COMMENT, Global — According to De Spiegel, France’s leader, Sarkozy, has made the sad decision to axe the English-Language component of France 24.
“French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced the killing off of the English-language news channel France 24, barely a year after it first hit the airwaves. ”
> De Spiegel: Sarkozy To Axe France 24
This is not how you win others over to your culture. It seems to play into the hands of further cultural homogenization.
The decision to cut France 24, seems a bleak decision for France, and Francophiles globally.
By axing France 24 Sarkozy takes an axe to a bridge between English and French thinking.
This is a bad thing for multi-lingualism, a cultural idea by 2thinknow.
Wither Multi-lingualism?
As has been noted in the past, the 2thinknow position is support of multi-lingualism, and the strongest possible support for the spread of the French language and culture.
I make this position clear in both our flagship annual review of innovation and culture, The Global Innovation Review, and also in this blog, the Global Innovation Conversation.
(This comment was the single most read analysis we have posted online, although posted 4 months ago, it still daily attracts global viewers.)
Intelligent people globally don’t want a mono-culture of English.
Why Sarkozy’s decision is enemy of cultural innovation
Because, by cutting ties between French and English you cut down one more avenue of exposure English-speaking people’s have to another culture.
Many people in English speaking countries won’t seek out French you know. Well except the culturally minded, like you and me, dear reader. But we are all time poor.
As I have repeatedly said, the French language is superior in contexts such as diplomacy and poetic expression to English in the hands of an average person.
The French language is magnificent at expressing ideas of art, culture and society.
We need to build bridges not ct ties between France and UK, America & Australia.
If France wants to be one of the key languages, this cannot be done by fiat.
It must be done by dissemination of the languages. And an English-language channel, with French ideas and views, is an effective alternative to the BBC or CNN.
BBC or CNN are certainly not value-neutral. Kosovo-bias is a good example.
So by axing France 24, Sarkozy takes an axe to one more tenuous link between English and French culture.
And French culture and language has a lot to offer.
Our only explanation?
Perhaps Sarkozy is practicing government by theatre, not by principle.
Take care,
Christopher
That’s a shame, I kind of liked the France24 news. I watched it online and gave a nice alternative to the talking heads at CNN or even worse, Fox News.
From the Vault: Early @2thinknow Innovation Memes: France to Axe English-Language News http://is.gd/qkeL9C #innovation