Mr Agustín García-López
AMBASSADOR OF MEXICO TO SINGAPORE

Chair of the Group of the Ambassadors of the Francophonie in Singapore

On behalf of the Group of the Ambassadors of the Francophonie in Singapore, it is my honour to welcome you to the 2021 edition of the Francophonie Festival, a platform that promotes not only the French language and the diverse Francophone cultures, but also the values that are at the heart of the Francophonie: solidarity, humanism, peace, democracy, human rights and diversity.

Our collective involvement is crucial as we recover from the pandemic and continue tackling critical issues within our societies. In this regard, the Festival will be dedicated this year to gender equality and women. It will commence on 8 March, in line with the International Women’s Day, and run until 30 March 2021.

The end of the Festival will lead to the launch – on 29 March online from Mexico City – of the Generation Equality Forum, a global gathering for gender equality convened by UN Women and co-chaired by Mexico and France. France will organise a second part of the Forum in June 2021. On the local front, the Government of Singapore has declared 2021 as the “Year of Celebrating SG Women”.

Over the three weeks of the Francophonie Festival, the public will be able to appreciate 18 programmes including movie screenings, online cooking master classes, art exhibition, song competition as well as talks and roundtables. In adherence to the current Safe Management Measures, the Francophonie Festival has adopted a hybrid format, with a mixture of physical events at cultural venues and of virtual sessions to reach out to a broader audience.

Despite the severe disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the economy and our societies, we hope that the Francophonie Festival will be an opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogues that encourage learning, intercultural exchanges, solidarity and affirmative actions. All activities will be held or be available in English, in line with the value of inclusion dear to the Francophonie, to involve Singaporeans and civil society in the Festival.

The organisation of the Festival in 2021 is under the aegis of the newly established Group of the Ambassadors of the Francophonie in Singapore, bringing together more than 20 countries to showcase the Francophonie’s exciting cultural diversity.

I want to thank the Ambassador of France and his team, the participating Embassies, the Alliance Française and our esteemed partners for their collaboration in putting together this fantastic line-up.

We hope you join us and enjoy the Francophonie experience!