What does NRC think | With Claude, give the French language the place she deserves

At the age of nine, Claude Kiambe fled to the Netherlands with his mother, brothers and sisters from the Democratic Republic of Congo. His father was killed there in the war. Although Drama taught his mother to keep seeing the positive of life, he says. « C’est La Vie« She sang to the title of the song with which Claude, his stage name, this week the Netherlands represents at the Eurovision Song Contest. »C’est Comme Ci, C’est Comme ça/ C’est and Haut et and Bas. ”

The life story of Claude, who won a talent show in Enkhuizen in 2017 and at the end of 2022 with the song ‘Ladada (Mon Dernier Mot)’ on one in the Top 40, is special enough. The fact that the Netherlands is participating with a partially French -speaking song at the Songfestival for the first time is no less than a cultural water separation. Since the very first Songfestival in 1956, the Netherlands has submitted 41 Dutch -speaking and 24 English -language songs. The first English -language song came in 1974 (‘I See A Star’, Mouth & MacNeal), but most English -language contributions date from the last few decades. English would appeal to a wider audience and, according to some artists, are also more suitable to sing.

That may be the case, it cannot be denied that French is working on a cultural revaluation in the Netherlands. In the sixties and seventies, French -speaking artists such as Françoise Hardy and Serge Gainsbourg were also world famous in the Netherlands. Books by French writers went over the counter, even untranslated. Not to mention the dominance of the French cinema.

After a few very lean years, the French language has now made a return. In literature, of course, with writers such as Édouard Louis, Leïla Slimani, Kamel Daoud or Annie Ernaux. And with popular series here too Dix pour cents or Lupin. Even the now thirty -year -old banlieefilm La Haine is again in the spotlight. But above all it can be seen in the popular music, with Aya Nakamura, Gims, Bon Entendeur and Claudes great example from Belgium, Stromae.

That renewed interest in French has been coinciding for a few months with a aversion of the United States in some circles. « It’s over with America, » written columnist Stine Jensen recently in NRC. In de Volkskrant argued An editor to seize the return of Trump to choose another « role modell country » (namely: France). That may not be that fast, but also about political, strategic and economic reasons, it is wise not to look at the English language area in a rapidly changing world.

Against that light, it is worrying that language studies are now so difficult. While there is a large shortage of French teachers, two Dutch universities recently announced that they wanted to scrap Frans as an independent bachelor. The KNAW rightly responded that language studies ‘for the social and economic development’ of a small country such as the Netherlands are ‘crucial’. Or to speak with the Claud’s newest album with the title song: « Your Parle Français Maintenance/ If I don’t understand you/ then it doesn’t count. »

It is hoped that his participation in the Songfestival – or, of course, Le Competours Eurovision de la Chanson – also makes young people aware of the importance of speaking different European languages ​​than just Dutch and English.

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