Sylviane Duval
It’s a first! On March 20, the University of Ottawa will celebrate the Journée internationale de la Francophonie. Since 1990, Francophones on every continent mark this date to commemorate the creation of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie.
The University’s College of Research Chairs in Canadian Francophonie, the event’s organizer, is the driving force behind the celebration. As Linda Cardinal, a Research Chair in Canadian Francophonie and member of the organizing group explains, “We think it’s important to contribute to enriching intellectual and cultural life in French at the University.”
“This sort of event is intended to remind people that in addition to offering services and programs in French, the University must also contribute to promoting a collective identity and a feeling of belonging to the Francophonie,” Cardinal says. “The celebration is an effective partnership among all those who feel strongly about the development of French at the University.”
The timing couldn’t be better. As part of its efforts to ensure the vitality of French on campus, in 2006, the University formed the Task Force on Programs and Services in French, which issued its report last fall. Its proposed action plan for 2007 to 2012 includes the following recommendation: “to support Francophone activities organized by community organizations” to help create a francophone living environment on campus.
While there is no direct link between the Task Force’s report and the celebration, the Journée internationale de la Francophonie is the perfect opportunity to think about the future of French at the University of Ottawa. After the opening speech by Pierre de Blois, member of the Board of Governors and co-chair of the Task Force, and the welcome address by Robert Major, vice-president, academic and provost, Jean-Benoît Nadeau, co-author of The Story of French, will give a public lecture entitled “Le français : langue de mondialisation” (French: the language of globalization).
According to Nadeau, “Two-hundred million people in 48 countries speak French. It’s the language of science, business and industry. The largest producer of nuclear energy is a French company, and the three main hubs of aviation are Toulouse, Montreal and Seattle… Being bilingual means that the University of Ottawa has its doors wide open on the two international languages of the world.”
Linda Cardinal believes that a university is a place for culture and knowledge. It is therefore here that, through culture, francophone students have to become aware of their environment.
“The message that we want to communicate is one of solidarity between cultures, languages and openness to the other,” she says.
Francophones, francophiles and anglophones who support the francophone community are all invited to this celebration. This is a new tradition that the francophone and francophile community can fully identify with and that will serve as a springboard for many others.
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The College of Research Chairs in Canadian Francophonie will mark the Journée internationale de la Francophonie on March 20 at 2:30 p.m. in the Desmarais Building, Room 1160. (Note: The room and time announced in the print edition of the Gazette are not up-to-date.) For more information, please contact Linda Cardinal.
The Student Federation of the University of Ottawa is also celebrating the Francophonie. To find out more about their activities, send a message to bilinguisme@feuo.ca.
