Birzeit University French Department Participates in 2025 Choix Goncourt de l’Orient Literary Award 

The Department of French Language at Birzeit University took part in the 13th edition of the regional literary award Choix Goncourt de l’Orient, organized by the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) in partnership with the Institut Français in Lebanon. This initiative brings together students from universities across the Middle East to choose their favorite literary work for the academic year 2024-2025. 

A student jury, composed of nine French language students, presented Birzeit University. These students read, analyzed, and ranked the eight novels shortlisted by the Académie Goncourt to determine the best one. Under the supervision of instructor Muna Ibayyeh, the students also wrote analytical essays as part of the evaluation process.

It is worth noting that this year’s edition included 27 universities from across the Middle East, forming 32 student juries from countries such as Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Iran, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Cyprus. 

Student Alia Khalaf represented Birzeit university as student jury president at the award ceremony in announcing Jacaranda by French-Rwandan author Gaël Faye as the winning novel. This ceremony was held at the Centre d’Employabilité Francophone (CEF) in Beirut. 

Alia Khalaf also participated in a panel discussion alongside other jury presidents, moderated by Lebanese Francophone writer Salma Kojok. The votingconcluded with Jacaranda receiving 19 out of 32 votes. Many participating students expressed deep emotional responses to the novel, which exploresthemes of memory, identity, and history through the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda and the narrator’s journey to uncover his roots and seek justice.

The winning novel Jacaranda is expected to be translated into Arabic soon.