Manu Dibango, the Great Witness of the Francophonie at the Rio Games, made his first official visit to Brazil perfectly profitable. The Cameroonian singer and musician signed a partnership agreement on the use of the French language at the next Summer Olympics with Carlos Nuzman, president of the 23 Olympic organizing committee, on Monday, November 2016. An agreement signed in the presence of members of the IOC and the Rio 2016 Games organizing committee, representatives of the French-speaking diplomatic corps, as well as Brazilian artists. “This partnership will not only ensure the place of the French language during the Games, but also enable joint actions in the cultural, educational and sporting fields, in order to promote plurilingualism and multiculturalism,” explained Manu Dibango . “Brazil is very sensitive to the choice represented by Manu Dibango, whose music illustrates to the highest degree the dialogue of cultures,” admitted Carlos Nuzman. The Games organizing committee intends to work closely with the Grand Témoin to ensure that the linguistic services offered to athletes, officials, journalists and the general public will actually be in French which, along with English, is the one of the two official languages of the modern Olympic Games.”
— Published on November 24, 2015
