France launches French language project in W. Equatoria
February 12, 2011 (JUBA) – A delegation of the French Embassy arrived Yambio on Thursday 10 February 2011 to launch a project called the Yambio Multi Purpose Francophone Association in Western Equatoria state tasked to foster developmental activities for French speaking people in South Sudan, particularly in Western Equatoria state.
The delegations were received by the acting minister of education Gibson Bullen Wande, who is also the state minister of information and communications.
In an interview with Sudan Tribune, the team leader who is the cooperation and cultural counselor in the French Embassy in Khartoum, Eric Pinon, said:
“As people are living in a globalized world, there is a need to master some languages. We do know that people in Western Equatoria state are not going to learn French just for pleasure just for the sake of it, they want it to be effective and efficient to help them in their carrier, to help the state to develop diplomatic economic growth relationship with its neighbors” he added.
He said that French is a regional language and it can be a good tool being the prospect of regional integrations and economic point of view.
He revealed that they cannot do it on a very large scale and have selected Western Equatoria for the project as it borders two French-speaking countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Central African Republic (CAR).
Sudan’s civil war forced many people from Western Equatoria to seek refuge in these countries leading to many returnees speaking and writing French language fluently.
Pinon urged the government of Western Equatoria to agree to setting up a bilateral project in Western Equatoria to teach French in several schools with the help of the French government. He said this way French could be properly taught and teachers will be trained. He said he expected such a scheme would be successful as it had worked in other places.
Meanwhile the acting education minister Wande said “the idea of building the program depends on the closeness of the Francophone countries.” Wande stressed that “the state government believes that now Western Equatoria state in particular that borders Central African Republic and DR Congo were by they speak French that one will help us build economically and socially at least to build us beef with the other countries.”
He assured the delegations that the government of Western Equatoria state will cooperate and work hand in hand with the embassy and look forward to see how the project could be explored.
The minister further disclosed that “during the two wars of 1956 (to 1973) and 1983 (to 2005) a good number of the Western Equatoria state took refugee to DR Congo and Central Africa Republic, the French speaking countries.”
Wande said he is optimistic that “with the program within the state or southern Sudan that focuses on such languages it will be very helpful for the French speaking people to explore their knowledge.”
The meeting ended with a handing over of about 200 French text books for primary Schools by Pinon. He added that materials for secondary schools and higher institutions text books will follow.
The delegation also paid a courtesy visit to Maridi National Teachers’ Institute, led by the speaker of the state legislative Assembly Bukulu Edward.
Bukulu hailed the visit and called upon the French embassy “to invest more in education in Western Equatoria state.”
(ST)
BILLY
French Embassy launches French language project in W. Equatoria
Another way to colonize Africa!…I would rather learnt English then French!
Malaika Tat
France launches french language project in W. Equatoria
Dear South Sudanese,
We all know that development is the core strategy in such situation, But one thing I should put forward that; France is playing dirty games in Africa Countries since colonization time up to know.Take the situation of France colonized countries in Africa they did’t get full Independent of their countries, Every thing is under France control; especially the recent political situation in Ivory Coast, it has been fueled by France Government with the target of forcing a loser to sworn in as a president because of his reputation collaboration with France Government.
And more so Rwanda change recently from French to English because of what they learnt bad part of French.
my question is are they colonizing Western Equatoria or South Sudan or what are they planning? As they said that they need Western Equatorians to cooperate with French Colonized countries, Instead I proposed those neighboring countries to learn English rather than South Sudanese people to French language.
I am appealing to South Sudan Government to intervene in such issue because it’s a big problem for future of our Nation. South Sudan is still a new nation and so many developed countries are going to scramble over it, not only French but the rest are warming themselves toward South Sudan. It’s better to “prevent problem than to cure”
we should not rush for such projects, they are destroyers not developers. If they are aiming for development, they would have come with English syllabus since they know that Sudan has been colonized by British and its official language is English.
Lojaja
Xeno
France launches french language project in W. Equatoria
HMmmmm,…FRENCH ASSIMILATION OF SOUTH SUDAN IN THE MAKING: people should bewared to not let developmental pledges duped them into exploitations, I hope pple of WE know that!
Liberator
France launches french language project in W. Equatoria
Dear: Readers
This is out the playbook of french foreign which is states;
destabilized and robbed the resources of the weakest state in
Africa if that possible. I see UPPER VOLTA 1983 written all
over this type of gesture by the French in the name of shame
development in disguise! In which Thomas Sankara was murdered by French supported coup by orcherasted by a close friend of his the current president of Burkina Faso(formerly known as the UPPER VOLTA) Blaise Camporaore.
Thomas Sankara was a strong opponent of French involvement in Africa. In which he accused France of not wanting Africa to be independent and feed herself by constantly interfering with its development.
Thomas Sankara the youngest Africa leader when he came to power in 1983 at of 27 was deposed and assassinated four years later in 1987.
I hope and pray that South Sudan leadership call on all our sons & daughters in diaspora who know to well the tricks of
the western world especially the Europeans countries in particular, to come back home and placed them in the
ministries that deals with Foreign, National security and defense policies, so that they can safeguard our sovereignty against this latest scrambles for South Sudan
by Western, Eastern, and even Arab world in a rush to destabilized and robbed it out of its wealth.
When you’re independent country, You’re an open book if you let every body in, without knowing what their interests are.!!
Liberator
France launches french language project in W. Equatoria
Dear: Readers
In the New constution the review comitee should include the following eligiblity for the presidency:
1. Drop the age from 40 to 35, After all we’re a nation of youth. its youth population under 35 is more than than 70%
2. Make the transitional period to be only four Months after July.
3. All the constitutional posts from the presidency to governorship up county commission must be contest in the election. each four year terms. presidency and governorship must be limited to two terms.
4. I proposed a Bicameral parliament consist of lower house consists of the members voted in his/her district or county voters. each members must be voted in every two year two year term, no term limit. no term limit until defeated
And the Upper house consist of two representatives from each state, voted in by all voters in his/her state.
each members term must be voted in every four or five years term. no term limit until defeated
5. All the appointed position from the ministries to Army Generals must be confirmed by the appropriate committees the upper house of parliament.
6. cut all the ministries in Half…we don’t need all the 40 or so ministry, many of which are redundant
7. My last appeal is that after July, I would like all the 20 0r so party to considered consolidating into two or three big parties, so that we can have a stable, strong governing and opposition part(ies) at the same time.
Although, I’m a strong opponent of a one party system, which we all agreed should not happened after July,
I would however, strongly urged all the parties to considered it for the benefit of soon to be our young nation in the long run.
God Bless South Sudan!!!!!
Deng Ateny Lueth
France launches french language project in W. Equatoria
Damed, this is another line of divide to our people, European are not satified with their divide and rules which have created tremendous disunity among people of Africa at large. so why wounld People republic South Sudan allow Fench to come up with this plan. look what french did to Rwanda in 1994, and how it dancing around negatively in Haitian affair here in western hempheres.
Nguetbuny de Luelpiny
France launches french language project in W. Equatoria
To GOSS
The Matter of langauge mean everything in humanbeing life. It influence everythings, the people behaviour and do things. Langauge should be keep as for the Native African Language; we should not allow any foriegn devile ideolog in African community to tears us a part. Accept University Institutes of langauges where world would meet for business purpose only.
Azande should ecourage only practicing their African mother tongue and those who help them to built their education system not Langauge foreign adoption language.
Azande are central African people,they are not North-East African people. If not, sudanese can expel them back to Congo and Cameroon where they came. They do not have to bring confusion again in suadan. They have a history encoraging foreign to conduct Slave in the past by doing business foreign them. They were allowing slave traders pasting in their eyes.
Goss should not allow any other langauge than English now for basic Education. Until we have change english in the nears future for African Langauge.
Haoo!!! dear!! let not System of Rawanda,Burundi,dejibuti,Ivory cost not come here to sudan as the cost of breaking up the country into smallest group.
This time no body have to mess up around in Africa. Africa is only for Africa people and Develope theirs own Languages.
Tone of liberators
Nguetbuny
Garang
France launches french language project in W. Equatoria
Young men in many world countries nowadays are engaged in learning foreign languages to wider their chances in life in a world going competitive. To have more languages is not a bad thing.We are part of the global village where interaction with other nations requires knowing their languages and they knowing ours if we have a one. Ask foreign Consuls in Juba or Ambassadors in Khartoum about languages they know. For sure Arabic language is one of them. As many here are opposed to the idea of making learning French, and may be other languages official, let it be left to some states bordering other countries choose between which languages they would prefer to teach out of normal classes.You are talking of linking the new born nation to other African nations by rail ways and roads. Which language would you expect some body from Western Equatoria to communicate with the people of Central Africa CAR or of DRC Congo? I would prefer Kisawhil to be introduced as a a second official language in the independence South but let us allow Nuer and Anyuak of the Upper Nile State teach Amharic or other languages from Ethiopia or Eritrea to their children.