1883 "The National Association for the propagation of the French language in the colonies and abroad" is created under the aegis of the ambassador, Paul Cambon.

1884 The 10th of March is the exact date of the foundation of the Alliance Française of Paris. Many distinguished names feature on the Board of Directors, names such as Ferdinand de Lesseps, Louis Pasteur, Ernest Renan, Jules Verne, Armand Colin… Barcelona is the first European Alliance Française. The network in Spain will expand very rapidly. Africa also jumps on the bandwagon, as a pioneering branch of the Alliance Française is opened in Senegal. Another branch opens in Mauritius later that same year. Thanks to the inspired efforts of a group of friends, an Alliance Française is set up in Mexico. The enthusiasm of Latin America is not just a passing fancy 1886 The Alliance Française is given official government recognition.

1889 Asia swiftly follows the general trend, with the creation of the first Alliance Française in India (see below the history of Alliance Française of Pondicherry, even though the dates are contradicting).

1890 An art teacher, Berthe Mouchette, sets up the first Australian Alliance Française in Melbourne.

1901 The Alliance Française of Paris opens its doors to 516 students.

The history of Alliance Française of Pondicherry has been published in the "Trait d'union" of April 1982 by Mr. David ANNOUSSAMY of which resume here some extracts for us. The impressive origins of Alliance Française of Pondichéry are allied by the founder himself the captain MARTINET in an unconstrained section "The India and the Indian". He was speaking Tamil and has published a Tamil pronunciation dictionary. It was the founder of the Alliance Française of Pondicherry and written about this subject: "In 1880, after my retirement, I determined to return to India for my Tamil dictionary and the Alliance Française offered me to be its delegate in India. Immediately arrived at Pondicherry, I myself begun my publicity in favour of Alliance Française, the whole city associated generous to this work. To the Committee of Pondicherry, I begun the French classes for the adults, and with the help of my wife, I started a school for Indian girls... Some days before leaving India, the first formal distribution of the prizes of Alliance Française has taken place at Pondicherry in the presence of the Governor.

There were 100 from the adults' course, 45 young Indian sisters from the St. Joseph of Cluny and 150 Indian students for the schools. It is a magnificent result; our devotedness will it be continued? There are the possibilities for the negative result also. "This forewarning of this apostle the Alliance Française had to reveal it exact. There was an understanding tacit in the French environment of Pondicherry against quick development of the French language and republican values carried. After Martinet, the Alliance Française does not do more to speak a lot about it. But it follows its career with stubbornness. The annual book of 1889 specifies: " It subsidizes the teaching of the French in the private schools and grant rewards to the raise public schools of which the knowledge in French have for him been all particularly signaled. But during the 2nd World-Wide War, Pondicherry found cut of the metropolis and some schools which had create in the aide have been included to the service of Public Institution. To the next day of the war, The Alliance of Paris sends to Pondicherry a general delegate in the person M. Emmanuel ADICEAM, a Pondicherry civilian. He started his duty on 14 November 1946 and puts on foot a Committee presided by the doctor BARBET. The Alliance Française was installed at 6, Bussy street and M.ADICEAM defines the new direction of Alliance Française in a pronounced speech the 15 March 1947.


"Instead of to consecrate itself to an independent publicity in favour of the French culture, we have thought that the Alliance Française also had to give itself for try to do to know mutually the culture of France, i.e., the languages, the literatures, the arts and the civilizations of India some seen comfort thus a parallel of these 2 big countries: France and India. But the colony inspector was in mission in India, doing the opinion of local political men noted in his report that the Alliance Française has no reason to be in a French land. The mission of M. ADICEAM ended in 9 June 1947. To the next day of the transfer of Counters to Indian Union is born in 1955, at Pondichéry, the organization " les Amis de la Langue et de la Culture Française " [The Friends of the Language and French Culture] presided by TIROUVARASSIN, notary and animated by Lambert SARAVANE, professor and former representative. The French Institute of Pondichéry, created by the agreement transfer opens a division "Language and French literature " that has given of the classes to all the levels and planned lectures. The director of this section had also it in charge of the French high School and worked as guidance for the culture in South India (that lacks cruelly today) but, after a deep divergence between him and the other French authorities, the General Consul M. MOREL FRANCOZ final consul 1957 considered to re-launch the Alliance Française. A new Committee came to in function in the beginning of 1958 and since, the Alliance Française has followed its education and cultural performance.