Annual event gives students, educators and heritage speakers a chance to connect through a shared language
AUGUSTA — French speakers from across Maine gathered at the University of Maine at Augusta on Saturday, Nov. 7, for a day of conversation, cultural activities and workshops conducted entirely in French.
The university’s annual French Immersion Weekend welcomed more than 65 participants, with 15 workshop leaders guiding the activities, bringing together a diverse group of high school and college students, community members, French teachers and speakers from various parts of the Francophone world, including Mali and the Democratic Republic of Congo, North America, France and Cambodia. Registration reached capacity before the event, with additional participants joining a waitlist.
The program gives people of different ages, backgrounds and levels of experience an opportunity to speak French outside the classroom. For students learning the language, it offers a chance to practice with experienced speakers. For those who grew up speaking French, it provides an opportunity to share their language and connect with others who speak it.
The weekend began Friday, Nov. 6, with a free public performance by Crocodile River in UMA’s Farber Forum. The performance featured music and dance from African countries, followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience. On Saturday, participants experienced these dances in a different way, through a step-by-step dance lesson that featured rhythmic and energetic moves.
Saturday’s program also featured interactive workshops and discussions exploring French language and culture in Maine and around the world. Workshop highlights included: a Congolese beignets workshop, where participants got to reminisce about their own childhood favorite foods; a folklore music workshop that included songs from Acadia, Louisiana, and Quebec; a presentation that highlighted Francophonie in Cambodia; and French students from the University of Western Brittany giving their perspective on the current protests by young people in France.
“French is an important part of Maine’s history, but it’s also a language that people across the state continue to speak and learn today,” Chelsea Ray, a professor of French language and literature at UMA and the coordinator of the event, said. “This weekend gives people a chance to use French in a setting where everyone is encouraged to participate, whether they’ve been speaking it their whole lives or are still learning. We especially want to welcome new Mainers who bring French from their country, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is a richness that we can all share.”
The French Immersion Weekend is organized by Ray, Nathalie Gorey, president of the Maine chapter of the American Association of Teachers of French, and a committee of French educators. The event is sponsored by French at UMA and the Maine chapter of the American Association of Teachers of French.
The annual program provides opportunities for students, educators and community members to practice French while exploring the language’s place in Maine’s Franco-American heritage and the cultures of French-speaking communities around the world.
Reflecting on the weekend, Ray described the importance of learning other languages, “Language teaches us that it is all part of one story: the human story. We have more in common than you think. The struggles and efforts of the previous generations are within us, as well as their triumphs. We are standing on their shoulders. We pay it forward when we learn the language and culture of someone else. Without directly saying it, we communicate: I see you. I value you and I want to learn more about your life and who you are.”
UMA offers French language courses, minors and a certificate for students interested in studying the language and its cultures.
For more information about French at UMA and future immersion events, visit uma.edu/frenchimmersion.