President Paul Kagame was on Saturday, July 9, awarded the Ordre de La Pléiade by the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie (APF). The Ordre de la Pléiade is an internationally-recognized award bestowed upon individuals who have made a great contribution to the French-speaking communities and upheld the ideals of La Francophonie, promoting the role of French language in their own countries or in the world. It was on the margins of the 47th Plenary Session of the APF in Kigali where the legislators from the bloc talked about matters of democracy and good governance, tackling insecurity, issue of high cost of living in member states, among others. The Ordre de la Pléiade, also known as Ordre de la Francophonie et du Dialogue des Cultures (Order of French-Speaking People and Cultural Dialogue) was established in 1976 on the initiative of the APF. It was named after La Pléiade, a group of 16th Century French Renaissance poets whose aim was to elevate the French language to the same level of prestige as classical languages in the realm of literature. The Ministry of Education has launched a National Plan for Teaching and Learning of French in Rwanda to respond to the government’s decision taken in 2018 to use French language broadly across sectors including education, training and business. In line with that, the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie sent about 70 teachers to support the French teaching in the education system in compliance with the Rwandan context. Numerous prominent figures such as heads of state, politicians, literary scholars, academics, scientists, and prominent individuals from the arts and sports community have been awarded with the Ordre de la Pléiade
