Kuwait dresses in the colors of Francophonie

Ambassadors of member-States of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) represented in Kuwait announced last week the creation of the Conseil pour la promotion de la Francophonie au Koweït (Council for promoting Francophonie in Kuwait). This council’s mission will be to support Kuwait in its decision to join the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, while highlighting the use of the French language in Kuwait.

Among the Council’s aims are:

• Highlight any action conducted by the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie and other francophone instances such as the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (Association of Francophone Universities).
• Support initiatives aiming to introduce the many faces of Francophonie to Kuwaitis of all ages, specifically the youth.
• Reinforce French-speaking contact networks in Kuwait.
• Facilitate collaborations between different partners during activities related to promoting Francophonie.

Comprising the ambassadors of member-States of the OIF, the Council will be able to welcome Kuwaiti personalities from the political, administrative, associative, educational and cultural sectors, as well as from the civil society who are ‘friends of Francophonie’. The Council also held its first general assembly last week, during which it elected its five-member executive committee for the next two years: Argentina, Canada, France, Lebanon, and Tunisia.

The Council’s members expressed deep thanks to His Highness Sheikh Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, perfect francophone, for graciously accepting the Council’s Honorary Presidency and opening its first general assembly. In a warm and inspiring message addressed in French, His Highness underlined the importance of Francophonie and the French language in Kuwait, as well as the country’s attachment to promoting the learning of this language which “contributes to the cultural enrichment of the country and its citizens.”

Moreover, he highlighted the necessity of creating a council such as this one to provide support and guarantee the maintenance of teaching French in Kuwait. Lastly, he outlined the importance of adding to this educational support a cultural program in order to encourage exchanges and daily practice of the French language, thus adding to the annual Francophonie celebrations in Kuwait, and “encouraging sharing ideas and establishing relationships between Francophones and Kuwaitis…”.

Addressing the ambassadors, His Highness declared that he places “high hopes in their Council and was counting on them to widen the sphere of promoting Francophonie through their innovative initiatives and their efforts to develop an annual cultural and artistic program.”

Though not yet a member of the OIF, even though it expressed its desire to join it, Kuwait has an active part in the region pertaining to Francophonie, since the 1960s. French has indeed been taught in Kuwait since 1966, one year before the language’s introduction in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and three years before signing a ‘cultural and technical cooperation’ agreement, on 18 September 1969, between the French Republic Government and the State of Kuwait Government.

Both countries committed through the agreement to “encourage, as much as possible, the language, literature and civilization of the other country”, and the Kuwaiti Government in particular “endeavors to organize and develop the teaching of French language in its educational institutions.” Forty years after this statement of intent, the French language is still part of the Kuwait public high school curriculum, as a mandatory subject for literary sections and as an elective subject for scientific sections. Around 500 teachers hold this mission in around 150 public high schools.

With about 30, 000 learners per year (including private school students, mostly of primary and middle school age), French is to this day the second most learned foreign language in Kuwait, after English. The Kuwait University has a very active French language Department that offers courses all the way to a Masters level.

This Francophone presence is reflected as well by the existence in Kuwait of 44 embassies representing countries that adhere to the Francophonie, a French school (Lycée Français de Koweït), a cultural centre (Institut Français du Koweït – IFK), a humanities research centre (Centre Français de Recherches de la Péninsule Arabique – CEFREPA, ex CEFAS) and lastly the broadcast of francophone radio RFI.

The Council invites all lovers of French language and Francophone cultures to follow its social media accounts to keep informed on its future events.