By Layan Damanhouri

Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — A series of cultural and entertainment activities will be held throughout the month in three major cities in the country to promote French language and celebrate the Francophonie, the familial link holding together French-speaking countries.

The 27th edition of the French Language and Francophonie will debut with a French silent movie screening and piano concert performed by pianist and composer Karol Beffa in Jeddah Thursday night. Other events will carry out until the end of March including film screenings, live concerts, sports tournaments, literary nights and talks by guest speakers in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam.

“The aim is to gather all the Francophone family, including the consulates of French-speaking countries from different continents, showing its diversity and wideness,” Consul General of France in Jeddah Mostafa Mihraje said.

“French is spoken by 300 million people in 106 countries and territories. It is the fifth spoken language in the world, after Mandarin, English, Spanish and Arabic. The French language is the only onea, beside English, to be present on all five continents.”

In addition to several French schools in the Kingdom, there are some 5,000 people learning French each year, according to Mihraje.

The Alliance Française, an international institution offering French language learning, signed an agreement with the Makkah Chamber of Commerce for the first time on Wednesday.

Speaking on the entertainment and cultural scene in Saudi Arabia, Mihraje told Saudi Gazette, “We’re happy to see the openness in Saudi Arabia especially for the youth, who make up 70 percent of the population. We are ready to accompany this movement by bringing in more French culture as well as working with the local authorities in order to highlight the Saudi culture. We currently have six archeological missions financed by France with the aim to highlight the Saudi patrimony, which is very important.”

He added, “In the context of the Vision 2030, when His Royal Highness Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman visited France last April, the two countries signed an agreement to develop Al-Ula and Madain Saleh. This is a project that has already started to be implemented and we set up a new French agency dedicated to developing Al-Ula area. In France, we also have more than 100 young Saudis learning French and will be trained next year in tourism, hospitality and entertainment.”

The French Language and Francophonie event is held each year during the month of March in 70 countries.

The French Ministry of Culture has also offered other activities online bringing together French-speaking communities around the globe to take part in language contests and tools.