On February 14, the delegation of the French Embassy in the Republic of Belarus visited Mogilev State A. Kuleshov University. The delegation consisted of: First Counselor of the Embassy of France in the Republic of Belarus Mrs. Elsa Pignol, coordinator of cultural events of the Embassy Mrs. Inna Matienko, well-known in many countries writer and screenwriter David Fonkinos. The purpose of the visit of high-ranking guests to our university was the opening of the French corner, designed to become popular among teachers, students, teachers and schoolchildren, who teach the French language and study it.
The colorful editions on the history and geography of France, modern French textbooks, as well as textbooks for the preparation for the international DELF-DALF exams that the students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages successfully passed over the past two years were donated to the university library. The opening ceremony of the French corner included the welcoming words of the rector of the University D. V. Duk and the return speech by E. Pignol, the vocal-choreographic performance of the band “Out of Control”, the recitation of poems by the French poet F. Lua, and the video project of the students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages “French names in the topography of Mogilev”. It was fun and informative! But the main surprise was waiting for our guests in the conference room.
The students meeting with David Fonkinos was preceded by an improvised flash mob, which reminded of Valentine's Day. The presentation about the work of D. Fonkinos caused interest in his books and films from those who are not yet familiar with his works. And the students and schoolchildren of the city of Mogilev, for whom his name is already familiar, showered the guest with questions about his life and work. At first timid and indecisive (try yourself to ask a question to a living classic in his native language!), the schoolchildren and students appreciated David's humor and style of communication, and at the end of the meeting they literally did not let him go, having arranged a real self-marathon. In memory of this meeting, the students presented David with a publication that, according to him, became the first translation of his works into the Belarusian language. The project on the translation of chapters from the novel “Memoirs” was realized by students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages in the framework of pre-diploma (translation) practice.