Alliance française
The Alliance française [ aljɑ̃s fʀɑ̃ˈsɛz ] is an association founded in Paris in 1883 with the aim of spreading the French language abroad. In Europe, the cultural institute is represented in 33 countries. It has no branches in Germany and Austria, where the tasks that are comparable to their objectives are performed by the state institute français .
history
The organization was founded in 1883 under the name "Alliance française pour la propagation de la langue nationale dans les colonies et à l'étranger" and later renamed "Alliance française". Its umbrella organization, which today comprises 800 branches with 1,071 committees in 133 countries, has its headquarters at 101, Boulevard Raspail, 75006 in Paris. The Paris school of the Alliance française is also located there. The Alliance française courses are attended by around 440,000 participants every year. In 1999 the school on Boulevard Raspail taught students from 187 countries.
As an independent association, the cultural institute, whose branches are closely interwoven with the cultural life of the respective host country, enjoys a high degree of autonomy. The financing comes almost entirely from the course proceeds and other offers. In contrast to the institutes called Institut français , which pursue similar goals, but as branch offices of the French state are subordinate to the French embassies abroad and - like the German Goethe-Institut and the British Council - are financed from state funds, only 5% of the budget of the Alliance Française is covered by government grants. In 2001 the Alliance Française signed a new framework agreement with the French Foreign Ministry .
General Secretaries
- 1883-1897: Pierre Foncin
- 1897–1899: Alfred Muteau
- 1899–1909: Léon Dufourmantelle
- 1909-1914: Emile Salone
- 1914–1915: Albert Malet
- 1919-1934: Paul Labbé
- 1934-1937: Louis Dalbis
- 1937–1944: Jean Lichnerowicz
- 1944–1978: Marc Blancpain
- 1978–1988: Philippe Greffet
- 1988-2001: Jean Harzic
- since 2001: Jean-Claude Jacq
