How long has there been a French Consulate in New Orleans?
We have always had a consulate in Louisiana, since the Louisiana Purchase. There are 10 French consulates in the U.S. Our relationship here is based on a special connection between France and Louisiana. What is one of the programs that the French support in Louisiana? CODOFIL [Council for the Development of French Language in Louisiana] was founded 41 years ago as a state agency. It was developed directly for French immersion programs. It gives the opportunity of educating children in an international environment based on a French-speaking culture, which is very important to have in the global world we live in – there are 55 or so French-speaking countries in the world. We are very proud of being partners in this. France was very supportive of the region after Hurricane Katrina. There was a very strong, natural movement of sympathy towards Louisiana, and it was because of our connection, and Louisiana’s capacity to speak to the world. It was only three or four days after Katrina for th
