Francophonie Day – March 20, 2025

History of Francophonie Day

The International Day of Francophonie is celebrated on March 20. It is a day to celebrate the French language and Canada’s rich French heritage and culture. Created in 1988, the day celebrates the signing of the Niamey Convention in Niger on March 20, 1970. This convention was the rise of Agence de Cooperation Culturelle et Technique (A.C.C.T.) in Niamey, which is now known as the International Organization of La Francophonie. The term ‘Francophonie’ meaning ‘French-speaking,’ was first used at the end of the 19th century. A French geographer, Onesime Reclus used the term to refer to all French-speaking people and countries. Recently, there was a change, the meaning has been differentiated. Francophonie spelled with a capital F refers to French-speaking countries and Francophonie with a lowercase f for that of French-speaking people.

The concept of it is so interesting, each country has its own unique play or development of the Francophone. For example, the Quebec region of Canada is a completely different Francophone environment and you would not find anyone around here who speaks English. The Metropolitan French, having evolved directly from its European roots, does not have the same pronunciation as the Canadian French. The Canadian French has been influenced a lot over time by factors such as that of the British and the nearby U.S. Like British and American English, there are different intonations and different words in the Metropolitan and Canadian French yet the same grammar rules in its written form.

The U.N. Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), established the U.N. French Language Day to join in raising awareness about the value of French and other languages like it and also in furthering the U.N’s work. Today, this important occasion celebrates the significance of French in helping diverse people come together toward global peace, understanding, and respect between cultures and the organization continues to push toward the unique value of the linguistic and humanist French language across the globe.