The Embassy of France in Nigeria, in collaboration with the Alliance Française of Kaduna and the National Museum, has launched ‘Culture Connect’, an educational and cultural programme designed to link French language learning with the discovery of art and heritage.

The programme will involve more than 200 pupils from selected partner schools in Kaduna, who will participate in guided visits to the National Museum during the last two weeks of November 2025. The visits, lasting two hours and thirty minutes each, would be conducted in both English and French.

Young learners would explore the museum’s permanent collections and discover the Louvre Museum’s educational kit, which is being showcased for the first time in Northern Nigeria.

The project aims to introduce French teachers and learners to both the Louvre and the Kaduna museums. It would also promote the Nok terracotta heritage, encourage cultural mediation, and support the development of educational resources in French.

The programme seeks to raise awareness among young audiences about the importance of cultural preservation. Each visit will include observation, creative activities, and play-based experiences. Children will participate in interactive workshops and games in French.

A bilingual booklet would be distributed to the students, containing educational materials and an overview of both collections. Each participating child will also receive a certificate of participation.

Speaking at a press briefing on the cultural mediation programme on Thursday in Kaduna, Dikko Idris, the curator of the National Museum in Kaduna, said the initiative aims to connect cultures and deepen understanding among young learners.

He explained that the students would first tour the museum’s main gallery to view Nigerian cultural objects, before engaging with the Louvre-inspired exhibition to compare artworks from different cultural origins. According to him, the programme would help students appreciate that culture is shared across different parts of the world.

He said the museum intended to “catch them young” to ensure they understand that Nigeria has a rich cultural heritage, while other countries also possess diverse cultural histories.

Mr Idris added that the students would relate the two cultural presentations and understand the similarities and differences between them. He said the experience was expected to build cultural pride and awareness of heritage preservation.

The president of Alliance Française Kaduna, Misbahudeen Bolarinwa, stated that the collaboration aimed to elevate the National Museum Kaduna to the standard it deserves. He said the museum needed greater awareness and recognition.

Mr. Bolarinwa stated that Alliance Française had been in Kaduna since 1974. He explained that the organisation decided to support the museum so it could be better promoted to residents and visitors.

(NAN)