French National Day celebrations in Macau

Sonia Chan (left) and French Consul Eric Berti

The French National Day (Bastille Day) was marked last Saturday in Macau with several events at the Sofitel Macau. The celebrations, which began at 4pm  and ended at 11pm, also recognized the 30th anniversary of Alliance Française de Macau (AF).

A video installation titled “Crossing of Time” was presented at the start of the program. It featured people who were related to AF in Macau and showed the modern, historical and dynamic aspects of Macau through three screens.

A concert by French Bangkok-based artist Laurent Couson followed the video presentations. Laurent and his colleagues presented a tribute to French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, an icon of French culture and one of the most relevant artists in last century’s French popular music.

The concert was followed by a cocktail reception, which was attended by French Consul General for Macau and Hong Kong, Eric Berti and the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Sonia Chan as well as the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam.

During Sonia Chan’s address at the reception, she highlighted the fact that the import values of French products to Macau in 2016 was the highest among all EU countries, with values amounting to over MOP5.6 billion.

Chan added that Macau and France share strong cultural links, saying “culture is the crystallization of a nation’s wisdom and it has the power of crossing national boundaries as well as time.” Chan expressed her gratitude to AF and the Consulate General for their contributions to the cultural and social development of Macau.

The program ended with a French-themed buffet dinner, which included a performance by Couson and his colleagues.

The French National Day is officially commemorated on July 14.