Are you a Francophone? Then this year’s Francophonie festival is just for you!

This year’s Francophonie festival, scheduled to be held from March 13 to 23, will feature different events including music performances, sports tournaments, gastronomic events and a speech contest.

Franck Gellet, the French ambassador to Qatar, said that the event, organised by the French embassy in Doha and the French Institute of Qatar, is dedicated to those who love the language, reported Gulf Times.

The embassy said that according to latest estimates, Qatar has around 200,000 Francophones.

“The Francophonie festival is more of discovering the wealth of the French language and sharing it to others,” Gellet said, during a Press conference. He was joined by the French Institute of Qatar’s Assistant Director Sylvie Lamy.

“During the week, the festival will feature different events that will be of interest not only to Francophones (French-speaking) but also to those who wish to discover the French language,” Gellet was quoted as saying by Qatar Tribune.

The envoy said Qatar is also a francophone country, for eight per cent of its total population speaks French. He also expressed his admiration of Qataris who speak the French language.

French students in Qatar will gather at Rotana Hotel City Center on March 13 for the inaugural speech competition. Eight finalists will showcase their eloquence in front of a panel of judges composed of diplomats, lawyers, and theatre professionals.

The next activity, a sporty one, will bring together 24 teams who will compete in the second French Touch Rugby tournament, hosted by Blue Falcons Rugby Club, on March 15 (8 am to 6 pm) at Doha Sports Park.

The festival is also set to host the French dictation, ‘La Grande dictee de langue Francaise’ on March 21 (5 pm), which will feature two categories: French as a mother tongue and French as a second language.

The envoy said the week is dedicated to French cuisine, a gastronomic event dubbed as ‘Gout de France/Good France’ that will dazzle residents and visitors with the flavours of Provence from March 21 to 24. It will be celebrated in many restaurants across Doha.

Students from different schools will battle it out at the ‘Olympiades of the Francophonie’, a series of sporting competitions kicking off with fencing (a sport in which the French language is used), theatrical performances, writing contests, and plastic arts on March 23 from 10 am to 4 pm at the French Qatari Voltaire School in Al Waab.

The five-member musical group ‘Cinq de Coeur’ will present a unique show titled ‘The non-return concert’, aimed at entertaining the audience with their humour and vocal skills through lyrical chant.

The quintet will perform renowned classical repertoire or the standard variety through wacky scenes on March 23 at 4 pm at the Drama Theater, Katara – the Cultural Village.