French Language Week kicks off at UJ

AMMAN — On behalf of the president of the University of Jordan (UJ), Vice President for Humanitarian Schools Affairs Ahmed Majdoubeh on Sunday inaugurated the activities of the International French Language and Francophonie Week. 

The event is organised virtually by the French Language Department at the School of Foreign Languages in cooperation with the French embassy in Amman, according to a UJ statement. 

“French has been taught for over 30 years at the university. It is a language of art, culture and sharing which has, in its long history, forged very strong ties with the Arabic language,” Majdoubeh said in his remarks at the opening session. 

School of Foreign Languages Vice Dean Marwan Al Jarrah said: “Here at the University of Jordan, French continues to remain the choice of specialty for many undergraduate students who find passion in enriching their knowledge of this language and the rich culture associated with it.” 

“Undoubtedly, the French language holds a very special place in the School of Foreign Languages, projected in the professional success of its graduates,” he added. 

Head of the French Language Department Haneen Abudayeh said that the Francophone Week is a global occasion aimed at celebrating the Francophone culture and the French language, which is spoken by over 200 million people around the world. 

In addition, the occasion aims at promoting the concepts of dialogue and tolerance between civilisations, openness to others and at introducing the rich French language and culture to UJ students and to promote cultural interaction and linguistic diversity on campus, read the statement. 

The activities of first day included a dialogue session on teaching the French language in light of the pandemic and recording a meeting with the University of Jordan Radio within the “Languages Corner” programme with the French cultural attaché, Gilles Roullond, to introduce the concept of Francophonie, the statement said. 

Meetings will continue until the end of this week. A workshop on French poetry is scheduled for Tuesday. A meeting with Roullond will be held on Wednesday to talk about the Francophonie today in Jordan. The last day will be devoted to a Karaoke event presented by a group of students from the department, the statement said.