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An Unique French Hub in Singapore: 76+ years of Alliance Française

Founded in 1949, Alliance Française de Singapour has grown from a small French club on Orchard Road into Singapore's leading French language and cultural centre. Over seven decades, the Alliance has welcomed thousands of students, hosted major cultural events, and built strong Franco-Singaporean ties.

Introduction

Introduction

The Alliance Française de Singapour began in 1949 as a modest French-speaking social club run by volunteers, offering a single French class and screenings at the Hollandse Club.

Through the 1950s and 60s, the Alliance moved across Singapore (Orchard, Battery Road, Penang Lane, Chatsworth...), growing its community with the first teachers sent from France, its first choir, its first cultural events, and the early children's classes.

In the 1970s and 80s, thanks to the decisive support of Tan Sri Runme Shaw and Dr Vee Meng Shaw, the Alliance expanded dramatically: language labs, film festivals, art exhibitions, social events, a football team, pétanque tournaments, and the first French Film Festival. The Alliance also helped introduce major cultural initiatives to Singapore, including the Fête de la Musique and new artistic programmes that shaped its long-term identity.

Since 1995, the Alliance has been located at 1 Sarkies Road, in a modern cultural centre with a theatre, gallery, media library and more than 20 classrooms.

Today with 4,000+ members and 200+ events yearly, it remains Singapore's French hub: teaching, creating, screening, exhibiting, connecting.

Timeline

Timeline

1949 - Founding of Alliance Française de Singapour
Single classroom on Orchard road, 20 students, 50 members.

1950s - First moves and growth

1951 - First public cultural event with the exhibition of French Sacred Art at Victoria Memorial Hall

1953 - First director from Paris arrives. Professionalisation begins.

1954 - Alliance Française open a library, a bar and an additional classroom.

1954-1957 - Moves to the Laidlaw Building, then Battery Road, and then Penang Lane. Start of annual social events.

1960s - Expansion and First Academic Innovations

1960 - Moves again to Chatsworth Road and opens its reception hall for cinema.

1961 - A new director is appointed and registers the AF with the Registrar of Societies, but a fire that same year destroys the official archives and all the records.

1962 - Visit of the Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew: major recognition locally.

1964 - Organization of its first corporate French class and printing of its first brochure.

1965 - Moves to Scotts Road, settling in the center of town.

1967 - First language laboratory. Paris sends teaching equipment.

1968 - Tan Sri Runme Shaw becomes president of Alliance Française de Singapour. First classrooms built for the future Petite école française.

1970s - Cultural boom

1971 - Creation of Alliance Française's first theatre company.

1974 - First French Film week.

1975 - First edition of the Lien magazine is published, circulating over 1,000 copies. Organization of its first students and members trip to Paris. Opening a second branch at the Golden Mile Shopping Center.

1976 - First French Film Festival with the Embassy. Creation of its football team. Tan Sri Runme Shaw, president, is awarded the French distinction of Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur.

1978 - Moves to Draycott Park: large gallery, 16 classrooms, café, laboratory, a library.

1980s - Consolidation

1983 - Visit of former French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.

1985 - Revival of the French Film Festival.

1987-1988 - Arrival of new flagship cultural programmes, including the Fête de la Musique.

1988 - Opening of the video-audio club.

1990s - The New Era: Sarkies Road

1992 - Dr Shaw Vee Meng is awarded the French distinction of Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur.

1993 - Birth of the one and only French Festival in Singapore (now known as the Voilah! Festival).

1995 - Alliance opens at 1 Sarkies Road. Modern purpose-built cultural centre with 22 classrooms, meeting and seminar rooms, an exhbtion hall, a library and a 236-seat theatre.

2000s - Major cultural development

2000 - First Francophonie Festival, now a key annual event.

2001 - Lien magazine is launched online.

2003-2010 - Expansion of cultural formats: festivals, screenings, new audience programmes.

2005 - Major renovation and 10th birthday at Sarkies Road.

2008 - Alliance Française's hits the 10,000 registrations mark.

2009 - 60th anniversary celebrations.

2010s - Digital, modern, expanding

2012 - Launching of it first French Animation Festival.

2013 - First e-newsletter. Ciné-kids and French Thursdays are launched.

2014 - First Open House.

2015 -Theatre renovation. Little Prince in the Dark exhibition which gathered more than 8,000 visitors in just 6 weeks.

2017 - Dr Shaw Vee Meng becomes President Emeritus and Ms Jacky Deromedi becomes President.

2018 - Online teaching launched.

2019 - 70th anniversary celebrations with "Diverse Oneness" exhibition.

Today

Today, Alliance Française de Singapour is home to more than 4,000 members, 20 classrooms, 16,000 media library documents and a vibrant cultural programme of exhibitions, festivals, screenings and educational activities. Each year, over 600 candidates sit for official French exams in our certified examination centre.

With its theatre, gallery, médiathèque, café and professional teaching team, the Alliance remains Singapore's French hub, a place for learning, culture and community.