As French-speaking countries celebrate International Francophone Day, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have this week announced their withdrawal from the International Organisation of Francophonie, which organises the event as part of its mission to celebrate French language around the world.
In a letter addressed to diplomats stationed in Niamey, the Nigerien Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Monday the country's withdrawal from the International Organisation of Francophonie (OIF), our regional correspondent reported.
Neighbouring Burkina Faso had already made the same decision, OIF spokesperson Oria K. Vande Weghe told French-language international channel, TV5 Monde the same day.
On Tuesday, Malian authorities announced the same - meaning all three of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) countries have now withdrawn from the organisation.
Founding member
With the exit of Niger, the OIF is losing one of its founding members. The organisation was founded on 20 March, 1970, in Niger's capital, Niamey, under the leadership of then Nigerien president, Hamani Diori.
Niger was, however, suspended from the OIF in December 2023, following its coup d'état.
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Burkina Faso and Mali were also suspended following their own military coups - with the OIF sanctioning them in 2022 and 2020 respectively.
Nonetheless, the OIF says it considers these multiple exits regrettable.
"It's never good news to learn that a state wants to leave," Vande Weghe told RFI's Africa service. "Of course, we regret the impact this could have on ongoing projects. The secretary-general's intention will be to seek the opinion of states to see to what extent the OIF can remain engaged with the populations of these countries."
She added that the organisation cares about French-speaking communities in non-member countries, saying: "So there's no reason for this to stop for Niger."
Creating distance from France
The withdrawals of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali will not be immediate, however, with their exits taking effect after six months.
Paris has not yet officially reacted to the news, but diplomatic sources said it had taken note of the decisions.
The trio of Sahelian countries, all currently led by coup leaders, have made no secret of their desire to distance themselves from France, their former colonial power.
The OIF also provides support to its member states - until this week, numbering 93 - in developing or consolidating policy and carries out international policy and multilateral cooperation activities, in accordance with its main mission of promoting the French language and cultural and linguistic diversity.
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Celebration of language
The theme for this year's International Francophonie Day, marked annually on 20 March, is "je m'éduque donc j'agis" - "I educate myself, therefore I act."
The awareness day is marked by community events around the world, centred around the French language.
In Cameroon, for example, slam poetry events are organised - an artform that requires a certain mastery of language.
French is growing in popularity in the country, according to RFI's correspondent in Yaounde, with more and more successful slam artists participating in international events, thanks in part to the emergence of small venues throughout the country.
"Sharing our poetic texts has always been an opportunity to free ourselves from this inner overflow, from this inner suffering, an individual and collective therapy through the text of poetry," said Jean-Claude Awono, of 'La ronde des poètes' (The Round of Poets).
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Such events encourage people to express themselves in French, and to play with words.
Lajoya Sène, whose stage name is Maua Ya Jua in Dakar, does exactly that in Senegal.
This Congolese-born, Dakar-based singer, storyteller and poet co-created the "philo-poets" workshops for children aged 6 to 15 with the help of a school teacher, Cynthia Sauvain.
Children come to them to compose and then recite texts in French, in a space where they can reconnect with their rich imagination, she told RFI.
(With newswires)
