By Sarah-Claire Jordan
CIRTEF stands for Conseil International des Radios et Télévisions d’Expression Française, or International Council of French Radio and Television. It doesn’t sound all that revolutionary, but if you read a bit about it, you might get an idea as to the extent of influence it has on bringing together all the French speakers in the world, regardless of whether they live in Europe, Africa, or Asia.
Founded in 1978, the original goals of CIRTEF were to create and foster connections between French-speaking radio and television professionals, promote the use of radio and television as a way to help the whole French-speaking community advance, and more. The organizations that are members of CIRTEF span 33 different countries all over the world and maintain contact with each other as a way to keep everything up-to-date and inform other members of important happenings, activities, and more.
In terms of professional development, members are encouraged to share different types of technical training with each other, as well as production and programming training. This way, all radio stations and television channels will be on the same level in terms of the knowledge of their staff. Of course, each country will have access to different equipment depending on how easy it is to get said equipment for them, but knowing how to operate all equipment regardless at least gives professionals the confidence they need for when they do get to use it.
As a way to better facilitate this exchange of knowledge among French-speaking radio and TV professionals, SEFOR was created. It is possibly the most important CIRTEF event of the year, and is basically a training seminar but includes platforms for exchange of ideas and anything else that would prove beneficial to all in attendance. Every other year it takes place in a different French-speaking country, so no one feels like the center of the French-speaking world is France. This ensures that all participants feel that their respective countries and identities are represented and heard.
Perhaps the most important of the goals of CIRTEF is to bring all French-speakers in the world together through a mutual love of radio and TV. The idea is to promote the spread of knowledge about the lesser-known French-speaking communities as a way to foster understanding and appreciation of the different francophone cultures. This would, ultimately, be reflected in the radio and TV broadcasts of CIRTEF members, and further spread the message of francophone unity no matter the country or continent.
Since it has been around since 1978, one could say that a fair amount of good has been done by now thanks to CIRTEF. The mediums of television and radio can be quite powerful, and whatever can be done to build real bridges between different cultures should be done. Though CIRTEF is only focusing on one language with many dialects, it is still advocating for unification and making good on its goals and claims. At Alpha Omega Translation, the translation of different radio and TV programs helps to bridge any gaps between cultures as well as spread knowledge that otherwise couldn’t be spread.
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