabia, is conducted by member states of the International Organization of the Francophone.

This year the celebrations contained a wide variety of activities such as the musical concert by Francoise Atlan and Nihdal Jaoua, movie screenings, literary lectures, sports competitions and more.

The International Organization of the Francophone is a global foundation whose members have in common the French language and certain values such as cultural diversity, peace, democratic governance and other values.

The organization, which has 84 members, contributes to the prevention of conflicts within the French-speaking world, in addition to promoting cultural diversity.