Rabat- Russia’s Ambassador to Morocco, Valery Vorobiev, enthralled his audience during an official event on Thursday by presenting his speech in “fluent Arabic” until a Moroccan official asked that he speak in French.
The incident coincides with the occasion of World Arabic Language Day celebrated every December 18 all over the Arab world.
Speaking during the opening of workshops on the “Application of a Systemic Approach for Quality of Education in the Field of School Meals” held today in Rabat, the Ambassador described this dichotomy, the dichotomy of using French while it is not the country's official languages "a tragedy."
Despite the fact that Arabic and Tamazight (Berber) are the two official languages in Morocco, “French is the language used in national events to facilitate communication with guests,” said Youssef Belkasmi, Secretary General of the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training.
French has conventionally been the predominant language at such official government events; however, a number of Moroccan officials have expressed their leaning towards English.
Last May, the Minister of Parliamentary and Civil Relations, El Habib Choubani, broke with convention and used English, instead of French, in documents distributed at the closing ceremony of the national dialogue on civil society and new constitutional roles.
Edited by Elisabeth Myers
