Abdou Diouf
Abdou Diouf has served as the Secretary-General of la Francophonie since 2003.
Born there and raised as a Muslim, Diouf studied political science and law; He ended up in Paris where he furthered his studies at La Sorbonne. He returned to Senegal in 1960 to enter politics. Quickly rising through the ranks, he was made the first prime minister of the country and became president after the retirement of Leopold Sedar Senghor in 1980. He is highly respected for his action through diverse multinational groups such as the Organization of African Unity, the Economic Community of West African States, and the Islamic Conference. He served as president of Senegal between 1980 and 2000.
Abdou Diouf sur la Francophonie:
" Servir la Francophonie, c'est servir la démocratie, les droits de l'Homme, et la paix".
" Servir la Francophonie, c'est servir la solidarité et le developpement durable".
" Servir la Francophonie, ce n'est donc pas servir une organisation ou des institutions, c'est servir une certaine conception de la mondialisation et des relations internationales, plus équitable et plus démocratique".
Cérémonie des Voeux 2009, Paris, 14 Janvier 2009
Lisez le Message d'Abou Diouf "Osez et revendiquez la langue francaise"
Léopold Sédar Senghor
Léopold Sédar Senghor was a poet and politician from Senegal. He served as the first president of Senegal between 1960 and 1980. His poetry is highly recognized and he is the first African ever to be asked to join the Academie Francaise. He is a strong figure in the development of the concept of Negritude which consisted in emphasizing on African culture, differentiating it from european influences. As the president of Senegal, Senghor developed African socialism. In 1980, h retired in favor of his prime minister, Abdou Diouf. He wrote many poems, the most famous and praised ones being Comme Je passais and Regrets.
Léopold Sédar Senghor sur la Francophonie:
" La Francophonie, c'est cet Humanisme intégral, qui se tisse autour de la terre: cette symbiose des énergies dormantes de tous les continents, de toutes les races, qui se reveillent à leur chaleur complémentaire".
" Son [Le Francais] genie est de puiser dans le vaste dictionnaire de l'univers pour, des materiaux ainsi rassemblés - faits, émotions, idées- construire un monde nouveau: celui de l'Homme".
Novembre 1962. Le Francais, langue vivante.
Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali was the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations and Secretary-General of La Francophonie. Before that, he had served as Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs of Egypt and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. Over four decades, Mr. Boutros-Ghali was active in many international fields revolving around human rights, social and economics development, development in the Mediterranean region, as well as decolonization. Between 1974 and 1977, he was in the Central Committee and Political Bureau of the Arab Socialist Union. Mr. Boutros-Ghali has a Ph.D. in international law that he received in Paris in 1949. He also holds a Bachelor of Laws degree, received from Cairo University in 1946 where he taught later. During his life, Boutros-Ghali has been granted awards and honors from twenty-four different countries.He is one of the greatest advocate of Francophony in the world.
Boutros Boutros-Ghali sur la Francophonie:
"La Francophonie sera subversive et imaginative ou ne sera pas !"
"La Francophonie est née d`un désir ressenti hors de France"
Le Monde, 2 décembre 1995.