Education / French Language / Kidi Bebey tour in Southern Africa: 23 February to 16 March 2026

Kidi Bebey tour in Southern Africa: 23 February to 16 March 2026

Education
SHARE
THIS:
19 February

As part of Francophonie Month 2026, the Embassy of France in South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi, in partnership with the Alliances françaises of Southern Africa, associations of French teachers and several secondary and higher education institutions, will host Kidi Bebey, a Franco-Cameroonian author, journalist and literary presenter, for an extensive tour across Southern Africa.

The tour will include meetings with pupils, teachers and students, lectures, discussions around her novel Enfin chez moi!, which will be on the French curriculum from 2026 to 2028, as well as creative writing workshops focusing on themes of identity, transmission and autobiographical writing.

🇿🇦 Johannesburg – Monday 23 February (Day 1)

Sponsor: Alliance française of Johannesburg
Host venue: Lycée Français Jules Verne
Address: Cnr Bauhinia Road & Cestrum Ave, Morningside Ext. 40, Sandton (2057)
Time: 14:00 – 16:00
Theme: Discussion with Kidi Bebey about her personal journey, her literary work and her journalistic writing

🇿🇦 Johannesburg – Tuesday 24 February (Day 2)

Sponsor: Embassy of France / French Institute of South Africa
Host venue: St Mary’s Waverley – The Edge Auditorium
Address: 55 Athol Street, Waverley, Johannesburg (2090)
Time: 15:00 – 17:00
Theme: Meeting with the author, lecture and discussion around Enfin chez moi!

🇿🇦 Pretoria – Wednesday 25 February

Sponsor: Alliance française of Pretoria
Host venue: Die Hoërskool Menlopark
Address: 412 Atterbury Road, Menlopark, Pretoria (0081)
Time: 15:00 – 17:00
Theme: Meeting with the author, lecture and discussion around Enfin chez moi!

🇿🇦 Potchefstroom – Thursday 26 February

Sponsor: Alliance française of Potchefstroom
Host venue: Alliance française of Potchefstroom
Address: 77A Molen Street, Potchefstroom
Time: 18:00 – 19:30
Theme: Creative writing workshop on the theme of identity

🇿🇦 Bloemfontein – Friday 27 February

Sponsor: Alliance française of Bloemfontein
Host venue: University of the Free State (UFS), amphitheatre
Address: Nelson Mandela Drive
Time: 15:00 – 17:00
Theme: Meeting with the author, lecture and discussion around Enfin chez moi!

🇱🇸 Maseru (Lesotho) – Monday 2 March

Sponsor: Alliance française of Maseru
Host venue: Alliance française of Maseru
Address: Corner Kingsway & Pioneer Road
Time: 17:00 – 19:00
Theme: Creative writing workshop for teachers

🇸🇿 Mbabane / Manzini (Eswatini) – Tuesday 3 March

Sponsor: Alliance française of Mbabane
Host venue: Enjabuleni College, Manzini
Address: Lugaganeni, Eswatini
Time: 16:00 – 19:00
Theme: Meeting with the author, lecture and discussion around Enfin chez moi!

🇧🇼 Gaborone (Botswana) – Thursday 5 March

Sponsor: Alliance française of Gaborone
Host venue: Alliance française of Gaborone
Address: Plot 2939 Mobuto Drive, Gaborone
Time: 17:00 – 19:30
Theme: Interactive panel discussion with the author and Q&A with the audience, co-hosted by the Alliance Française of Gaborone & University of Botswana

🇿🇦 Durban – Friday 6 March

Sponsor: Alliance française of Durban
Time: 17:30 – 19:30
Event: Evening musical reading at Hue Café – My Kingdom for a Guitar
Format alternating between readings and music (4 sequences)

🇿🇦 Pietermaritzburg – Monday 9 March

Sponsor: Association of French Teachers of KwaZulu-Natal
Host venue: Hilton College
Address: Hilton Avenue, Hilton
Time: 14:00 – 16:00
Theme: Meeting with the author, lecture and discussion around Enfin chez moi!

🇿🇦 Makhanda (Grahamstown) – Wednesday 11 March

Sponsor: Alliance française of Port Elizabeth
Host venue: School of Languages Amphitheatre, Rhodes University
Address: Drostdy Road, Makhanda (6139)
Time: 14:00 – 16:00
Theme: Presentation of the themes of Enfin chez moi! in French, with asynchronous translation

🇿🇦 Stellenbosch – Thursday 12 March

Sponsor: Alliance française of Stellenbosch
Host venue: Somerset College
Address: Bredell Road, off R44, Somerset West
Time: 15:30 – 17:30 (please arrive at 15:00)
Theme: Meeting with the author, lecture and discussion around Enfin chez moi!

🇿🇦 Cape Town – Friday 13 March

Sponsor: Alliance française of Cape Town
Host venue: Herschel Girls’ School
Address: 14 Kenmar Crescent, Claremont, Cape Town (7708)
Time: 15:00 – 17:00
Theme: Meeting with the author, lecture and discussion around Enfin chez moi!

🇿🇦 Johannesburg – Monday 16 March (Closing of the tour)

Sponsor: French Institute of South Africa
Host venue: Dibukafé
Address: 70 Juta Street, Johannesburg
Time: 15:00 – 17:00
Theme: Question and answer session on Enfin chez moi! followed by a creative writing workshop

You might also like

Call closed! Open call for archival and cultural institutions: Bring your archives to life through immersive storytelling

Deadline extended to 26 August 2025! The Embassy of France in South Africa, Lesotho, and Malawi, with the French...

Kidi Bebey tour in Southern Africa: 23 February to 16 March 2026

As part of Francophonie Month 2026, the Embassy of France in South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi, in partnership with...

France partners with WFP to fight hunger as millions of people face high levels of food insecurity in Malawi

LILONGWE – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes an additional EUR 500,000 (MWK 623 million) contribution from...

Explore New Horizons: Join the South African Delegation to VivaTech 2024!

Are you a South African startup ready to make waves on the global stage? We have an exclusive opportunity...

Let's get social
This message is only visible to admins.
Problem displaying Facebook posts.
Click to show error
Error: Server configuration issue
Twitter feed is not available at the moment.
The Création Africa Top 50 is a true reflection of the depth and diversity of the cultural and creative industries! #CreationAfrica2 #FrenchInstituteSA
🎉 Meet the selected Top 50 entrepreneurs for the second edition of Création Africa, from South Africa. Lesotho and Malawi 🎉 Congratulations as they begin a seven-week mentorship journey with UVU Africa and its digital skills and innovation division CAPACITI. 👏
A conversation exploring the impact of the 2025 funding cuts for the HIV response, especially for at risk and LGBTQIA+ communities. The panel will consist of leading experts in the field, both within health research and operating directly on the ground with affected groups.
As part of the French Institute of South Africa’s (IFAS) 30th anniversary, this film turns to Lesotho to spotlight artists and cultural practitioners involved in co-creation initiatives supported by IFAS. Shot across the Mountain Kingdom, it features voices that have helped define the Institute’s work over the past three decades. Directed by Adam Heyns.
As part of the French Institute of South Africa’s (IFAS) 30th anniversary, a visit to Malawi captured the stories of artists and cultural practitioners involved in co-creation projects supported by IFAS. From Lilongwe to Blantyre, the film brings together voices that have contributed to the Institute’s work over the past three decades. Directed by Adam Heyns.
Join us for a special talk by Justice Edwin Cameron and Sohela Surajpal, two of the authors of the new book 'Behind Prison Walls'. Their talk will bring together Michel Foucault's reflections on the systems of discipline and South Africa's experience of incarceration, offering an original analysis: how prisons, far from serving as tools of rehabilitation, become instruments of social control and the perpetuation of inequality.
Launched in 2022 under the France 2030 initiative, the ICC Immersion programme supports French entrepreneurs in the cultural and creative industries (CCI) as they expand into global markets. Implemented in South Africa by Institut français in Paris, the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), Business France, and Business France South Africa and Southern Africa, the initiative connects French companies with key players in South Africa’s dynamic creative sector. This year’s cohort featured nine innovative CCI companies—Allegria, Atrack (Beam for Music), Agence Culturelle PLUS (Reunion Island), Culturespaces, Fabrik & Moi (Reunion Island), France Muséums Développement, Jakob + MacFarlane, Memorist, and Sound Birth—representing fields from architecture and immersive technology to museum development, cultural consultancy, and music innovation. Altogether, the South African edition fostered meaningful exchange between French and South African cultural leaders, opening the door to future collaborations across the two countries.  Special thank you to the featured sites: Constitution Hill Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation Spier Wine Farm, TRACE Studios Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct Wesgro Wits Digital Dome Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa ----- ICC Immersion is coordinated by the Secrétariat Général pour l'Investissement (SGPI) and driven by the Institut Français and Business France, with support from the Banque des territoires, the French Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. The 2025 edition is implemented by IFAS and Business France in Johannesburg.
To mark the 30th anniversary of the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), this documentary film brings together nearly 50 voices who have been part of IFAS’s journey over the past three decades. From its beginnings in Newtown to its current home in Braamfontein, IFAS has helped shape South Africa’s cultural and creative landscape through collaboration, exchange, and long-term partnerships. Director: Adam Heyns Producer: Lali van Zuydam Music: NØ FØRMAT! Records
For 30 years IFAS has nurtured a vibrant space for dialogue, experimentation, and creative growth. It has helped tell untold stories, amplify diverse voices, and build platforms for both emerging and established talents to shine. Now, as we mark 30 years of impact and memory, we look back at three remarkable decades of collaboration, co-creation, and cultural connection. And in the words of the legendary filmmaker Ramadan Suleman, here's to the end of Episode 1—and the beginning of many more episodes in the eclectic, ever-evolving series that is IFAS. Video Production and Editing: Adam Heyns Music: NØ FØRMAT! Records
Ahead of the 2025 Series Mania Forum taking place from 25th-27th March, IFAS invited delegates from around the world to join and gain valuable insights from our Audiovisual team and Forum organisers on what to expect and how to prepare for the three jam-packed days of pitching, networking, and high-level conferences.
Organised by SAGES Africa (Services for Africa Gaming & Esports), the Mzansi Esports Champions is a key part of the Tekken Africa Queens Challenge, an innovative initiative which aims to spotlight and empower women’s talent in esports, promoting inclusivity and equality within the gaming industry. The 2024 players were: – eSwatini: Setsabile Shabangu, Sugar – Kenya: Sylvia Wahome, QueenArrow – Lesotho: Liteboho Thebe, EL – Madagascar: Safidy Andrianisoa, Sentaku – Malawi: Matimbe Gweyneth Edina, Gwyn Stacy – Namibia: Asante-Sana Maruwasa, ATMBYTES – South Africa: Zahraa Khan, Iron-Fist – Zambia: Bwalia Nkumbula, LiaRose The Mzansi Esports Champions event is part of a larger strategy by SAGES Africa to build a strong esports ecosystem across the continent. Through strategic partnerships, SAGES continues to empower African players and enhance their competitiveness on the global stage. This project is a collaboration of the French Institute of South Africa, SAGES and rAge Expo. It is made possible thanks to funding from the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. --- Credits: Music: Chipego Producer: Junayd Bradlow Creative Director: Tasmin Jacobs Post-Production: Umar Bradlow Creative Studios: The Magic Pixel & The Ultimate Gaming Champions South Africa
Subscribe
© 2026 frenchinstitute.org.za. All rights reserved. Site design by Nicework.
View our Data Policy and Terms.