FRESH START!
The Alliance Françaisede Durban is pleased to announce that we are embarking on an exciting new phase in our role as a language school and cultural centre.
Having sold our property in Morningside, we will be moving into temporary premises at the end of May – and inviting members, partners and friends to share in the vision for our long-term future.
Deborah Ewing, Présidente of the organisation, said “The sale of our premises provides great new opportunities for the Alliance Française. It means we can invest resources and energy into the educational and cultural life of Durban in creative new ways. We will continue to deliver our language courses and cultural programmes while we plan for our future home in the city.”
Founded in 1936, the Alliance Françaisede Durban is the oldest Alliance in South Africa. It is part of a network of 829 Alliances Françaises in 135 countries. The organisation moved to the site at 22 Sutton Crescent in 1991. Until Covid, the majority of French, Portuguese and isiZulu classes took place in the building. Now, most lessons are either online or take place at students’ own sites (for example in schools or in corporate offices). At the same time, the cultural programme of the Alliance Française has expanded beyond events held at our own site and increasingly take place on the sites of Durban partner organisations. This means the Sutton Crescent site is rarely used to capacity, while incurring substantial costs to operate and maintain.
Treasurer, Dr Raymond Perrier, added: “Whilst we receive some support from the French Government, we are an independent South African NGO and need to be financially sustainable. One of our major assets has been our building but we have not been able to maximise the value from using it. By selling Sutton Crescent, we have an opportunity to find premises that are better suited to our new needs, and also release a substantial amount of capital which will be invested to help underwrite our operating costs going forward.”
22 Sutton Crescent has been sold to a local family-owned company, Mumbai Spice Works, which will develop the site to support its spice business. The Alliance Française has agreed to move out by 31 May. The Alliance appreciates the support that we have had from various organisations who have been renting space at 22 Sutton Crescent; they have been kept abreast of developments and are now also making alternative arrangements.
Alliance Française de Durban Director Sarah M’bodji expressed excitement about the next few months. “It is true that we will be nomads for a while but that gives us a chance to think carefully about what sort of premises we need and where. We are conscious that the centre of gravity of Durban has shifted since we moved into Sutton Crescent. We need to think about where our members and target customers are based, what kind of premises we need, and how we can work closely with our key cultural and educational partners.
“As a result of the sale of the property, we have much greater flexibility than we have had in recent years. We are keen to hear from people with suggestions, and will be conducting a consultation process. In the meantime, we have a full programme of cultural activities, and our French classes will continue online and at various sites.”
We thank you all for your continued support, and we are thrilled to keep on engaging with you to invent our new Alliance!
