ALLIANCE Française is a unique association supported by the French government. Founded in Paris in 1884, it is a non-profit organisation which gives people around the world the opportunity to learn French and enjoy its culture.
This year, the association has received more than 500,000 enrolments spanning across its 832 centres worldwide.
Alliance Française has established a foothold in Malaysia since 1961. Alliance Française de Kuala Lumpur operates at two sites in Lorong Gurney (main centre) and Bangsar, while In Penang, the Alliance Française de Penang is located in the centre of George Town.
With more than 3,000 students attending its Malaysian centres annually, Alliance Française is indeed a distinctive language centre with a firm reputation.
It is also an exceptional social and cultural hub offering events throughout the year, with the aim of fostering exchanges between the French and Malaysian communities.
Since 2001, Le French Festival (organised by Alliance Française and the Embassy of France) has been an eagerly anticipated annual event.
A privileged platform for expression of French arts and a momentum for cultural exchanges, the festival showcases various fields like cinema, performing arts, visual arts and gastronomy — each featuring emerging and renowned French artistes.
This eclectic event has allowed Le French Festival to gather a wide audience of about 13,000 in 2019.
Unfortunately, the 19th edition of the festival last year had to be cancelled because of the pandemic, but the centre is looking forward to organising it again as soon as things return to normal.
In keeping with the new normal, classes are now conducted virtually, and public events and festivals have to be postponed.
Despite the circumstances, the centre is still optimistic. It hopes to grow in terms of students and continue bringing a variety of French cultural activities to Malaysian communities in future.
For more info and upcoming events, visit: Alliance Française de Kuala Lumpur at www.alliancefrancaise.org.my
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Alliance Française de Penang
FB: @AllianceFrancaisePenang
IG: @af_penang