Taipei, March 20 (CNA) A Canadian music group will be featured in a series of events during the 2006 International Day of Francophonie in Taiwan to celebrate the multicultural diversity of Canada, the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT) announced Monday.
The International Day of Francophonie falls on March 20 and is celebrated by over 120 French-speaking countries every year. Canada's two official languages are English and French.
This year marks the fifth year Taiwan has joined the celebration, with the Association of French Teachers in Taiwan organizing events this year including a French singing competition, a free evening soiree and a French Film Festival. Thirteen representative offices of French-speaking countries in Taiwan are sponsoring the events.
The folk/jazz group Carmen & David Trio will stage four live performances of French songs in Kaohsiung and Taipei from March 21-24, with the last show held at Taipei City Hall's Family Theater at an evening party March 24.
There are an estimated 100,000 French speakers in Taiwan, with an average of 10,000 people taking up French lessons every year, said Lee Pei-hwa, President of the Association of French Teachers in Taiwan.
French is an official language in 33 countries on five continents and the second most commonly studied foreign language in the world.