Francophone diplomats address Portland students about multilingual education

From left to right: Noel Nelson Messonet, Ambassador of the Gabonese Republic to the United States, Martial Ndubu, Ambassador of the Central African Republic to the United States, and Laurent Bily, Ambassador of France to the United States, speak with students Friday at Deering High School. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

In the Deering High School auditorium Friday morning, English was the minority language. Casual chatter, performances and speeches were largely conducted in French as students, teachers, state education officials, district staff, state legislators and French language advocates greeted foreign dignitaries, celebrating Maine’s multilingualism and discussing the availability of foreign language education in the state Maine. state.

French Ambassador to the United States Laurent Bily, Gabonese Ambassador Noel Nelson Messonet and Central African Republic Ambassador Martial Ndubu took the stage at Deering, the most diverse high school in Maine with a strong French-speaking community.

French is the official language of more than 25 countries, is widely spoken in more than a dozen African countries, and is the eighth most spoken language. language in Portland schools last year, according to the school district. It is also the heritage language of more than 800 students in Maine.

Deering French teacher Alexis Kanamugire helped organize Friday’s event and told the audience about his background as a French-speaking refugee, his delight at seeing so many French speakers among Deering students, and his efforts to bring more French-themed events to the school heritage. But he’s also concerned that there aren’t enough French educational opportunities in Maine, especially at younger ages.

“All of us immigrants, when we come here, immediately feel the need to master English, find a job or two, to the point where we are willing to sacrifice a lot, including French,” Kanamugire said.

Natalie Gorey, president of the Maine chapter of Alliance Française, said the French language is part of Maine’s past and future. She described the state’s Acadian francophone roots and the arrival of people from francophone African countries in the greater Portland region.

“These newly arrived refugees joined the Francoist and academic community to revive the French language, and thus created a language revival in our state,” she said.

The French language is also growing globally, she said, noting that Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is now the largest French-speaking city in the world, drawing loud applause.

Gorey, who brought with her 25 French teachers from across Maine, also advocated for expanding French education, especially for younger students who have a greater ability to learn the language.

She advocated for an increase in the number of French teachers, while recognizing budgetary constraints on teachers. She also noted the lack of a foreign language on staff. requirement by the end of high school.

“Unfortunately, these policies tend to send the message to students that world languages — like French — are not valued or that you don’t need to learn a language to succeed in life,” Gorey said. “Against, or vice versa, French remains an important language around the world.”

Noel Nelson Messone, Ambassador of the Gabonese Republic to the United States, speaks with students at Deering High School. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

It was the same message the ambassadors conveyed to students and school officials: French is an economically valuable language that can help with careers in finance, engineering and international relations.

“The likelihood is that after you graduate from college, if you make certain choices, you could end up with a global company that has operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, that has operations in Belgium, that has operations in Luxembourg, that may have operations in Gabon “said Messone, the Gabonese ambassador.

Melanie Junkins, State Department of Education multilingualism and bilingualism specialist, concluded the event with a commitment to advancing language learning. According to her, one of the methods that the state uses is its Seal of biliteracy, an award given to students proficient in English and another language.

Junkins said 17 percent of students who received the award last year were from Portland and thanked language teachers across the state.

“It is through your dedication that we can develop a new generation of students who see language as a bridge, not a barrier,” she said. “The French language in particular connects our roots to our Canadian neighbors, our African countries and Europe.”