March is the month of the French language in celebration! The French Institute of Cambodia (Institut Français du Cambodge) and the French Embassy in Cambodia present this year a cultural program highlighting the French language and Francophone cultures, as part of the French Language and Francophonie Week.
Until March 22, 2025, the French Institute offers a literary meeting with Jean-Louis Tripp, a comic book author, events to celebrate the French language through singing and public speaking, a selection of French-speaking movies by Tunisian, Moroccan, and Canadian directors, Ivorian tales, and a special concert with the master lyricist Arthur Ribo and improvisational pianist Roch Havet!
Organized every year around March 20, which is the International Day of Francophonie, the French Language and Francophonie Week is led by the French Ministry of Culture. It has become a key international event. In this cultural, educational, and festive occasion open to all, the French language becomes a medium for pleasure, inspiration, and dialogue through events and educational activities.
Cambodian schools and universities fully participate in the celebrations: a tour of French playwright Molière's famous theatre play, The Imaginary Invalid, by the theater company “Les Incompressibles” from New Caledonia, supported by the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), will be presented to university students in Phnom Penh. The poet Arthur Ribo, who will perform in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Battambang, will also conduct workshops for French learners in secondary schools, in partnership with the Cambodian Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports.
More than 22,000 students learn French in Cambodia. The French Embassy supports French language education in the Cambodian school system by training French teachers and organizing activities and meetings for students to highlight the advantages of the French language in their academic and professional journeys.
"Cambodian Francophonie is particularly dynamic, and the Cambodian government includes many French speakers. Mastery of this language allows Cambodians to be part of a strong community of 343 million speakers worldwide. Franco-Cambodian cooperation will continue in the fields of education, university studies, science, heritage, and culture," said Pierre Vincent, Cooperation and Cultural Action Advisor and Director of the French Institute of Cambodia.
In 2026, Cambodia will host the 20th Francophonie Summit, the second to be held in Asia nearly 30 years after the Francophonie Summit in Hanoi in 1997. It will be an opportunity to showcase the vitality of Francophonie in Southeast Asia and to honor His Majesty King Father Norodom Sihanouk, one of the founding fathers of multilateral Francophonie.
Event Program at the French Institute of Cambodia
Tuesday, March 18 at 6:30 PM
Words from the Author with Jean-Louis Tripp, comic book author and mentor in the Chakto project in Cambodia.
Meeting at the French Institute cinema, in French with Khmer translation.
Wednesday, March 19 at 6:00 PM
Final of the Francophone Song Contest on the outdoor stage of the French Institute. Come cheer on the finalists of this entirely French-language song contest!
Thursday, March 20 at 7:00 PM
Performance by the master lyricist Arthur Ribo, "The Concert Where You Are the Author" at the French Institute. A unique show that is built through words provided by the audience. Free entry, subject to available seats (in French).
Arthur Ribo will also perform at the Alliance Française of Siem Reap (March 21 at 7:00 PM) and at Phare Ponleu Selpak Battambang (March 25 at 7:00 PM).
Friday, March 21 at 6:30 PM
"Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicide" by Ariane Louis-Seize (2023)
Screening supported by the Canadian Embassy (in French)
Saturday, March 22
10:30 AM | "Sirocco and the Kingdom of Air Streams" by Benoît Chieux (2023) at the cinema (in French)
11:00 AM | Misé Misé, Ivorian Tales, storytelling session at the media library for children aged 3 to 7, accompanied by an adult (in French)
2:30 PM | The Phnom Penh Accueil Dictation. Free registration until March 21 by clicking here.
For more information on the program of events at the French Institute, visit the website: www.ifcambodge.com/fr/culture/en-ce-moment/francophonie/
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