Book Release

Exciting news for language and education enthusiasts! A Bilingual Revolution for Africa, a new book examining the potential of multilingual education across Africa, has just been released. This book, edited by Ayé Clarisse Hager-M’Boua and myself, brings together educators, researchers, and actors on the ground to explore the benefits of dual-language education in various sectors and countries of Africa.

The book’s preface is written by Yao Ydo, Director of UNESCO International Bureau of Education, while the introduction is written by Ayé Clarisse and I. The book is divided into four parts, each containing essays on various topics related to bilingual education in Africa.

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Book Release

Je suis ravi de partager avec vous la sortie de notre livre co-dirigé avec Kathleen Stein-Smith, intitulé “Le français autour de nous, Langue française et culture francophone aux États-Unis”. Ce livre raconte l’histoire de la langue française et de la culture francophone en Amérique, en se concentrant sur les Franco-Américains, descendants des premiers explorateurs français et des immigrants canadiens-français, ainsi que sur les francophones arrivés plus récemment sur cette rive de l’Atlantique.

L’ouvrage est un voyage fascinant en plein cœur de la culture américaine et des nombreuses communautés francophones du pays. Il explore les nombreuses façons dont le français est présent dans la vie quotidienne des Américains, à travers les noms de famille, de lieux et les aliments que l’on consomme, mais aussi dans les valeurs, les familles, les quartiers et les communautés. Il s’adresse à tous, quelle que soit vos origines, car la francophonie américaine est liée à de nombreuses langues et cultures ayant façonné les États-Unis et avec lesquelles elle s’entremêle parfois.

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双语革命 , 两种语言铸就教育的未来

双语革命》是一本由短文与实用建议组成的合集,其讲述了那些在纽约市公立学校建立双语项目的家长和教育工作者们的故事。这些先驱者们坚信双语教育是一种应提供给所有学生的公共产品。他们展示了这些项目是如何积极地改变一个社区,一所学校,甚至一个国家。本书同时也是一本“怎么做”手册,它可以帮助你建立自己的双语项目,并在此过程中发起你自己的革命。翻译:陈露   曹峥

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L’arabe pour tous / Arabic for All with Nabil Wakim

“Dad, why did you lose your tongue?” The question was asked by the five-year-old daughter of Le Monde journalist Nabil Wakim, born in Lebanon and relocated in France at around the same age. Why did Nabil Wakim lose his mother tongue? And why do many personalities in France, like Najat Vallaud-Belkacem and Myriam El Khomri, two former government ministers, or the singer Camélia Jordana, the journalist Nassira El Moaddem and many others, carry this contradiction in them? Namely: having spoken the Arabic language at a younger age before losing it. Worse, finding yourself almost unable to relearn it later. Here is the recording of an interview I recently had with author Nabil Wakim, as part of French Morning’s 2020 Bilingual Fair, and a discussion that I further develop in this blog post.

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Sharjah International Book Fair

I was fortunate to be a guest of Sharjah Book Authority during the 2019 Sharjah International Book Fair in the UAE. This was my first time participating in the fair which welcomed over 2 million visitors from the Gulf region and over 60 countries. I took part in a discussion panel debating bilingualism and what the future of diverse bilingual education and communities hold. I also launched the Arabic version of my book, The Bilingual Revolution, thanks to a partnership with Austin Macauley Publishers. Overall, this has been a unique experience which I will never forget.

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الثورة ثنائية اللغة

I am grateful to Austin Macauley Publishers for the release of my book, The Bilingual Revolution, in the Arabic language: الثورة ثنائية اللغة

I have written The Bilingual Revolution to help families and educators create and develop dual-language programs in their schools. Because I am committed to promoting the teaching of Arabic in schools in the United States, France, and other countries I have featured New York’s Arabic dual-language programs in my book and in articles like this one which was published by The Conversation. The case study that I wrote, Overcoming Prejudice: The City’s Arabic dual-language programs, is available on The Bilingual Revolution’s official webpage at CALEC.org. Through my advocacy, I was able to encourage my book’s many translations and give numerous presentations to encourage families to replicate the success stories of dual-language schools such as PS30’s Arabic dual-language program. I just wish there would be more of these programs around the world as they can truly build bridges between cultures, and foster mutual understanding and respect.

My thanks go to Mariam Moustafa and Majd Sarah for translating this book, Raymond Verdaguer for his powerful artwork, Jade Robertson and her team at Austin Macauley, and Seth and Sylvie Russo for their guidance.

Launch of The Bilingual Revolution in Arabic at 34th Sharjah International Book Fair

Photo by WAM

I am thrilled to take part in the upcoming Sharjah International Book Fair where I will share the floor with an impressive list of participating authors, poets, bloggers, movie stars and award-winning musicians, including Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, America’s most-loved host, Steve Harvey, Nobel Prize-winning Turkish author Orhan Pamuk, Mark Manson, New York Times bestselling author, Elisabetta Dami, a bestselling children’s author from Italy whose Geronimo Stilton series that my daughters love, and many more authors according to Gulf Today: Over 60 luminaries to topline Sharjah book fair.

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