Romania-France Cultural Season

2019 Romania-France Cultural Season, launched in Romania

Mihai Pelin, 19.04.2019, 13:27

The start of the Romanian section of the 2019 Romania-France Cultural Season was shadowed by the Notre Dame disaster. President Klaus Iohannis spoke about the fire that destroyed part of the famous cathedral in Paris, and emphasised that the incident was particularly shocking and painful as it involved a UNESCO World Heritage site, a treasure of European civilisation and spirituality offered by France to the world.

For the next 4 months, scores of cities in Romania will host meetings, exhibitions, festivals and concerts as part of the Romania-France Cultural Season. The event, which is unfolding concurrently with the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, is excellent proof of the creative potential of Romanian artists, as well as of the cultural dialogue between the 2 countries, President Iohannis added, and urged the Government to invest in culture. The head of state added that the Season will remain an important landmark for the artistic life and for the cultural institutions in Romania and France, while at the same time providing new insight in a Europe undergoing multiple changes.

Klaus Iohannis: “The Season is the shared expression of the common political values that France and Romania embrace. It is the expression of the success of our strategic partnership and of our effort to consolidate the European project, which needs the contribution of Romania, as a fully pro-European state and society in this part of the Union.

The Ambassador of France in Bucharest, Michele Ramis, mentioned that this is the first time that her country organises the Season together with another EU member state, and this is a good illustration of the special nature of the relationship between France and Romania. In turn, the Romanian Culture Minister Daniel Breaz reviewed the cultural ties between the 2 countries:

Daniel Breaz: “The Romanian culture encompasses fundamental confluences, dialogues, advancements and migrations of artistic values, sophisticated paradigms and, above all, an internal protocol of feeling comfortable with its own European path. Among the vicinities that have been the most constant, elevated and uninterrupted by history, the culture of France has remained, throughout generations, a model, a mirror and a friend for Romanians, and the French language has been for centuries the guiding language of the Romanian elites.

The France-Romania Cultural Season was held between November 28 and April 5 in over 100 cities in France, and was quite successful, enabling the French people to rediscover Romania and its artists. The programme is designed to strengthen the economic, scientific, cultural and societal relations between the 2 countries.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)