Alliance Française Gaborone launched the IFProfs Botswana Chapter Monday night in Gaborone to kick- start the commemoration of the French Language Week that runs from 18 to 26th March.

IFprofs, explains Director of Alliance Française Gaborone, Angélique Saverino, is a valuable resource for practitioners in French to share and contribute resources regardless of their geographical location.

It is a collaborative and social network in which professionals exchange ideas and content in the country, while connected to the international community of teachers.

A teacher of French at the institute, Nino, who was instrumental in its implementation, including training some teachers in public and private schools on how to use it, says the platform was inspired by the dearth of teaching resources in French for teachers, especially those working in the hinterland. In Botswana, the leading foreign language taught in public and private schools is French, hence Saverino invited all teachers and users of French including researchers in all domains regardless of their profession, to register by logging into their website IfProfs. org and join under the Botswana section. The successful implementation of the platform is credited to the partnership between Alliance Francaise Gaborone with the French Department of the University of Botswana and its Head of Department Rodah Nthapelelang, lecturers Dr. Phemelo Kewagamang and Obene Bojosi. The event was graced by Deputy PS in the Ministry of Education and Skills Development, Simon Coles of the Ministry of Education, Prof Chebane from the University of Botswana, Ngwetsintwa Modibedi, the President of the French Teachers Association as well as Ms Tshephang Kgongwana, who travelled from Ngami JSS in Sehitwa near Maun and is one of those identified to be facilitators and will soon commence training. She took the Tuesday morning bus back to Maun to partake in a reception that the French Ambassador H. E Olivier Brochenin hosted for the French- speaking community in Maun. To commemorate the French Language Week, an exciting repertoire of cultural events has been lined up and includes a performance, a schools’ poetry competition on Wednesday March 22 to commemorate the ‘ la Journée internationale de la francophonie’, the day for those who speak French all over the world. It was followed on Thursday March 23 by a performance by Kazeli, a French musician alongside an Amapiano genre specialist, DJ Hunter at the UB Amphitheatre, and then the annual Flea Market on Saturday.