1. Initiatives
  2. Games of La Francophonie
Logo created for the 2023 Games in Kinshasa that pictures a profile of a leopards bust inside a crescent shape in the colours that represent the Games of La Francophonie.

In partnership with

Canada

Keys to the Games 

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, will host the Jeux de la Francophonie, an artistic and sporting competition from July 28 to August 6, 2023. There will be gold, silver, and bronze medals awarded to outstanding Francophone artists ranging in age from 18 to 35, from all parts of the world. 

It's much more than a competition. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to network with Francophone artists from around the globe and make your mark on the international scene.

The artists participating in in the IX Games of La Francophonie have been revealed

The names of the Team Canada cultural finalists are:

  • Song – Mia Kelly
  • Storytelling – Guyaume Bouliane
  • Original dance – Andy Michel Shadari
  • Hip-hop – Break City All-Stars
  • Freestyle Ball – Freestyle Soccer
  • Painting – Caroline Douville

Go to the Jeux de la Francophonie official website to view the news release (in French)

The application period, which lasted 45 days from August 23 to October 6, 2022, has now closed.

Participation is the key to success 

Les Jeux de la Francophonie is a chance for Canada to celebrate the incomparable talent of its young Francophone artists. 

Throughout the Jeux de la Francophonie, young artists will be presenting their talents on an international stage that the world will be watching. 

The next Games will be held in Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa) from July 28 to August 6, 2023.

About the Games

The  Comité international des Jeux de la Francophonie, reporting to the International Organisation of La Francophonie is responsible for organizing the Games in co-operation with the host country’s national organizing committee.  

The Department of Canadian Heritage is responsible for the preparation of Team Canada to participate in the IX Games of La Francophonie and is working with the Canada Council for the Arts for the national preselection for the cultural component. For more information, visit Games of La Francophonie - Canada.ca

The national cultural competition for the Games of La Francophonie is coordinated through a partnership between the Canada Council for the Arts and the department of Canadian Heritage. 

The Games reflect our ongoing commitment to

  • create more opportunities for the next generation,
  • ensure the vitality of Official Language Minority Communities, and
  • support the strong and sustainable presence of Canadian artists and their work in the world.

Created in 1987, and held every four years since, the Games of La Francophonie bring together thousands of young athletes and artists (ages 18 to 35) from member and observer states and governments of La Francophonie. They are the only major games that feature both sports and cultural competitions.

Selection Process

Artists are pre-selected through a national cultural competition organized by the Canada Council for the Arts, after which point a jury appointed by the Comité international des Jeux de la Francophonie selects the final candidates. 

Selection of artists 

The Department of Canadian Heritage has engaged the Canada Council for the Arts to select the best young artists who will represent Canada at the 2023 Jeux de la Francophonie. 

We invite artists from across the country to sign up for a chance to represent Canada next year at the 2023 Games. 

To be considered, you must apply for one of the 11 listed categories. The categories include Original dance, Song, Painting, Sculpture-installation, Photography, Literature (short story), Storytelling, Hip-hop (dance), Giant puppets, Freestyle ball and digital creation. 

A jury of peer professional artists from across Canada will pre-select up to three (3) competitors (individuals or groups) for each cultural discipline. Artists will be validated by the Comité international des Jeux de la Francophonie jury after this selection has been presented to them. This international jury receives the finalist lists from all the participating countries and governments. 

Peer evaluators for the national pre-selection

Jury members to be announced soon.

Past Games of La Francophonie 

Canada has participated in every edition of the Games of La Francophonie since the very first, held in 1989, in Morocco. 

Discover how many medals we've taken home over the years: Past Games of La Francophonie 

For more information

E-mail:  francophoniegames@canadacouncil.ca

1-800-263-5588 (toll-free) ou 613-239-0211

The competition is now closed.

Help spread the word! 

Watch for and use hashtag #FrancoGames23Can

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Team Canada: 2017 Culture Component Finalists and Winners

Represented in twelve cultural competitions, discover the Team Canada finalists who competed in the cultural components of the 2017 Games in Ivory Coast, and the lucky ones who brought home a medal.

Benoit Davidson

Benoît Davidson

Stories and Storytellers
Saint-Rémi-d'Amherst, QC

Collectif Pi

Collectif Pi

Street Arts: Giant Puppets
Montréal, QC
Silver

Freestyle Soccer

Freestyle Soccer Inc.

Street Arts: Freestyle Ball
Toronto, ON

Freya Bjorg Olafson

Freya Björg Olafson

Creative Dance
Winnipeg, MB

Gabriel Marcoux Chabot

Gabriel Marcoux-Chabot

Literature
Saint-Nérée-de-Bellechasse, QC

Guillaume Boudrias-Plouffe

Guillaume Boudrias-Plouffe

Sculpture
Longueuil, QC

Wasa

Jeux Wasa

Sustainable Creation
Montréal, QC
Gold

Karine Frechette

Karine Fréchette

Painting
Montréal, QC

Les Poules à Colin

Les Poules à Colin

Song
Montréal, QC

Michelle Bui

Michelle Bui

Photograhy
Montréal, QC

Mix Mix Dance Collective

Mix Mix Dance

Street Arts: Hip Hop
Toronto, ON

Sabrina Ratté

Sabrina Ratté

Digital Creation
Montréal, QC
Gold

Testimonials from previous Games participants

Performance in front of large crowd at the Jeux de la Francophonie
Dance Francophonie Artist Stories

Connections, experience, love of the culture and our country

Supernaturalz arrived in the Nice airport surrounded by people in red-and-white maple-leafed athletic gear.

Dancers from the company maribé - sors de ce corps, Jeux 2013
Dance Artist Stories Francophonie

Participation, a medal and a confession: I’m coming back!

I took part in the Jeux de la Francophonie, in 2013, and it turned out to be an absolutely unique experience in my life as an artist.

Guillaume Corbeil at the Opening Ceremony
Francophonie Artist Stories

The opening ceremony: a well-kept secret… a chance to discover each other

This year, the Council, in association with Canadian Heritage, is shining more light on young artists who are breaking onto the international scene via the Francophone Games.