The Canadian embassy in Doha has presented Canadian-authored works to the French Institute of Qatar (IFQ) on the occasion of the Francophone Week in Qatar.
During an official ceremony at the IFQ media library on Wednesday, French ambassador Franck Gellet received from Canadian ambassador Stefanie McCollum a number of books by different Canadian authors.
“The gesture demonstrates Canada's commitment to the Francophone community and the French language lovers in Qatar,” read a statement from the Canadian embassy.
Ambassador McCollum said: "It is great to continue this beautiful tradition that began in 2014 during the first celebrations of the Francophonie in Qatar," noting that this Canadian book donation programme "contributes to highlighting the Francophonie and French language around the world".
Ambassador Gellet was grateful for Canada's contribution, noting that "we must not lose sight of the fact that the Francophones in Qatar are nearly 200,000 speakers. The French Institute of Qatar offers them the only library of French-language books in the country."
The IFQ media library offers the public more than 15,000 books and magazines, children's books, comics and numerous DVDs, as well as access to Culturethèque, the large digital library of the French Institutes network.
In addition, the library contains a vast selection of reference books and educational books which is essential for people learning French, and especially for students at the IFQ Language Center, where French classes are offered for all ages and levels, as well as Arabic classes.
