What are your daily missions? 

Magaly: My role as ACPF and Deputy Director requires wearing two hats, so there are rarely any tasks that look alike. As ACPF, I would say that the two main missions are educational and linguistic cooperation with actors, primarily the Ministries of Education, since Nigeria is a federal country with 36 states and thus 36 ministries. We try to work closely with about ten of them to support teacher training, equip schools, and, more broadly, advocate for the promotion of the French language. 

On the other hand, the missions related to my role as Deputy Director of the French Institute are primarily marketing-oriented. The goal is to develop the course offerings within the French Institute of Nigeria. 

There is also a third hat, which involves coordinating the 10 Alliances Françaises spread throughout the country. We are currently trying to coordinate to implement quality standards. We are working to create a global and shared communication strategy. 

Regarding my motivations, I remember that when I applied for the job, I had several options, and this one was the only one that linked the Cooperation and Cultural Action Service (SCAC) of the French Embassy with a French Institute. What I liked was the prospect of being in contact with the public, directly testing with the students of the Institute everything that needs to be implemented in the context of learning and teaching French. 

What also motivates me is the energy that characterizes Nigeria. It is not an easy country; it can be intimidating, but it is a place where anything is possible. We have extremely dynamic and receptive partners. In a very short time, we can see the impact of our work. 

Romain: My daily routine is about steering: project management, strategy development, and team leadership. I particularly enjoy this role as it implies moving forward together. A pilot alone cannot go far without a trained, competent, and motivated team behind them. 

Specifically, my main mission is to develop a strategy to promote the French language courses offered by the French Institute of Romania. We operate in four cities, each located in distinct areas, and we are working on developing a more national approach. We need to somewhat detach ourselves from local constraints to focus on the components of an innovative course offering in 2024. This is our main question, and my job is to answer it. 

What major challenges are you currently facing in promoting and developing the French language in your country of operation? 

Magaly: Reflecting on one of our main missions – educational and linguistic cooperation – the biggest challenge stems from the current state of the country, where education is a sector in crisis. There is very little investment and political will to support and assist public schools, alongside a massive issue of students dropping out due to insecurity. In response, the private sector is thriving, with schools that are on par with those in the USA or Nordic countries.

We must constantly juggle and adapt our approach to these two contexts. Regarding the public system, when faced with such deficiencies, demonstrating the importance of the French language when everything is lacking is a significant challenge. 

Romain: Romania is a Francophone area, a Francophone land. There is a strong presence of French language and culture, so it seems very straightforward. It even appears to be a given. However, this is the danger. Since it’s considered a given, people no longer question the importance of French or Francophonie, and thus lose some interest in it. There is a lack of long-term perspective.

Our aim is to make young people realize that just because they are in Romania doesn’t mean they will have easy and innate access to the language. The school system facilitates access, sometimes the university system does as well; the network of French Institutes and Alliances Françaises is there to offer them an opening to the French language and Francophone cultures. We want to tell them: "Seize these opportunities, go for it!"

This morning, during a roundtable at the French Language Seminar organized in Paris by the French Institute, we discussed the impact of Spanish, which is very strong and perceived as a modern language, but this is a short-term perspective. In Romania, professional opportunities are found through the French language, and that is a long-term investment. 

Could you share a project that has been initiated or is in development to enhance the attractiveness of the French language? 

Magaly: We have a project called "Création Africa," which allows us to have pilot schools in five states. It started last year and is set to conclude in December. With these pilot schools, we are trying to create an ideal framework for teaching and disseminating French. This is achieved through teacher training – both in France and regularly in Nigeria – and by purchasing textbooks and computer equipment.

The idea, at the end of this project, is to present the results, demonstrate the impact, and convince the Ministries of Education in these states to continue the work on a broader scale. We aim to inspire other states to do the same with their own resources, even if they are limited. 

Romain: As a language center director, my objectives are heavily focused on pedagogy. 

One of our current projects is to completely renovate our online course offerings. There is a real need in Romania because we are not reaching a large portion of our target audience located outside our cities of residence. We operate in four cities, along with five Alliances Françaises. The network covers nine significant urban areas, but it excludes a potential audience that we currently find it difficult to reach. We are putting considerable effort into targeting them and meeting their needs through an online course offering characterized by its flexibility and dynamism. This is an innovative, 100% digital proposal, rich with creative resources that will appeal to young people due to its novel nature. 

There is significant potential in developing our online offerings, as this is where we can meet the expectations placed on us. The idea of a "new French language" will be approached through this medium. 

In our classrooms, we know how to operate. We know how to use interactive whiteboards (IWBs), purchase attractive furniture, and integrate playful elements... which is not always the case with remote learning, even though we have learned a lot due to the pandemic. We made rapid progress in a short time, so we need to capitalize on that. I believe there is also an audience that has developed a taste for the innovations implemented in recent years, and I think we can now go even further. We should not rest on what we achieved between 2020 and 2024 in the network. We managed to accomplish a lot, but we can do even better, and that is what I aim to demonstrate with this new online course offering. 

What did your participation in the 2024 French Language Seminar bring you? 

Magaly: What motivated me was knowing that some of the attendees would be colleagues I had wanted to connect with for a long time. I thought it was a unique opportunity to meet them. 

It was my first time participating in the French Language Seminar, and I am very happy I attended. I am leaving with many new ideas and, most importantly, with a sense of pride related to all the cooperation we are establishing in our respective territories. 

In our daily work, we may question the impact and significance of what we do, and during this seminar, I really felt something uplifting that I hope will continue to inspire me. 

Romain: This was my first participation since I joined the network a year and a half ago. I wanted to attend these meetings because I needed to take a breather, sit down, take the time to pause, and reflect on what I am doing. Additionally, I wanted to share this experience with colleagues I had met in webinars or with whom I have distant exchanges. 

Sharing is the key word. We often talk about "Team France" in our roles, and this morning, when we played a game to define what we felt at the end of these three days of the seminar, I dared to use the word "Family." We are also a "France Family," with countries that are geographically close or distant, but sharing the same questions around the French language.