Alliance Française of Johannesburg

“It’s not the walls that make the Alliance. It’s you.”
“Ce ne sont pas les murs qui font l’Alliance. C’est vous.”

❄️ Winter is the perfect time to start something new.
At the Alliance Française of Johannesburg, our Winter Session is designed for learning, growth, and connection.

📅 8 June – 1 August 2026
🌍 French | English | isiZulu
🏫 In-person | 💻 Online | 🔁 Hybrid | 👨‍🏫 Private lessons
All levels welcome — kids, teens, and adults.

Register Now

❄️ Winter is the perfect time to start something new.

Winter has a special feeling.

You might have been thinking about learning a language for a while.
You might already be continuing your progress.
Or you might simply be ready for a new challenge.

At the Alliance Française of Johannesburg, our Winter Session is designed for exactly that.

📅 8 June – 1 August 2026
🌍 French | English | isiZulu
🏫 In-person | 💻 Online | 🔁 Hybrid | 👨‍🏫 Private lessons

For kids, teens, and adults all levels welcome.

This winter is about growing, connecting, and discovering something new.

This is more than a class.
It’s confidence, culture, connection, and growth.

❄️ And this weekend, join us at the Sunday Market (31 May) and enjoy 10% OFF registrations.

👉 Registrations are now open.

The Joburg French Ciné Club invites you to discover Red Soil (Rouge), a tense and atmospheric environmental thriller by Farid Bentoumi.
Set in an industrial town in southern France, the film follows Nour, a young nurse who uncovers disturbing secrets surrounding toxic waste and its impact on the local community.
A powerful and thought-provoking story about environmental justice, corporate responsibility, and the human cost of industrial pollution.
📍 The Bioscope, 44 Stanley
📅 Thursday 14 May — 19h
🎟 Booking: https://thebioscope.co.za/attractions/

🇫🇷 Le Joburg French Ciné Club vous invite à découvrir Rouge (Red Soil), un thriller environnemental intense et captivant réalisé par Farid Bentoumi.
Dans une ville industrielle du sud de la France, Nour, une jeune infirmière, découvre de lourds secrets liés aux déchets toxiques et à leurs conséquences sur la population locale.
Un film puissant et engagé sur la justice environnementale, la responsabilité des entreprises et le coût humain de la pollution industrielle.
📍 The Bioscope, 44 Stanley
📅 Jeudi 14 mai — 19h
🎟 Réservations : https://thebioscope.co.za/attractions/

A cozy, rainy Johannesburg evening, a glass of wine (or tea ☕), and a small circle of passionate readers… our monthly Book Nook at Alliance Française is always something special.

The concept is simple: one hour of silent reading, followed by one hour of rich, open discussion. This time, we were eight — and each person brought thoughtful insights that made the conversation truly meaningful.

📚 Here’s what was on our readers’ laps:

– The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
We explored the challenge of navigating multiple narrative voices, and how reading Russian Literature in English translation can sometimes flatten the subtlety of the original language.

– Sabbath’s Theater by Philip Roth
A provocative discussion about an aging, deeply flawed protagonist — unsettling, even disturbing, yet undeniably compelling.

– Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
A fantasy world divided by blood: silver (powerful) and red (oppressed). We talked about power, identity, and what happens when someone breaks the system from within.

– The White Horse by Robert Leeson
A story of revenge that sparked reflections on memory and emotional impact.

– Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson
We dove into epic fantasy — complex worlds, layered characters, and the immersive power of long-form storytelling.

– Swallowing Geography by Deborah Levy
A beautifully strange, non-linear work — more about the experience of writing than the story itself.

– Falling Forward by Rachel Kolisi with Zibu Sithole
A conversation about identity, visibility, and what it means to live alongside someone in the spotlight.

– Le silence et la colère by Pierre Lemaitre
A rich family saga set in 1950s France, exploring complex characters and social tensions.

✨ And beyond the books…

We kept coming back to fantasy — especially through J. R. R. Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings. How imagined worlds can mirror reality, confront human flaws directly, and reflect the deep impact of history and war.

Intimate, thoughtful, and always enriching.

Join us next month 21st of may — bring a book, an open mind, and be part of the conversation.

Last Thursday at the Bioscope, the Joburg French Cine Club hosted a special screening of Petit Pays / Small Country, 2020, Éric Barbier.
A deeply moving film, brought to life by non-professional actors, telling a story that resonates far beyond the screen.
The evening continued with a powerful discussion with Rwanda-Burundian journalist and author Alois Rwiyegura, whose personal reflections reminded us of the weight of memory — where, for many, entire families and communities were lost.
A word was shared: ihahamuka — a Kinyarwanda term for trauma.
From film to conversation, creating space to understand, share, and not forget.
🎬