There are nearly 300 million French speakers on the planet, spread across 5 continents and innumerable countries and cultures. The Alliance Française d'Oxford plans to celebrate the diversity of the French-speaking world with its inaugural Francophonie Festival. This weekend, you can catch a free screening of Kirikou and the Sorceress, an animated film based on traditional West African folk tales. Coming up next week is a showing of Quebecois film Hochelaga, terre des âmes, from director François Girard, in which a Mohawk archaeologist investigates a sinkhole in Montreal, discovering the remains of those who previously called the land home.

At the Alliance Française itself, you can see The Hole & Acrobaties, an exhibition by photographer Hicham Benohoud that captures the citizens of Marrakech in new and unusual ways. If you'd prefer a taste of the Maghreb, book ahead for the Moroccan Feast on Friday 20th March, complete with music and a Francophonie quiz. The £20 ticket includes a traditional main course, drinks and Moroccan mint tea. Meanwhile, beginner and intermediate language learners might wish to attend the Voyage en Francophonie workshop, which gives an introduction to the culture of the French-speaking world. Whatever your proficiency in French or area of interest, the festival presents some fascinating insights into what is a truly global language.