We're reopening in January 2022!
The Alliance française de Karachi is set to reopen in January 2022 for French classes, workshops, events, and more.
It’s been a long pause but we’re pleased to announce that starting January 2022, our campus will be reopening for French classes, workshops, events, and more!
Our beginner-level French classes, including A1a weekday and weekend classes, will be held on campus. All other French courses will continue in an online format but we hope to transition them to our campus over the coming months, too. Registrations for classes are now open on our online store.
Our reception is open from Monday to Friday from 10 AM to 6:30 PM for anyone who prefers to register for classes in person. We’ll be closed in the last week of December for the winter holidays.
Our members will be pleased to know that our library, café, and gardens will also be opening starting January.
Our final decision on reopening in January ultimately remains tied to government guidelines on the prevailing health situation but, for now, we’re crossing our fingers and looking forward to welcoming you all back to the Alliance!
Until then, have a great holiday season. We’ll see you very soon. À bientôt.
Team AFK
Call for Applications: Speak Up Karachi
Learn about Speak Up Karachi, a fully-funded citizen journalism training program hosted at CEJ-IBA, and apply before 9 November 2020.
Together with Goethe-Institut Pakistan, we are excited to announce a call for applications for Speak Up Karachi, a fully-funded citizen journalism training program hosted at the Centre for Excellence in Journalism at the Institute of Business Administration. The project, which will have 15 participants from Karachi, intends to provide citizens and their communities with a voice to highlight local climate issues and their possible solutions with the aid of technology and via various media platforms.
As local communities are being severely impacted by the climate crisis, empowering them to highlight and bring forth issues that also form a part of the larger cause of protecting our environment is pivotal to taking actions and measures that serve as a solution and sustainability of the life of such communities.
Who should apply?
University students, young journalists, freelance print, broadcast, or digital journalists, and anyone working on urban issues or climate crisis in Karachi. The program is open for Karachi-based participants only. Applicants must be between 18 and 30 years. Women and minority candidates are encouraged to apply.
The program comprises three modules:
- an online content writing module
- a Mobile Journalism (MoJo) module
- all the participants will be required to prepare, develop and publish stories while performing the necessary fieldwork under the guidance of their mentor
At the end of the mentorship period, two of the best works submitted for any medium will be awarded cash prizes. Participants will also be given training completion certificates at the end of the program.
All costs of the workshop will be fully sponsored by a grant from the Franco-German Cultural Fund. Participants will also be provided with MoJo kits, along with a food and travel allowance for the fieldwork required for their story research.
Trainers, guest speakers, and mentors for the program:
- Zofeen T Ebrahim
- Zia ur Rehman
- Ayaz Ahmed Khan
- Kamal Siddiqi
- Mahim Maher
Important dates:
-Deadline to apply: Nov 9
-Shortlisted candidates contacted via email and phone call: Nov 16
-Online Content Writing module: Nov 23 - Nov 28
-Mobile Journalism (MoJo): Dec 2 - 5
-Mentorship period: Dec 8 - Jan 31
-Deadline to submit published stories for award: Feb 5
-Winners announced: Feb 19
For details and queries:
Zareen Khan
Communication Officer, CEJ-IBA
Tel: 38104701 (ext.1703), 03342220605
Email: zareenkhan@iba.edu.pk
Important updates about reopening
The Alliance will remain closed until further notice. French classes will continue online for the moment. Learn more.
reopening postponed
Please note that our reopening is postponed until further notice. We’ll have more information soon.
Update posted on 26 October 2020
WE’RE REOPENING IN NOVEMBER!
Hello and bonjour. We are happy to announce that we are (finally!) reopening starting Monday, 2 November 2020. Our library, bookstore, café and reception will be ready to welcome members and visitors then. French classes will continue online until further notice.
We remind you that masks are mandatory on the premises at all times and must cover your nose and mouth for the duration of your visit. There will be a cap of 20 people in the library to prevent overcrowding and spaces will be assigned on a first come, first served basis. We ask for your cooperation in practicing proper social distancing so we can keep each other safe.
Our timings will be Monday to Saturday from 9:30 AM to 5 PM.
Looking forward to welcoming you again at the Alliance in November! À très bientôt.
Update posted on 22 October 2020
Important updates relating to Covid-19 closure
Faced with the health risk due to the advance of the novel coronavirus pandemic, we are under obligation to interrupt our cultural activities and workshops from Tuesday, March 17, 2020 until further notice.
Based on the escalating public health situation in the city, we have decided that the Alliance Française de Karachi, including our reception, will remain closed until further notice.
However, our staff will continue to be available by email or by phone between 10 AM and 6 PM everyday except Sunday. Get in touch.
Our French classes have moved to an online format for both new and current students.
In addition, we are proud to have launched an online store to allow our students to register and pay for their French courses online. Registrations are now open for our next session. Learn more about our classes and browse our online store to register.
Translation services continue to be available. Browse and purchase translation services here.
Some examinations scheduled for June 2020 have been cancelled or postponed. The DELF Junior and Tous Publics exams scheduled for June are canceled; applicants can register for the next sessions coming up in November 2020. The DELF Prim exam is postponed and new dates will be announced shortly.
We hope you understand that the current situation and the risk of the spread of the pandemic compel us to make this decision to remain closed.
Update posted on 16 March 2020
This page is frequently updated as new information becomes available. Please check back often to stay informed.
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
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.
