Lithuanian and French Ministers of Culture: “The culture season in France is an important opportunity to get to know each other better”
The Minister of Culture Simonas Kairys met with France’s Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak in Paris, where they discussed the season of Lithuanian culture which will take place in France next year.
According to France’s Minister of Culture, the upcoming season of Lithuanian culture is a commendable step: even though Lithuania is interesting to the French, they are still not very familiar with our country’s culture. For this reason, one of the main goals of Lithuania’s season is to establish long-term cultural partnerships. “The season of Lithuanian culture is a good step because it will help increase awareness of Lithuania in France. Moreover, you are the greatest euro-optimists, which was proven by the example of Kaunas the European Capital of Culture 2022”, Abdul Malak emphasised.
The Minister of Culture Simonas Kairys claimed that the French cultural institutions are open to cooperation with our country’s cultural and artistic institutions; therefore, in 2024, this partnership will make it possible to get to know each other better and create meaningful initiatives. “While implementing the season of Lithuanian culture, the subject of resilience will be important, which encompasses the resilience of societies, critical thinking: during the course of history, Lithuania has demonstrated its resilience by having a long-term vision and developing its freedom. These values have also been very important to the French for a very long time”, Kairys said.
The Commissioner of the Season of Lithuania in France Dr. Virginija Vitkienė introduced both countries’ ministers of culture to the topics of the upcoming cultural season and to the already established partnerships. During the meeting, the Minister of Culture Simonas Kairys also mentioned the subject of the war in Ukraine and the necessity to help the country, which is defending its freedom, by various means. One of the examples is the European Solidarity Fund for Ukrainian Films, to which Lithuania has allocated EUR 50.000.
In Paris, Simonas Kairys also met with the First Vice-President of the National Assembly Valérie Rabault. “War is near not only Lithuania but also the entire Europe, therefore, Europe should be more visible and more united in international formats”, Simonas Kairys said during the meeting. According to him, culture can be perceived as a goal of sustainable development, and Europe should assume leadership in order to achieve it. Valérie Rabault noted that it would be meaningful if, in parallel to the Season of Lithuania in France, professional meetings of representatives of various sectors and special and topical parliamentary events would be organised.
While in Paris, the Minister of Culture also met with the representatives of the Network of Historical Monuments, which unites over 100 cultural heritage objects, and journalists from influential French publications Le Figaro and Le Monde, in addition to attending the Lithuanian contemporary art exhibition Geležinis Vilkas.
The Season of Lithuania in France will take place from September until December 2024 not only in Paris but also in Lyon, Grenoble, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse, Aix and other cities.
Photo from the archive of the Ministry of Culture
Last updated: 13-04-2023