Students, who qualified for the final of First French Speech contest, pose for a group photo .
The French community celebrating these days the Francophonie Festival, and for the first time the French Embassy and the French Institute of Qatar organised first French speech contest by students in Qatar.
The eight finalists debated in presence of a large audience and a panel of judges with the First Counsellor of the French Embassy.
The winners are from the Libanese School, the Franco Qatari School Voltaire, with special prizes to the French School Bonaparte and the International School Charlemagne.
All the students showed their skills in speaking and debating in French about topics as: ‘Is there unnecessary knowledge?’, ‘To succeed in life, is it necessary to speak well?’, ‘Does the use of the smartphone facilitate the communication?’
The event was held on March 13 at Rotana Hotel City Center. “Preparation of the competition began from more than a month and about 100 students participated in the competition. Eight students were selected for the final, two from each school. Three winners were selected from these eight,” said Sylvie Lamy (pictured), Assistant Director, French Institute of Qatar.
She also said that there are about 5200 students in Qatar studying French language.
The Francophonie Festival started on March 13 will conclude on March 23. The Festival is dedicated to those who love the French language beyond just being the first language of culture and communication. The latest estimates indicate that Qatar has around 200 thousand Francophones living in it.
Under the ongoing Festival, the second French Touch Rugby Tournament launched and hosted by Blue Falcons Rugby Club gathered 24 teams on March 15 at Doha Sport Park.
Another event ‘La Grande dictée de langue française’, featuring two categories — French as a mother tongue and French as a second language will take place on March 21.
Another activity ‘Olympiades of the Francophonie’, a series of sporting tournaments among the student faculties, which commences with fencing — a sport in which the French language is used; theatrical performances, writing contests and plastic arts will take place on March 23 from 10am to 4pm at the French Qatari Voltaire School, in Al Waab.
Talking to The Peninsula on the speech contest, Sylvie Lamy, Assistant Director, French Institute of Qatar said: “What distinguishes life in Qatar is its cultural diversity, respect for other cultures and also peace and security. And this is what has inspired us to work in Qatar.”
“I have been working here for almost three years and I love to work and live in Qatar. I love living in a place that is diverse in nationalities, cultures and ethnicities,” she added.
