A highlight of French cultural diplomacy

Absent in 2024, the Ateliers de l'Institut français (AIF) returned in an atmosphere that was both studious and committed. More than just meetings, over the years this event has become a key event in French cultural diplomacy of exchanges for the French cultural network abroad, French cultural players, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Europe and Business and for the Institut français.
This year, the theme "Keeping the course!" resonated particularly strongly. In an unstable geopolitical context, under technological and budgetary strain, it was less a question of maintaining a course than of collectively reflecting on the best way to hold it, to reinvent it, to anchor it in reality.

12 immersive itineraries: culture on the ground

On July 17, nearly 500 participants crisscrossed the Paris region, discovering the places that make up the cultural vitality of their territories. These 12 themed itineraries highlighted initiatives where culture dialogues with the territory, inclusion, digital, youth or even history.

From the Cartoucherie, where the Théâtre du Soleil and Johann Le Guillerm embody a committed and lively art, to the Cité Internationale de la Langue Française in Villers-Cotterêts, recently inaugurated and already a must-see, each itinerary offered a concrete dive into renewed forms of cooperation.

Among the highlights:

• The Musée de l'Histoire de l'Immigration, to rethink the narrative of migratory journeys.
• The Centre National de la Danse, a place for creation and exchange with international ambitions.
• La Communale and la Patinoire in Saint-Ouen, symbols of innovative cultural urbanism.
• Le Sample in Bagnolet, a teeming third place and laboratory for hybrid aesthetics.
• The James Baldwin mediatheque, a space for cultural and linguistic mediation at the heart of Parisian diversity.

A day of exchanges to build together

The next day, a change of scenery. From 8:30 onwards, faces meet, recognize or get to know each other under the pine trees of the Parc Floral, in the Hall de la Pinède. The day of July 18 alternates between plenary sessions, express meetings, themed workshops and partner stands, in a convivial and studious atmosphere.

The morning was marked by the presence and speeches of Ms. Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture, and Mr. Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, who came especially to address the staff of the French cultural network abroad and for the signing of the Institut français' 2025-2027 Contract of Objectives and Performance.

The President of the Institut Français, Ms Eva Nguyen Binh, explains in her speech the choice of the AIF 2025 theme "Keeping on course". How can we stay on course in a fragmented world? The rise of artificial intelligence, heightened demands for accountability, budget restrictions and geopolitical crises require a response that is both agile and ambitious.

The meetings organized during the afternoon launch the reflections on these topics. Discussions are teeming with ideas, cross-fertilization and concrete initiatives. There's talk of mutualization, communication, South-South cooperation, hybridization of formats, new generations, plural Francophonie. Projects are sketched out, links are re-formed, and convictions are strengthened.