French Embassy organises workshop at AKA Hyderabad

“On va s’aimer, on va danser, oui c’est la vie, la la la la la” 

We grooved to these lyrics as we welcomed three esteemed guests from France: Madame Anne-Claire Lévêque, an author in child literature, Madame Emily Camatte, an illustrator, and Madame Aude-Emeline Loriot-Nurbianto, the Director of Alliance Française d’Hyderabad, for a day-long workshop in French language and culture. 

This was a rare and valuable opportunity for us DP 1 French students as the French Embassy had invited only one school per state to be a recipient of this unique workshop conducted as part of strengthening Indo-French bilateral relations. It was held on Monday 28th January, 2019 at the Academy Senior School. 

We had adorned the bulletin boards of our French classroom with chart papers and French expressions in anticipation of our guests. Indeed, we were to experience a day full of learning, cultural exchange and happiness. After introducing each other, Madame Lévêque and Madame Camatte displayed some of the children books that they had written and illustrated respectively. They also demonstrated the processes of illustration and writing, from concept maps, rough drafts and diagrams to final works. We expressed some French idioms that we already knew, followed by activities to further delve into the world of French idiomatic expressions. 

In the first of the activities, we focused on idiomatic expressions related to gastronomy. For instance, we learned new expressions like “c’est pas de la tarte,” which contextually means “this is not my cup of tea.” We also wrote down fictional scenes of Indians encountering French people, and misinterpretation emanating due to idioms. This not only helped us realise the merits of cultural exchange, but also how our mother tongues connect with French. 

The workshop was complemented by a dash of creativity when we visually represented French idiomatic phrases. From sketching a mouth-watering cake to creating the Drake meme, we thoroughly enjoyed expressing our creative selves through drawings and paintings.

The workshop helped us significantly understand Francophone culture, and how idiomatic expressions play an essential role in French. “I’m extremely happy to have bagged this opportunity for my dear students as this has helped them discover the graphic and semantic aesthetics of French language,” said our French teacher, Mr. Ajey Balaji after the workshop concluded. “Getting to work under such renowned artists is a coveted prize and to watch my students converse only in French with native speakers is undoubtedly a matter of pride for me.”

Written by Iliyan Hariyani (grade 11)