Bonjour tout le monde!
This has been an unprecedented period of intense anxiety and disruption across all industries, and the arts especially had taken a heavy toll. Hence, I am elated to lend my voice to vOilah! France Singapore Festival 2020, and to be a part of this cultural heritage exchange that thrives between our two countries. Although grand festival events and red carpet may no longer be possible, but nothing should stop us from sharing the charm and finesse of French culture and arts.
I currently reside in Paris, having moved here three years ago. We too experienced a two months country-wide confinement from March to May this year, during which only essential shops were allowed to remain open, namely, supermarkets and boulangeries. A week into the lockdown, President Macron announced that not only was food for the body important to the people, food for the soul was equally critical to a civilization. What followed was that bookshops were given the permission to resume business, as long as rules of social distancing were observed. This was what struck me the most, that when life is stripped to the bare minimum, bread and books are all we need. After all, “culture is what remains, when everything else is forgotten” French statesman Edouard Herriot once wrote. Indeed, in the most robust economy, the market provides everyone with everything, except the power to determine what people should value. It is thus heartening to see culture held at such high regards, especially in times of crisis.
Back in our literary and philosophical past, only a small percentage of people had the privilege to be exposed to great traditions of arts and intellect. Now we are fortunate to live in a world where the cultural divide is no longer as deep, where global communities come together on creative platforms, where thinkers reunite for meaningful dialogues. Culture should travel, even when we can’t.
De gustibus non est disputandum. I look forward to the calendar of great works in this year’s vOilah! Festival, and meeting all of you through the upcoming online activities.
Let’s safeguard the future of our arts and innovation together.
Mes meilleurs sentiments,
Sharon Au
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