Les Joutes Oratoires, French debating competition at St Paul’s Girls School

Our debating team, featuring Ethan Antony, Veer Thakkar, Andreas Georgiou, and Ka'im Pryce-Kennedy, participated in the prestigious 'Les Joutes Oratoires' at St. Paul's Girls School. It was a wonderful chance to showcase our excellence in spoken French, competing against other sixth forms and colleges. We demonstrated strong language skills and critical thinking while discussing the challenging motions, which were: 'Les gouvernements des pays occidentaux devraient interdire l’exploitation de tout nouveau gisement de pétrole, gaz ou charbon' (Western governments should ban the exploitation of any new oil, gas, or coal deposits), 'La liberté d’expression dans la musique doit être totale' (Freedom of expression in music should be absolute), and 'La France devrait laisser passer tous les migrants qui veulent aller en Angleterre' (France should allow all migrants who want to go to England). 

Each team had 4 minutes to present their arguments, followed by a spirited lutte acharnée. This phase allowed us to delve deeper into the nuances of the motions, providing an opportunity for intense cross-examination, counterarguments, and rebuttals. The lutte acharnée demanded a quick-witted approach as we navigated through the unanticipated challenges posed in French by our opponents. This added dimension to the debate format not only tested our adaptability, but also emphasized the importance of eloquence and strategic thinking in defending our stance. 

A notable achievement was secured by Veer and Andreas, who won two out of three debates, impressing the judges from SPG. This event was not just a competition; it provided a platform for us to improve our French language abilities, and by engaging in debates, we were practiced our adaptability to opposing arguments and holding our own in situations we had not prepared for.

The experience was both enriching and educational, offering us a chance to immerse ourselves in spoken French while interacting with peers from different top London schools.  'Les Joutes Oratoires' was not only a great learning experience for French and debating but also a lot of fun. We already very much look forward to taking part next year!