France in South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi

  📢 APPELS À CANDIDATURES Entrepreneur ou entrepreneuse des industries culturelles et créatives, développez votre projet en Afrique du Sud, grâce au programme #ICCImmersion ! 🇿🇦 Emmanuelle Denavit-Feller, Attachée audiovisuelle régionale à l’Ambassade de France en Afrique du Sud, et Clarisse Henrion, Responsable Tech & Services - Art de Vivre & Santé Business France Afrique du Sud, vous invitent à participer à cette aventure unique, riche d’opportunités, vous permettant de déployer votre activité sur un marché en plein essor à l’issue d’un programme de visites et de rencontres avec les acteurs clés des ICC.   📆 L’appel à candidatures est ouvert jusqu’au 31 janvier 2025, postulez ici :  ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e65EDY9p   📍 L’immersion aura lieu à Johannesburg, Pretoria et au Cap en juin-juillet 2025 ! Opération soutenue par le Secrétariat général pour l'investissement, le Ministère de la Culture, le Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères et la Banque des Territoires dans le cadre de #France2030. En partenariat avec Business France / Business France - Retail, Services, Culture France in South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi, Institut français d’Afrique du Sud . . . #institutfrancais #opencall #businessfrance #iccimmersion #afriquedusud #entrepreunariat #culture

Welcome Simon DREVET, our newest deputy general secretary at the French Institute in South Africa! 👋 Originally from a legal background, Simon has always had a strong passion for cultural action, particularly in international settings. Having previously worked at the Institut français Deutschland, he was eager for a new adventure within the network—and what better place than South Africa? 🇿🇦 Simon works in the general secretariat at IFAS, where he manages key aspects such as budgeting, legal matters, logistics, and organizational support. His role is essential in bridging the gap between strategic goals and operational execution, helping project leaders bring their initiatives to life. In addition to his professional journey, Simon was drawn to South Africa not only for its dynamic cultural and scientific initiatives but also for the opportunity it offers to his family to experience life abroad. Outside of work, he’s already immersing himself in the local culture, attending events, exploring the beautiful region, and making the most of Johannesburg’s active lifestyle 🏃 We’re excited to have Simon join us and look forward to the valuable contributions he will make!

🎬 End of the European Film Festival: a journey across cultures! From November 13th to the 30th at Alliance Française de MASERU or Café What?, the first solo edition of the European Film Festival in Lesotho and Eswatini has been an unforgettable celebration of cinema, diversity, and cultural exchange! 📽 31 incredible films from 22 countries brought stories from around the world to our screens, including powerful films from Lesotho and Eswatini. A total of 1,409 participants joined us across all venues to celebrate the magic of cinema! This festival was made possible through a partnership with the European Union in Lesotho and Eswatini and the two Alliances Françaises in Maseru and Mbabane. A huge thank you goes to the 🇪🇺 member states who participated financially and made this cultural journey a reality. We were honoured to welcome the film director and actors from the Eswatini film "Baka Ngwane", who not only shared their remarkable work but also conducted a master class with students from Linkokwin University. Their insights and passion were truly inspiring. The journey doesn’t end here – we look forward to more opportunities to celebrate the power of cinema to connect, inspire, and bridge cultural divides. Stay tuned for upcoming cultural experiences! 🎞 Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères Alliance Francaise de Mbabane National University of Lesotho Embassy of Belgium in Pretoria Embassy of Ireland in South Africa Joseph Boussion Elisabeth Douillet

The French Embassy in South Africa, Lesotho, and Malawi proudly participated in EMERGING Valley on December 2nd and 3rd. A summit dedicated to accelerating innovation, entrepreneurship, and investment between Africa and Europe 🤝🇪🇺 For the first time, a delegation from Southern Africa joined the event, showcasing the social innovative potential of South Africa and Malawi through our Innov4Good initiative. As part of the summit, we hosted the insightful panel Unlocking the Potential of Southern Africa's Social Innovators: Creating Scalable Solutions for the Future. This session provided an opportunity for our panelists to highlight their impactful work and the amazing projects they support: ✅ Itumeleng Dhlamini – SAB Foundation ✅ Christine Nicola Taphel – RLabs *Reconstructed Living Lab ✅ Katusha de Villiers – Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship ✅ Elijah Lumbani MKANDAWIRE – mHub In addition, South Africa was also represented on the main stage as part of the enlarged panel organized by the City of Marseille: Strengthening Economic and Cultural Ties Between Marseille and the Mediterranean through Creative and Cultural Industries. Lesley Donna Williams shared her perspective on South Africa's dynamic creative and cultural industries (CCI) and the transformative power of international partnerships. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our panelists, Ville de Marseille and the event organizers – Samir Abdelkrim, Julie Lanckriet-Goerig, Emma-Lilas Togba, and Angelo MARY – for making this event a true celebration of innovation across continents. We look forward to the cooperations that will unfold from the connections made in Marseille, and will share more content from the event about the vibrant southern African ecosystems shortly. Irène Olohou Geoffroy Berson Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères

Congratulations to Professor Melanie Judge! 🌈 On December 10, 2024, the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law was awarded to Professor Melanie Judge by the French Ambassador David Martinon and German Ambassador Andreas Peschke 🇫🇷🇩🇪 Professor Judge, a proud feminist and LGBT+ activist, has tirelessly worked to promote LGBT+ rights in South Africa and across the African continent. Her efforts were instrumental in the adoption of South Africa’s Civil Union Act in 2006, making the country the first in Africa to legalize same-sex marriage. Professor Judge has contributed immensely to the understanding of queer identity and intersectionality through her academic work, publications, and courses. In her speech, she reminded us of the power of LGBT+ rights to strengthen democracy, quoting anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko: "In time we shall be in a position to bestow upon South Africa the greatest gift possible – a more human face." Her fight for equality and justice is not just for LGBT+ individuals, but for a more human world for all. #HumanRights #LGBTRights Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères Cecelia Kok Tristan Rétif-Roussignol Alexandre Brochard Marvin Swaels

French researchers proudly participated with their South African colleagues in this year's Science Forum South Africa 🇫🇷 🇿🇦 showcasing three impactful panels: 🧪 Celebrating 30 years of cooperation : the CNRS IRD CIRAD joint office highlighted scientific collaboration projects between France and South Africa 🌱 A panel on REHAB Lab/SRU experience was also facilitated by the joint office, on Involving communities in action research on ecological issues 🌽 F'SAGRI (French South African Agricultural Institute) led a session on “Meeting the challenges of climate change” and “Food security through agroecology: A Franco South African Collaboration” Thank you to all the participants for their valuable contributions. We look forward to next year’s forum! Department of Science, Technology and Innovation Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Nelson Mandela University Ministère de l'Agriculture, de la Souveraineté alimentaire et de la Forêt Agricultural Research Council Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 Taah Abongnelaa Divine Fuh Fairouz Malek Bruce Mellado Sepo Hachigonta Rhoda Malgas, PhD Palesa Natasha Mmankwe Mothapo, PhD Laurent VIDAL Severine Jaloustre Jeanne Le Délézir Aurélien Leynet

From December 2-6, Olivier Fontenay, Head of Digital Creation at France's Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC), visited South Africa on a scouting mission to explore the local digital creation landscape and potential co-production partnerships between France and South Africa 🇫🇷🤝🇿🇦. 🛸 While in Johannesburg, Fontenay visited Wits University's Digital Arts Department, the Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct, and met with the creatives behind Jozi My Jozi. He also engaged with the #animation and visual effects (#VFX) studio, Chocolate Tribe, and the immersive impact studio, HabitatXR, in addition to connecting with local studios, artists, freelancers, and producers. 🎮 In the second phase of his mission, Fontenay continued meeting with more studios, artists, and institutions, including Sea Monster, Free Lives, and the Spier Light Art Festival in Cape Town. As part of Africa's premier video games event, AFRICA GAMES WEEK, Fontenay shared his insights during the Gaming and Policy session and held B2B meetings with potential #gaming industry partners. 🕹 His jam-packed trip concluded at Playtopia Festival, where he immersed himself in South African indie games and interactive arts, as well as viewed the Unrecorded Voices: AI-Generated Documentaries and narratives exhibition, a collaboration between IFAS, the French studio, U2P050, and Playtopia. 🔗 Take a look at the Unrecorded Voices exhibition: https://swll.to/fapLBq We look forward to more cross-industrial exchanges between France and South Africa’s digital creation industries. Emmanuelle Denavit-Feller Lauren Fletcher Candice Mailhé

From December 9 to 12, the G20 South Africa 🇿🇦 hosts the first Sherpa, joint Sherpa/Finance and Finance meeting, under the motto solidarity, equality, sustainability. France participated with a delegation from Paris! France 🇫🇷, alongside its partners from the European Union 🇪🇺, has expressed its support to the South African priorities highlighted by President Cyril Ramaphosa, particularly on financing for sustainable development, reform of the international financial agriculture, food security, improving adaptation and mitigation on the effects of climate change, or fostering a sustainable framework for intelligence artificial and promoting gender equality, among others. The G20 plays a crucial role in advancing the implementation of the SDGs. #G20 #G20SouthAfrica Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères Department of International Relations and Cooperation National Treasury of South Africa Zane Dangor Duncan Pieterse David Martinon Alexandre Brochard Thibault Dornon Camille Morfouace Maxime ROTH Raphael Noiray William Roos Banque de France Ministères Économiques et Financiers Bertrand Dumont Pierre de Romanet The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa

CALL FOR PROPOSALS : Local Initiatives Fund South Africa (LIFSA) 🚨 Are you a civil society organization working in Gauteng, South Africa? Do you work on social impact projects in vulnerable communities, particularly in the townships? If so, we want to hear from you! 📅 Deadline for submissions: 12 January 2025 💸 Maximum grant amount: R160,000 LIFSA is looking for innovative ideas and impactful actions that address key challenges to benefit children under six years old, youth, and women, specifically in these areas: ➡ Education ➡ Culture ➡ Vocational training ➡ Socio-economic integration ➡ Mobility ➡ Sport ➡ Social entrepreneurship This initiative is brought to you by the Gouvernement Monaco, operated by Alliance Française of Johannesburg, and supported by NGO Illis, the Embassy of Switzerland in South Africa, the Saxon Hotel, Villas and Spa and the French Embassy in South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi. Apply now and bring your project to life! 🔗 For more details and to apply: https://swll.to/SdQ75 🎥 Watch this video to learn more about LIFSA: https://swll.to/yjbWt7

Apply now for the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) open calls! These collaborative projects aim to reinforce scientific #cooperation between France and Africa🤝 🔷 Research Residency: The CNRS-Africa Residential Research Schools programme in a partner institution in Africa aims to facilitate knowledge transfer by combining courses ranging from basic concepts to the most advanced #research results, as well as mastering tools and methodology. 🔷 Visiting Fellowship: This #fellowship seeks to facilitate — through the award of a mobility grant — the strengthening of cooperation and networking between French and African scientific partners. 📅 Deadline: Tuesday, 14 January 2025 🔗 Read more and apply: https://lnkd.in/eFNxN7wW. Laurent VIDAL