Bastille Day Enlivens Polibatam as Warung Prancis Returns to Bridge Language, Culture, and Global Collaboration
BATAM – Politeknik Negeri Batam (Polibatam), through Warung Prancis Polibatam, successfully held Bastille Day with Warung Prancis Polibatam on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at the Tanjung Piayu Theater, 3rd Floor of the Polibatam Technopreneur Building. The event was organised to commemorate Bastille Day, the French National Day celebrated annually on July 14.
Combining a seminar with interactive games, the event provided students and members of the Polibatam academic community with an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the French language, culture, and way of life. Participants showed great enthusiasm throughout the programme, from the presentation sessions to the lively and engaging mini-games.
The seminar featured Floriane Pous, a representative of the Institut Français d’Indonésie (IFI), who joined the event virtually as a guest speaker. During her presentation, Floriane introduced IFI’s profile, role, and various programmes aimed at strengthening cultural and educational relations between Indonesia and France. She also invited participants to discuss common stereotypes about French society and compare them with the realities of daily life and cultural diversity in France.
The programme continued with an in-person session led by Madame Moina Harahap, a tutor at Warung Prancis Polibatam, who provided an introductory French language lesson. Participants learned basic vocabulary and simple expressions commonly used in everyday conversations. The communicative and interactive delivery allowed them to experience learning French in an enjoyable and accessible way.
This year’s Bastille Day celebration also marked an important milestone with the reopening of Warung Prancis Polibatam as a centre for French language and cultural development within the vocational campus environment. Warung Prancis is expected to serve not only as a language-learning space, but also as a gateway to international networking, knowledge exchange, and collaboration between Polibatam and institutions in France.
Ari Wibowo, Head of the Innovation Downstreaming and Business Services Unit at Polibatam, stated that Warung Prancis should be optimally utilised by both the Polibatam academic community and the wider Batam community.
“With the reopening of Warung Prancis, we hope it can be used as effectively as possible by the Politeknik Negeri Batam academic community and members of the Batam community who are interested in learning. Its benefits should extend beyond language learning and serve as a bridge for future research collaboration and student exchange programmes,” Ari Wibowo said.
He added that foreign language proficiency is an essential competency for students preparing to enter an increasingly globalised educational environment and labour market. In this context, Warung Prancis can provide added value for Polibatam students, particularly by broadening their perspectives, strengthening intercultural communication skills, and improving their readiness to collaborate internationally.
“We hope that Warung Prancis will be utilised as effectively as possible, especially by students,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Irkham Nugroho, Coordinator of Warung Prancis Polibatam, expressed his appreciation to all participants for their attendance and enthusiastic participation. He also acknowledged the dedication of the organising committee from the Polibatam English Club (PEC), which contributed to the successful implementation of the Bastille Day celebration.
“We would like to express our gratitude for the attendance and enthusiasm of all participants. We also appreciate the organising team from the Polibatam English Club for their hard work in preparing and successfully delivering this event. The Bastille Day celebration represents the reopening of Warung Prancis Polibatam as a space for learning, cultural exchange, and international networking,” Irkham said.
Through the celebration of Bastille Day, Polibatam hopes to encourage greater interest among students in learning the French language and exploring French culture. Warung Prancis Polibatam is also expected to strengthen its role as a bridge for research collaboration, student exchange programmes, international network development, and the enhancement of global competencies among the Polibatam academic community and the people of Batam.
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