On the occasion of International Francophonie Day, Five Continents Prize was awarded on Thursday, March 19. A distinction that highlights the diversity of French-language literary creation
The Five Continents Prize of the Francophonie was awarded on March 19 by the International Organization of the Francophonie, on the occasion of its 25th edition. This year, writer Alexandre Lenot, winner of this edition, was honored for his work This Old Song That Burns. Algerian author Ahmed Fouad Bouras received a special mention for The Rams. Created to support literary creation in French, this prize aims to promote authors from across the Francophone world and to enhance the international visibility of their works.
Algeria is a country that is very harsh, Algeria is an extraordinarily good country, Algeria is big, small, easy, difficult, any description you want. I had to talk about it. I try to use humor, the foolishness of absurdity through ordinary people, and I was fortunate that all these bits of nonsense put together allowed me to achieve this, so I feel incredibly lucky.
Ahmed Fouad Bouras, Writer
Through his writing, he portrays an Algeria full of contrasts, between harshness and absurdity.
I grew up with French in Algeria, and I love French because it is one of the two languages I learned as a child. But I love French because it allows me to love Arabic, and for me the two languages are absolutely inseparable.
Ahmed Fouad Bouras, Writer
For him, French and Arabic are inseparable, a reality shared in many Francophone countries. With more than 300 million speakers, French remains a major global language today, particularly driven by literature.
