Abstract:

As its last summit, in September at Moncton, Canada, the International Francophone Organisation (IFO) did not attain the objectives set out two years previously at Hanoi. The Francophone countries have been unable to take up the challenge laid down by the Anglo-American cultural hegemony; and efforts to promote amongst its members the ideal of democracy and human rights have not always been made with necessary vigour. Nevertheless, the francophone world remains one of the best ways of protecting the variety of cultures and encouraging the emergence of a 'multipolar cultural heritage'. It remains to be seen whether or not the admission of non-francophone countries would cause the Organisation to withdraw in on itself. In this respect the francophone sphere of influence has everything to gain by integrating into its framework the Franco-German dynamic of co-operation, which has already demonstrated its effectiveness in Europe, in order to offer a credible alternative to the present globalisation process.


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