Africa-Press – Lesotho. members of Lesotho Defense Force received their Diploma qualifications upon completing French classes on Tuesday. These soldiers were awarded by Alliance Francaise as the facilitator for this
programme. Alliance Francaise President Pablo Recalde explained that the embassy of France in South Africa (SA), Lesotho and Malawi in collaboration with Alliance Francaise have
worked tirelessly to ensure that members of the army in respective countries get the opportunity to learn French as an up skilling strategy to ease their work. “I
would like to thank LDF for trusting us with this extraordinary obligation. I would also like to thank Alliance Francaise’s staff, both our teachers and the administration staff for they have
worked hard in these unsettling times to make sure that our graduates receive the best that we could offer,” he said. He also congratulated the LDF participants for their commitment since 2019 and
further said 2020 and 2021 have been very challenging due to the advent of Covid-19 yet they remained diligent. He said they are very grateful for their
partnership and they hope to see it grow in the future. Recalde emphasized that to learn a new language is to open one’s mind, as it links people to new culture. “French is a beautiful language and I would like to
remind you that French speaking missionaries published the first Sesotho text, which further guided with Sesotho grammar,” he said. Alliance Francaise Director and Honorary Consul Jennifa Audebert, speaking at the graduation
ceremony, said their goal is to strengthen bilateral relations between France and Lesotho, especially their partnership in linguistics. She said they intent
to connect all members of the army in the partnering countries for international cooperation. “After this French lessons, they will be able to learn some vocabulary which will help them when they go to other foreign
countries to keep peace,” she said. Audebert further said acquiring a Diploma in French language will open doors for international opportunities, saying they
will also learn Military French. A graduate from this programme, Lance Corporal Mashopholo Mabitle said they are confident that from now on they will be able to communicate in French and also
watch news read in French. He said unlike before, these days soldiers travel to other countries to assist in peace support operations and this part of the job will be easy. He thanked Alliance Francaise for this golden opportunity.
