The Prix Volney is awarded by the Institute of France after proposition by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres to a work of comparative philology.
Antoine Christophe Agbepa Mumba, known professionally as Koffi Olomidé, is a Congolese singer-songwriter, dancer, producer, and founder of Quartier Latin International. Often referred to as the "King of Ndombolo", he is noted for his explosive high notes, deep baritone, and offbeat voice. Agbepa is considered one of the most significant figures in 20th-century Congolese and African popular music. His lyrics often explore themes of love, politics, technology, success, infidelity, religion, chicanery, and disillusionment. Through his music and stage performances, he introduced the slower style of soukous known as tcha tcho and popularized a flamboyant fashion subculture called La Sape, alongside Papa Wemba.
Gaston Baty, whose full name was Jean-Baptiste-Marie-Gaston Baty, was a French playwright and theatre director. He was born in Pélussin, Loire, France.
Maurice Bénichou was a French actor. His best known roles include three collaborations with director Michael Haneke, and a part in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amélie. He has also played in Peter Brook's 1989 film version of The Mahabharata.
François Périer was a French actor renowned for his expressiveness and diversity of roles.
Claude de Mesmes, comte d'Avaux (1595–1650) was a 17th-century French diplomat and public administrator. He was sent in various missions to Venice, Rome, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, and Poland by Richelieu.
The chapelle royale was the musical establishment attached to the royal chapel of the French kings. The term may also be applied to the chapel buildings, the Chapelle royale de Versailles.
The prix Guillaume Apollinaire is a French poetry prize first awarded in 1941. It was named in honour of French writer Guillaume Apollinaire. It annually recognizes a collection of poems for its originality and modernity.
The Prix Méditerranée is a French literary award. It was created in 1984 in Perpignan by the Mediterranean Centre of Literature (CML) to promote cultural interaction among the numerous countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Two awards are handed out every year, the Prix Méditerranée itself and the Prix Méditerranée Étranger. The latter is given to a writer from the Mediterranean basin whose original work has been translated into French.
Jean Le Poulain was a French stage actor and stage director.
Barthélemy Mercier de Saint-Léger was a French abbot and librarian.
Christian Barbier was a French film and television actor.
Jean-Baptiste-Jacques Élie de Beaumont was a French lawyer from an old Norman Protestant family.
Madeleine Chapsal was a French writer and the daughter of Robert Chapsal, son of the politician Fernand Chapsal, and of Marcelle Chaumont, who made dresses for Madeleine Vionnet.
Sophie Lihau-Kanza or Zala Lusibu N'Kanza was a Congolese politician and sociologist. She was the first woman of her country to receive a secondary education, the first to graduate from a university, and the first to hold a government office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, serving as Minister of Social Affairs from 31 October 1966 to 6 December 1970. In her later life she held positions within the United Nations.
Marcel Antoine Lihau or Ebua Libana la Molengo Lihau was a Congolese jurist, law professor and politician who served as the inaugural First President of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Congo from 1968 until 1975, and was involved in the creation of two constitutions for the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Félix Nlandu Wazekwa, known professionally as Félix Wazekwa, is a Congolese singer-songwriter, author, filmmaker, dancer, and bandleader. Known for his Lingala deep lyrics and baritone voice, he is regarded as an influential figure in soukous and Congolese rumba music and one of the most prominent lyricists of his generation.
The Suminwa government also known as the Suminwa cabinet was formed following the appointment by President Félix Tshisekedi of Judith Suminwa as the first female Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 1 April 2024.
