Assahafa.com
International French Language Day was celebrated on Tuesday at the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in Addis Ababa, with Morocco’s participation.
Organized in collaboration with the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), UNESCO, and the group of Francophone ambassadors in Addis Ababa, the celebration featured artistic performances, including plays, songs, and dance routines performed by students from the French-Ethiopian High School in Addis Ababa, as well as readings of poems in French.
Speaking at the ceremony, Moroccan Ambassador to Ethiopia and Djibouti Nezha Alaoui M’hammdi stated that Morocco, true to its commitment to Africa, is working to make the French language a tool for cooperation and closeness among peoples, particularly through training programs, university exchanges, student mobility, and the development of cultural and educational partnerships with many countries on the continent.
Alaoui M’hammdi, who also serves as chair of the group of Francophone ambassadors in Addis Ababa, noted that, since joining the OIF in 1981, the Kingdom has actively worked to promote cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue, and multilingualism.
The ambassador also affirmed that Africa now occupies a central place in the future of the Francophonie, noting that with nearly 60% of the world’s French speakers, the continent is the true driving force behind the expansion and vitality of the French language.
The ceremony featured the presentation of the 2026 Report on French Language in the World, recently published by the OIF’s Observatory of the French Language, which offers an in-depth analysis of French uses and progression across various sociolinguistic contexts.
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