I do! And so do over 200 million people around the globe. But there’s more to being a francophone than the shared memories of countless hours frantically searching through the Bescherelle for the proper imparfait du subjonctif of the verbe venir (that would be que je vinsse… in case you’re wondering). Because there’s so much culture and history associated with Molière’s language, there’s also a strong shared cultural identity between those whose mother or custom tongue is French.
Each March 20th, the francophone world celebrates the community of people and countries who use the French language with the Francophonie International Day. Throughout the world, events are organized and the DC French community is involved as well with a month-long cultural festival. The festival kicked off on March 5th with the Grande Fête de la Francophonie at the French Embassy and features numerous cultural happenings such as movies or concerts through April 11. On March 19th, French speakers will turn to the international language of techno and transform the National Postal Museum into a discothèque. French DJ duo Make the Girl Dance will spin tunes from 9pm until 1am. The $30 ticket ($25 for Alliance française members) includes appetizers provided by Dutch Valley Foods as well as an open bar sponsored by Heineken, Cap City and Calypso Organic Solution wines.
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