321 million Francophones but billions of cultural content. Every March 20, the world celebrates the International Day of La Francophonie, an opportunity to dive into the future of our beautiful language, in all its diversity.
March 20 is a date to mark with a white stone for the French-speaking world. It was on this precise day in 1970 that the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation, ancestor of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), was born in Niamey, Niger.
The Francophonie must impose itself in the digital space
The International Day of La Francophonie has chosen as its theme the presence of the French language in cultural production and in particular on digital platforms. French is only the 4th language on the internet. It represents 3.50% of content on the web, well behind English (25%), Chinese (15%) and Spanish (7%). The digital divide in French-speaking African countries, which represent the largest number of speakers, prevents the progression of French in the digital sphere.
“Millions of French speakers populate the world: these are all people looking for content on the Internet in French. On the occasion of this day, the OIF mobilizes its partners and the living forces of the French-speaking world to recall this crucial issue for the future of our language.explains the International Organization of La Francophonie.
On this occasion, a day of celebration is scheduled at the OIF headquarters in Paris on March 20, 2023.
Who are the members of the International Organization of La Francophonie?
54 member states and governments
Albania • Principality of Andorra • Armenia • Belgium • Benin • Bulgaria • Burkina Faso • Burundi • Cabo Verde • Cambodia • Cameroon • Canada • Canada-New Brunswick • Canada-Quebec • Central African Republic • Comoros • Congo • Democratic Republic of Congo • Ivory Coast • Djibouti • Dominica • Egypt • France • Gabon • Greece • Guinea • Guinea-Bissau • Equatorial Guinea • Haiti • Laos • Lebanon • Luxembourg • North Macedonia • Madagascar • Mali • Morocco • Mauritius • Mauritania • Moldova • Monaco • Niger • Romania • Rwanda • Saint Lucia • Sao Tome and Principe • Senegal • Seychelles • Switzerland• Chad • Togo • Tunisia • Vanuatu • Vietnam • Wallonia-Brussels Federation
7 associate members
Cyprus • United Arab Emirates • France–New Caledonia • Ghana • Kosovo • Qatar • Serbia
27 observers
Argentina • Austria • Bosnia and Herzegovina • Canada/Ontario • Costa Rica • Croatia • Dominican Republic • Estonia • Gambia • Georgia • Hungary • Ireland • Latvia • Lithuania • Louisiana • Malta • Mexico • Montenegro • Mozambique • South Korea • Poland • Slovakia • Slovenia • Czech Republic • Thailand • Ukraine • Uruguay