Between October 8th – 10th 2024, the International Institute for Francophonie within the Jean Moulin Lyon 3 University hosted the annual Reunion of the Senghor Departments for Francophonie (RICSF).
Romania was represented by the Head of the Senghor Departments which are present in four universities in Romania, among which the University of Bucharest, next to the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest, the West University of Timișoara and the Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca.
The reunion included the international colloquium themed Confluences Francophones, organized between October 8th – 9th 2024.
For this annual Reunion of the International Network of Senghor Departments, the University of Bucharest was represented by associate professor Simona Corlan-Ioan, teaching staff at the Faculty of History. In 2023, she was offered the Palmes académiques Order of the French Republic in Knight rank.
Since 2017, Simona Corlan-Ioan leads the Institute of African Studies at the University of Bucharest, and since 2020 she is the head of the Senghor Department.
The meeting was also dedicated to the 20 year anniversary since the founding of the International Network, occasion on which the president the Lyon 3 University, Gilles Bonnet, handed medals to the Heads of the 27 francophone departments functioning in advanced research universities from around the world, bearing the name of the illustrious man of culture, Léopold Sédar Senghor (1906-2001). The festivity was carried out in the presence of 6 consuls, among which the general consul of Romania to Lyon, His Excellence, Mr. Oleg Ungureanu. Mr. Manuel Jobert, vice-president responsible for Europe, International Relations and Francophonie, also attended the reunion.
The event demonstrated the engagement of Romanian universities towards Francophonie, which illustrates the significant contribution of our country in promoting the values of the French language and culture at international level in intellectual and cultural exchanges from the heart of Francophonie.
During the annual meeting of the representatives of Senghor apartments, UB, along other participating universities, had the chance to reaffirm its commitment in promoting Francophonie, but also to identify new partners for the research projects carried out through francophone networks. On behalf of the partner universities in Romania, associate professor Simona Jișa and professor Sergiu Mișcoiu, teaching staff at the Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, professor Nicolae Popa and associate professor Mădălin Bunoiu, teaching staff of the West University of Timișoara, and lecturer Carmen Man and PhD student Veronica Jeni Țiu from the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest attended the event.
Two research projects were also launched during the meeting in Lyon. The first aims to study social, cultural and political dynamics of francophone youth is the Global South countries, and the second wishes to analyze the relevance of literature as an engine for reciprocal knowledge and cultural dialogue in the francophone world.
The Babeș-Bolyai University will be the host of next year’s General Assembly of the Senghor Departments.
Created in 2002 at the initiative of the Rector of Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), Michel Guillou, the International Network of the Senghor Department of Francophonie is a dynamic interuniversity structure currently reuniting 27 member universities on all continents, among which the University of Bucharest.