AFK Student Diaries: Alishba
This institution is very special for me. I am not only learning the French language there but I also began as an artist from this platform. My very first solo art exhibition was held right there too, in the Alliance Française art gallery in 2018.
“Learning another language is not only learning different words for the same things, but learning another way to think about things.”
DELF JUNIOR
Inclusion, for every child is the theme of World Children's day 2022. Inclusive education is the right of every child with unique abilities. It values diversity and the unique contributions each student brings to the classroom.
In a truly inclusive setting, every child feels safe and has a sense of belonging. Students and their parents participate in setting learning goals and take part in decisions that affect them. Alliance Française de Karachi is the true example of Inclusive Education where I am studying learning French language from 2015 till to date.
Today I appeared my first ever International exam DELF at AFK. I am thankful to the faculty, staff & management of AFK for providing me such a supportive, kind & inclusive environment.
AFK did all that was reasonable to accommodate me as a student with special needs such as Separate room allocated, adapted time for each part of the exam and accompanying teacher to help understand the questions. It can be an example for other educational institutions.
Together we can make a difference, a little care and love can bring a huge change.
Syeda Alishba Amin-ud-Din Artist, activist, Social Entrepreneur & Francophone, member Global Advocacy team Down Syndrome International.
It’s true. A new language is a window through which we can see another world. I have always been passionate about learning French because I love to learn new things. I joined Alliance Française de Karachi in 2015 and now I am a student of level B1-A. Everyone told me it’s a difficult language but I accepted the challenge with the help, support, and love of my teachers at the Alliance, and now I am enjoying French.
These days, during the COVID-19 lockdown, I really miss my very own Alliance. I miss my beloved teachers Ms. Munifa Ayub and Ms. Fanny. Can’t wait to see them soon. Also, the chicken cheese sandwich from Café Jardin!
This institution is very special for me. I am not only learning the French language there but I also began as an artist from this platform. My very first solo art exhibition was held right there too, in the Alliance Française art gallery in 2018.
As an artist, I feel the French language as a language of art, culture, and literature. I love French literature, music, movies, and cooking shows.
I am thankful to everyone at the Alliance who have always championed me and mentored me and who provide such a beautiful, encouraging, inclusive and supportive environment for me.
I believe that no disability can stop you if you have the determination to challenge your potential and that is why—against all odds—I draw, busting the myth that females, especially those with “special” needs have no space in society. I am Syeda Alishba Amin-ud-Din, an artist from Pakistan with Down Syndrome which has never been able to curb my flight or keep me down.
—Alishba
AFK Student Diaries
The AFK student community is made up of college students, filmmakers, teachers, artists, writers and...the list goes on. We asked some of them to share their language learning experiences, how they got started with French, what they do when it gets tough, and what they're reading, watching and listening to these days.
The AFK student community is made up of college students, filmmakers, teachers, artists, writers and...the list goes on. We asked some of them to share their language learning experiences, how they got started with French, what they do when it gets tough, and what they're reading, watching and listening to these days.
Click each photo to see what they have to say:
PS: Et vous ? Are you a French student at the Alliance, too? We’d love to hear from you. Share your experience with us.
AFK Student Diaries: Talha
AFK will always hold a special place in my heart. I’ve met so many amazing people there, made so many great friends, from my classmates to my teachers and even the staff.
“AFK will always hold a special place in my heart. I’ve met so many amazing people there, made so many great friends, from my classmates to my teachers and even the staff.”
AFK Student Diaries: Zubeda
While my primary reason for resuming classes at Alliance after a decade-long gap was to fulfill my career requirements, the classes and the professors’ method of teaching ignited a passion (dramatic, but true!) for the French language that I hope stays with me in the long run.
“While my primary reason for resuming classes at Alliance after a decade-long gap was to fulfill my career requirements, the classes and the professors’ method of teaching ignited a passion (dramatic, but true!) for the French language that I hope stays with me in the long run. ”
Hello! My name is Zubeda and I am a student at the Alliance Française de Karachi, currently enrolled in the B2/C1 session.
I actually started studying French a long time back, when I was 16 years old, but quit learning the language after 1-2 years for reasons I don’t remember any longer (excuses, I know!). When I started a new job in late 2018, one of the requirements for my role was to be proficient in French. Since I already knew the basics of the language, I joined Alliance and was placed with the B1 group.
While my primary reason for resuming classes at Alliance after a decade-long gap was to fulfill my career requirements, the classes and the professors’ method of teaching ignited a passion (dramatic, but true!) for the French language that I hope stays with me in the long run. Despite my busy work schedule, I actively follow the French news to improve my vocabulary and pronunciation, and look forward to my classes every week.
“I am really grateful to have met my classmates, all of whom are really good friends now. We motivate each other, correct each others’ mistakes, and try to speak in French even when the Professor isn’t around.”
I have also realized that I study better in a classroom setting and I am really grateful to have met my classmates, all of whom are really good friends now. We motivate each other, correct each others’ mistakes, and try to speak in French even when the Professor isn’t around. This camaraderie has helped me improve my French a lot and my classmate, Talha, and I now meet virtually for an hour every day to revise our French and encourage each other to improve our conversational skills.
—Zubeda
AFK Student Diaries: Bilal
My journey at Alliance Française de Karachi has been phenomenal. I am going to start my A2C session next week and so far I can easily comprehend and speak French. Listening to French songs and podcasts has never felt better!
“My journey at Alliance Française de Karachi has been phenomenal. I am going to start my A2C session next week and so far I can easily comprehend and speak French. ”
My name is Bilal Mustikhan and I’m a Social Development and Policy graduate from Habib University. I started learning French during my last year at college because I’ve always been fond of learning new skills. What better than learning a new language?
French is known as the language of diplomacy and is spoken by a majority around the world. In fact, being able to speak English and French can open up multiple doors in the international job market. I had travelled to France earlier and decided that I would become a fluent French speaker the next time I went to Paris.
My journey at Alliance Française de Karachi has been phenomenal. I am going to start my A2C session next week and so far I can easily comprehend and speak French.
Listening to French songs and podcasts has never felt better! I’m currently listening to a podcast called Coffee Break French and my playlist has Stromae, Joe Dassin, Aya Nakaruma and more.
The teachers at Alliance Française have been very supportive and accommodating. They build an environment in the classroom that influences everyone to learn. No one gets left behind as the professors provide individual attention to each student.
The best part is that you can take classes during the weekends!
AFK Student Diaries: Maryam
French has given me a new way of looking at the world. The more I learn the language, the more I can connect with and appreciate the work of French movies, literature and music.
“French has given me a new way of looking at the world. ”
I’ll be honest with you, the reason I initially started learning French isn't very glamorous. My mom heard of a place that gave French classes and I thought it would be a fun skill to impress people with, so I thought I’d give it a go. As I started diving deeper into the language, I started to really see it enrich my life in more ways than one.
French has given me a new way of looking at the world. The more I learn the language, the more I can connect with and appreciate the work of French movies, literature and even YouTubers and rap music.
During the lockdown I decided to challenge myself and reread the Harry Potter séries in French. I’ve also been exploring the works of the famous French author and poet Charles Baudelaire.
And if you love traveling like I do, you’ll probably know that sense of unfamiliarity you feel when almost everything you come across is written in a language you can’t understand.
Even little things such as being able to read signs or asking someone for directions can make places as culturally diverse as Paris and Marrakech feel familiar and homelike.
“Take the plunge.”
If you’re considering joining the Alliance Française and trying the language out I’d recommend you take the plunge. I think one thing that most people find intimidating is that you may be the only one learning the language amongst your peers, but don’t worry, that’s the case for a lot of people here. You’ll make friends here.
I often have to take gaps between French courses owing to university and have to join entirely new groups and it’s always easy to adjust.
The teachers are welcoming and are always willing to help make things easier for you (and, if there’s time after classes, we might all gather around and play a game in French!)
Trying something new may seem daunting but you never know what you may gain from it if you don’t.
—Maryam
Masculin Féminin
Did you know that until recently, most jobs titles in French were automatically masculine? Now, in a historic turnaround, the rules of French have been updated.
Every French noun is either masculine or feminine. For instance, a table—une table—is feminine while a coffee—un café—is masculine. Adjectives, too, have feminine and masculine versions depending on the noun they are describing. An interesting man would be intéressant and an interesting woman intéressante. French learners and speakers are all too aware of this omnipresent sensitivity to gender.
But did you know that until recently, most jobs titles in French were automatically masculine? It was odd that in a language so sensitive about assigning gender, your boss—whether male or female—would be chef. The only point of differentiation would be in the article, le chef for masculine and la chef for feminine, but there was no feminine version of the word chef itself.
In a historic turnaround this past February, the Académie Française—the exclusive French council that moderates the use of the French language—announced that it would add feminine words for all professions and job titles.
The Académie’s report on the change notes that the rapid and general transformation in the place occupied by women in society and in the professional world has resulted in “an expectation on the part of a growing number of women who wish to see the feminine name of the profession or office they hold, and who aspire to see filled what they feel is a gap in the language.” This gap was especially evident in more senior job roles.
Now, the French language is filling in the gap to more accurately reflect lived realities. In most cases, the names of professions and job titles will add an e at the end, without a change in pronunciation. In other cases, the change to words will be organic and develop over time.
Despite the guarded and diplomatic language of the Académie’s report, this change is revolutionary. Language purists, including members of the male-dominated Académie itself, have vehemently resisted such changes for years, calling them a danger to the French language or insisting that the masculine form is neutral and should be maintained.
A related issue being hotly debated in the Francophone world is that of inclusive writing or écriture inclusive. According to the rules of French, a group of people with both men and women in it is referred to in French as ils—the masculine version of “they”—as if the women didn’t exist at all. This problematic rule holds true even if a group consists of, say, 100 women and 1 man. They would still be referred to ils.
There is backlash: in 2017, over 300 French teachers signed a petition declaring that they would no longer teach the rule emphasizing masculine over the feminine in their classrooms. Earlier, in 2015, France’s High Council for Gender Equality released a report recommending 10 ways the French language could be made more gender-neutral. France now has its first elementary school textbook promoting inclusive writing to schoolchildren.
What do you think about these proposed changes to the French language? Do you believe that language can impact the way we think about gender roles?
Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
Reimagining our Médiathèque
How can we redesign a library to be a diverse, multi-use space for creativity, reflection, discovery, fun and play—a place of life—open to the community? Find out what we learned in our recent médiathèque training.
A library should be more than just a quiet place with rows of bookshelves, desks, pin-drop silence, and people shushing each other.
Instead, imagine a diverse, multi-use space for creativity, reflection, discovery, fun and play—a place of life—open to the community. Imagine comfortable seating and colorful spaces where you can stop by after school or work or on the weekend to play board games with your friends, lounge around on a bean bag reading your favorite novels (or maybe writing one!), surf the internet on an e-tablet, find language learning material according to your level, listen to a live storytelling session, watch movies, or enjoy a tiny desk concert by the shelves. Of course, there should also be a study corner where conversations are allowed but loud noises are discouraged but that is just one part of what a library can be.
These are just some of the ideas our team explored with our trainer Florence Dimani at the Alliance Française de Karachi as we begin to rethink our library and médiathèque. Merci à Florence Dimani et à l'Institut Français pour cette formation animée et engageante !
Are libraries a part of your life? Have you visited the Alliance Française de Karachi library? If you have any ideas on how we can make the space more engaging and welcoming, we’d love to hear from you as we begin to think through this.
Meet the #AFKats
Watch what Paco and Twix have to say about French, books, language learning advice and their life at the Alliance Française de Karachi.
If you’ve ever visited the Alliance Française de Karachi, chances are you’ve met the two feline legends that grace it with their presence. Paco and Twix—or the #AFKats as they prefer to be addressed—do more than just meow, sleep, and eat, though that is precisely what they always appear to be doing to the untrained eye. Longtime students and teachers of the French language in Karachi and discerning visitors to our cultural events have benefited from their singular wit and wisdom for years. Not too long ago, we caught up with the #AFKats in an exclusive interview. Watch what they have to say about French, books, language learning advice and their life at the Alliance Française de Karachi.