Francophone Economic Forum Awards presented to Vietnamese artists

Vietnamese artists were honored to receive the Francophone Economic Forum (FFA) Award for their artworks at the Francophone Arts and Crafts Fair.

Đoàn Việt Nam vinh dự đón nhận Giải thưởng Diễn đàn Kinh tế Pháp ngữ

Ms. Louise Mushikiwabo, Secretary General of the International Organization of La Francophonie, together with the Vietnamese Ambassador to France and delegates visited the Vietnamese exhibition booth. (Source: VNA)

On the evening of November 24, in the city of Nogent sur Marne, Paris, France, the opening ceremony of the Art and Crafts Exhibition of the Francophone community took place.

The fair takes place over 3 days from November 24-26, including more than 100 booths displaying unique and diverse paintings and sculptures from France and countries in the Francophone community.

Here, Vietnamese artists were honored to receive the Francophone Economic Forum (FFA) Award for their works of art.

Attending the opening ceremony of the Fair were Ms. Louise Mushikiwabo, Secretary General of the International Organization of the Francophone, Mr. Steve Gentili, President of FFA, Mr. Jacques JP Martin, Mayor of Nogent sur Marne City, Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang and Vietnamese Tourism Ambassador to France Anoa Dussol, along with Ambassadors of 18 countries in the Francophone community.

In her opening speech, Ms. Louise Mushikiwabo emphasized the importance of promoting culture, supporting industries in the fields of culture, arts, and creativity in the development strategy of the Francophone Community. She said that, along with the task of promoting economic, trade, and investment cooperation, this will be the focus of the 19th Francophone Summit to take place in France in October 2024 during the 2024-2027 period. According to her, the arts and crafts industries are not only an economic and cultural activity but also represent the identity and pride of nations, as well as the vitality of the Francophone Community.

Ms. Louise Mushikiwabo expressed her emotion because the Vietnamese exhibition booth has breathed life into the Francophone space. Each country has brought to the Fair a wonderfully unique creativity, creating a harmonious beauty in cultural heritage with all its rich diversity, enriching the identity of the Francophone Community. She assessed that this is a meeting place to promote social and economic cohesion between countries in the Community.

Sharing the Secretary General’s opinion, Mr. Steve Gentili - President of the Francophone Economic Forum, highly appreciated the exhibition booths of the countries. He reiterated the importance of preserving and developing creative cultural industries in the Francophone community in the face of the industrial revolution that is strongly dominating the market.

He appreciated the unique beauty, artistic and handicraft creativity of each artist and craftsman, leading visitors to discover the richness of cultural and artistic assets of each country - these are values that need to be preserved and passed down to generations. According to him, industrial hands cannot replace human hands in the new era. This is the 5th time that countries in the Francophone community have participated in the Crafts and Arts Fair in France.

During the opening ceremony, Ms. Louise Mushikiwabo announced Vietnam’s name and presented the FFA award to the Vietnamese delegation. Painter Dang Canh and sculptor Jean-Pierre Vong received awards for their Vietnamese paintings and sculptures exhibition booths. The awards were to honor the creativity in the artworks of the two Vietnamese artists.

Painter Dang Canh is a member of the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Association. He has had many solo exhibitions in Vietnam and France in cities such as Versailles, Grand Palais, Paris and was especially selected to exhibit at the international exhibition "Artistes du Monde" in Cannes.

Painter and sculptor Jean-Pierre Vong was born in Vietnam and is active in the arts in France with many exhibitions and art displays. The martial arts performance by martial artist Nguyen Van Minh of the Kinh Van An sect in the ancient capital of Hue closed the art performance program, leaving a deep impression on the community and visitors.

The event was held on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between France and Vietnam and left a deep impression on international friends. Vietnam's participation in the artistic life of France has contributed to demonstrating the strong friendship between the two countries in all aspects, towards a bright future in bilateral relations.

Source