You’ve just returned from Taiwan and are about to film a new episode of Destination francophonie in Brazil. Are there many French speakers in these countries?

Ivan Kabacoff: There are more French speakers in Brazil than in Taiwan, but the goal of the program is to show that the Francosphere is everywhere. In each country, we follow French speakers – not French people, Belgian or Swiss expats, nor celebrities, but locals who speak French and introduce us to their country, their cultures, their traditions, and their connections to the French language. In Brazil, we could go back ten times because the local French-speaking community is so vibrant! After the United States, it is one of the countries with the densest network of Alliances Françaises in the world, with some 40 branches.

How did you come up with the show?

I had never done any television before! I worked for about ten years as a cooperation attaché, tasked with promoting the French language in Uzbekistan, Georgia, and then Russia. I continued working on promoting the French language at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris. Then, when I joined the communications team at TV5MONDE, I pitched a segment for the network’s news magazine. My idea was rejected, but I was encouraged to develop a short program instead and to find funding. With the help of Francophone organizations, I raised 100,000 euros and launched a pilot on a green screen.

And the format has evolved little by little…

In its early days in 2012, the show lasted 3 minutes, then it went to 5 minutes, 8 minutes, and today it’s 52 minutes, with two 26-minute episodes. Soon, Destination francophonie will be broadcast in a 52-minute format, during prime time on TV5MONDE! I’ve refined the format to reach the travel show you see today. The French language offers a unique way to explore a region. I go on location with Fabrice Hacout, my cameraman and director. We’re light and mobile. This allows us to film sequences on bikes (like in Finland), on horseback (in Louisiana), or on skis (in Quebec).

The Francosphere is sometimes accused of being a form of colonialism that dares not speak its name. What do you think of that?

We need to move beyond this point of view. It’s true that for a long time, French was a tool of domination. And France still has much to do about its colonial history. But today, French is a tool of emancipation, of empowerment. Léopold Sédar Senghor, Habib Bourguiba, and the other architects of the Francophonie movement understood this: With a common language, we can engage in dialogue and build things together, beyond borders. The same is true for Spanish, Portuguese, or Arabic.

How would you define the Francosphere?

For me, it’s a space of social, cultural, and economic connections. A geographical area without borders, formed around a shared language. The Francosphere is not just France’s soft power.

You’re used to traveling the world, but you’ve also filmed several episodes of Destination francophonie in France. Isn’t it surprising?

France is the Francophone country that doesn’t realize it! We are also the only unilingual country in the Francosphere: Belgium and Canada have two languages, Switzerland has four, and Cameroon has over 300! The French are very attached to their language, but they have little interest in the French-speaking world and prefer to use English words rather than their own. So I wanted to visit the institutions, libraries, and local organizations that encourage language proficiency and foster dialogue between people. Not to mention migrants, who have chosen French. A few days ago, I was at the Olympia for a concert by Flavia Coelho, a Brazilian singer who lives in France, speaks French, and sings in French. It’s fantastic! I think it’s important to examine the place of French in France and to value our own Francosphere.

Are initiatives such as the Cité Internationale de la Langue Française, inaugurated in 2023, and the Francophonie Summit, held in France last October, moving in this direction?

Of course. The Cité in Villers-Cotterêts [northeast of Paris] is an incredible tool. It allows French and foreign visitors to discover “the adventure of the French language,” and the history and importance of the Francosphere. Now, we need to duplicate this tool, take it on the road, and make it accessible to more people. As for the Sommet de la Francophonie, people didn’t really care about it… The French – and French television – need to learn to broaden their perspective and step out of their comfort zone. That’s the strength of TV5MONDE. The other channels would rather air a story on a French baker who found fame in the United States, for example, rather than showing Americans who speak French at home.

How did you become aware of the weight of the Francosphere?

By traveling. When I was director of the Alliance Française in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, children would come to our library first thing in the morning to read books in French. Then, as an attaché at the French Embassy in Georgia, I would visit small villages without running water, and the locals would welcome me with a song in French. This relationship with the language is incredible. It’s astonishing, so far from France, to meet people who have such a strong, almost mystical bond with the French language. This phenomenon is global.

How do you explain such a passion?

I constantly ask the people I interview why they learned French, what the language has brought them. I’m often told that “it’s a door, a horizon that has opened up.” This is true for all languages, but French is a global language. France exported itself a lot at one time. It also attracted many migrants through its culture and ideals. In South America, French is the language of revolution. In Utah, French is a way for this landlocked state to attract entrepreneurs from around the world. I’ve discovered that the Francosphere is not one thing. I love going to Canada because the country has several different Francospheres – including Quebec, Acadia, the historic birthplace of Louisiana’s Cajuns, or the Yukon, where the descendants of French-speaking gold miners who arrived 150 years ago still live. They form a minority, but with their own Francosphere, their own accent, their own culture. The same goes for the United States. We visited Louisiana last year because it was the most obvious destination, but we could also go to Maine, another state with a long Francophone history. Or explore Texas or California through French-speaking Americans – there are plenty of them!

How was it to film in Louisiana, between New Orleans, Lafayette, and the Atchafalaya Basin?

It was my first time there. It took me a while to go to Louisiana because I felt it was a subject that had been overdone by the media, and always in the same way: the French Quarter, the bayous, an old man in his rocking chair... And then I met the two cofounders of Télé-Louisiane, Drake Leblanc and Will McGrew. They’re young, and I loved their energy, their vision. I realized with them that Louisiana’s Francosphere isn’t just one thing either: It’s Cajun, Creole, American, and Native American, each with its own history and culture. Louisiana joined the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie in 2018, but it remains isolated. It’s necessary to encourage economic exchanges with other French-speaking regions so that young people learning French can find professional opportunities.

Which countries will you be visiting in the upcoming episodes?

Brazil, then Switzerland, Morocco in May, Latvia in June, and in the fall, Albania, Kosovo, Madagascar, and the Yukon! I try to show different regions on all continents. We’re increasingly being approached by tourism bureaus: Mauritius, South Africa, and several U.S. states, to name a few recent examples. I would also love to film in the Gulf countries and in Russia, but the political situation there is complicated at the moment.

You’re a Francophile, but also a Russophile, is that correct?

I have Russian roots – my great-grandfather emigrated to France – and I learned Russian at school. I was fascinated by the Soviet Union and its culture. I traveled across Russia on the Trans-Siberian Railway when I was 20! That experience gave me an international perspective, a love for traveling and meeting people. Without Russian, I would never have been able to work in the former USSR. In a way, it’s thanks to the Russian language that I ended up promoting the French language.

Are new Francophone destinations emerging around the world?

I can’t say whether French is developing in this or that country. The real battle, I think, is linguistic diversity in school. If we don’t give teachers more resources, English risks becoming the only foreign language taught. It’s the international language, there’s no debating that, but we must make room for other languages. And for budgetary reasons, these other languages ​​are often sacrificed…

Are you pessimistic about the future of French?

No, but it’s important that French is seen as a useful and desirable language. When Africa – which represents 60% of the French-speaking world – attracts more tourists, French will play a major role. Think of Spanish in South America. Today, thanks to French, I can film [without needing an interpreter] in half of the African countries. French, with 321 million speakers, is a language of empowerment, work, and travel. That’s the message of TV5MONDE.

Tell us about the other show you host for TV5MONDE, Voyageurs francophones, which is also available for streaming on TV5MONDEplus.

The idea was to introduce the Francosphere to children, starting from the Cité Internationale de la Langue Française in Villers-Cotterêts. Based on the episodes of Destination francophonie, I created 15 short units for teachers.

To finish, I’ll ask you a question you often ask your interviewees: What is your favorite word in French?

Voyage! It’s a beautiful word, with a meaning I love, and it can be understood in several languages. Words and people have always traveled. Traveling allows us to confront other realities, other cultures. Let’s go and meet others: It’s the only way we’ll feel less stupid!


Now streaming exclusively on TV5MONDEplus and subtitled in English, French, Spanish, German, and Arabic.

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