Dr Alexandra Stewart, a lecturer in French and Francophone Studies in the School of Arts, formed part of an editorial team which authored and edited a new French text book aimed at beginners and created specifically for the South African context.

Published under open access regulations, the project, funded by the University of the Free State (UFS), aims to respond to the needs of South African students who find themselves increasingly alienated by existing teaching materials which often overlook French spoken on the African continent.

Entitled Décollage, which means “take-off”, the textbook allows students to learn French while following a fictional narrative involving four South African students from various institutions – including Lindiwe of UKZN – who travel throughout various Francophone countries in Africa and in Europe.

Décollage allows students to identify with the characters that appear within it and with the places where these characters are situated. The textbook highlights South African cultures by proposing characters, situations and explanations with which learners can identify. The fictional journey enables the discovery of certain African and European countries where French is spoken to highlight the value of various French-speaking cultures, while underpinning the value of the learners’ own cultures.

Stewart explains: ‘In this way, students can discover the diversity of the French language beyond the stilted stereotypes so often associated with it, finding links between the new language and their own cultures, in a textbook which is exciting, visually stimulating and in which they are able to situate themselves and their own experiences.’

The other editorial team members – all academics and specialists in the field of teaching French as a foreign language (Français langue étrangère or FLE) – include Dr Albertus Barkhuizen of the University of the Free State, Dr Carina Grobler of the North-West University, Ms Karin Schmid of the University of Cape Town and Ms Mia-Louise Nel of Hoërskool Menlopark. The editorial conception and design are that of graphic designer Dr Olivia Loots.

‘In addition, due to Décollage being an Open Educational Resource, users can freely share the content of this resource in any format, clearly indicating its source by citation,’ said Stewart. ‘They also have the right to remix, transform and create new material from this resource, quoting the original version. In this way, the aim is to make a quality resource available free of charge to anyone who wants to learn French, without discrimination of any kind. Users of this manual can adapt the resource to their own needs.’