The French-speaking foreign missions in Korea observed International Francophonie Day on March 20 and will celebrate the French language and French identity through a series of events through March and April.

The month-long festival of French includes a concert by Swiss-French duo Laurent Brunetti & Mario Pacchioli and an opening set by Raoul and the Xpats on the 6th floor of the music faculty of Sookmyung Women’s University on April 5 at 5 p.m.

“Francophonie” refers to countries and regions where French is spoken, and they, led by France, came to an agreement that local French cultures and customs are broadly shared.

French geographer Onesime Reclus coined the word “Francophonie” in 1880 to refer to the community of people and countries using the French language. The modern international organization, La Francophonie, was created in 1970 with the motto “Egalit, Complmentarit et Solidarit” (equality, complementarity, and solidarity) in a purposeful homage to the French Revolution.

For more information, visit www.institutfrancais-seoul.com.

(ephilip2011@heraldcorp.com)