“Francophone Literature Conference in Hanoi: A Celebration of Cultural Diversity and Expression in French”

Hanoi (VNA) – On Tuesday, April 25, a “Francophone Literature” conference was held at 31, rue Tràng Thi, Hanoi. The event was jointly organized by the Representation of the International Organization of La Francophonie for Asia and the Pacific and the National Library of Vietnam.

As part of the promotion of Francophone cultural diversity and cultural expression in French, the Representation of the International Organization of La Francophonie for Asia and the Pacific (PERPA) and the National Library of Vietnam (BVN) have organized the conference entitled “Francophone Literature”.

The conference saw the participation of Edgar Doerig, Asia-Pacific regional representative of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), Nguyên Xuân Dung, acting director of the National Library of Vietnam, as well as representatives of embassies, international organizations, embassies of Canada, France, Morocco, the Wallonia-Brussels Delegation and the Library Service of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

According to Nguyên Xuân Dung, Acting Director of the National Library of Vietnam, “The National Library of Vietnam and the OIF Representation in the Asia-Pacific region are close partners who have carried out coordinated projects and activities to organize conferences and seminars over the years”. He added that, in order to continue the achievements of past cooperation and to promote the Francophone Book Space at the National Library of Vietnam, the OIF Representation in Asia-Pacific and the National Library of Vietnam have collaborated to organize Literature Seminar.

This event is part of the Francophone activities in honor of the International Day of La Francophonie 2023, whose theme is “321 million Francophones, billions of cultural content”.

“Mastering the French language gives access to countless and diverse cultural universes with 321 million speakers in 88 states and governments on five continents. This is also the theme of this edition of the International Day of La Francophonie. : 321 million French-speakers, billions of cultural contents”, underlined Mr. Doerig.

Presentation of the Five Continents of La Francophonie Prize

It is also an opportunity to promote the Five Continents of La Francophonie Prize, whose two speakers are members of the Reading Committee for the Asia-Pacific region: Doctor Trân Van Công, Dean of the French Department of the University from Hanoi, and Dr. Trân Lê Bao Chân, Vice-Dean of the Department of French at the École Normale Supérieure in Ho Chi Minh City. This will be done through an exhibition of the candidate books for the different editions of the Prize, as well as the winning works which have been translated into Vietnamese with the support of the OIF.

Francophone literature is a clear demonstration of the cultural diversity and Francophone expressions of members of the Francophone community. It includes not only French literature, but also Belgian, Canadian, Swiss, Vietnamese, African literature, etc.

During the conference, the participants listened to Trân Van Công and Trân Lê Bao Chân talk about some francophone literature typical of the community of French-speaking countries, to testify to the richness and diversity of the panorama of French-speaking literature.

“Francophone literature is often confused with French literature, said Mr. Công, president of the Vietnamese Reading Committee of the Five Continents of La Francophonie Prize. This is why French-speaking writers from different countries are often equated with French writers, like Georges Simenon and Amélie Nothomb. They are Belgian writers who considered themselves French writers”.

“We know that the Francophonie is a large space that brings together 321 million people on five continents, continued Trân Lê Bao Chân, member of the Prize’s Vietnamese Reading Committee. This also means that this diverse space brings together peoples and literatures different, such as Belgian, Canadian, African, European, Middle Eastern literatures, and even Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia”.

The two speakers agree on the fact that the OIF wanted to highlight the cultural and literary diversity of several countries of the world through the creation of the Prix des cinq continents de la Francophonie.

The Five Continents Prize, created in 2001, highlights literary talents that reflect the expression of cultural and editorial diversity in the French language on the five continents and promotes them on the international scene. This prize, endowed with an amount of 15,000 euros for the winner and 5,000 euros for the special mention, offers international recognition to its beneficiaries.

The winner benefits from promotion for a whole year, the OIF ensuring his participation in literary meetings, international fairs and exhibitions identified by mutual agreement with him.

The “Francophone Literature” conference is also part of the Book Festival and Reading Week organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam. -CVN/VNA