Appointed to head the Ministry of Culture in the middle of the Cannes Film Festival, the former adviser to Emmanuel Macron also intends “carry a great plan for fine crafts”.
The new Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul-Malak, pledged on Friday to return heritage «plus accessible»to “defend a public, pluralist and independent audiovisual sector” and to “to amplify the development of our cinema”. In full 75e edition of the Cannes Film Festival, the promise of a “great plan for crafts (…) to preserve the know-how, to perpetuate it» et «create jobs of the future for our youthwas also sketched by the 43-year-old Franco-Lebanese, at the end of the afternoon, on the occasion of the handover with Roselyne Bachelot, rue de Valois.
“I am determined to defend our cultural sovereignty to affirm the place of French creation, of the French language, of French innovation in the digital ocean, and soon in the metaverse”said Rima Abdul-Malak. “I am determined to fight to invest more massively than ever in artistic education, in the encouragement of artistic practices to develop the desire for culture in our youth”added the former cultural adviser to President Emmanuel Macron.
Work to appease memories
«I look forward to being able to work with Pap Ndiaye »the new Minister of National Education, also specified the Minister, who wishes “to place culture in the policy of appeasement of memories” driven by Emmanuel Macron. “It is neither a policy of repentance nor a policy of denial, it is a policy of recognition”, she assured. Among the other axes of the new tenant of the rue de Valois, figure the accompaniment of the cultural institutions in “their ecological transition”. “It is a major and titanic challenge”underlined the one who says to have left “the place of the shadow counselor” to become a minister.
Read alsoGreece and UK start formal talks on return of Parthenon Marbles
In a more intimate register, Rima Abdul-Malak paid tribute to her parents, who have the courage to leave Beirut in the midst of war with their three children and five suitcases and who have chosen France and its motto of freedom, equality, fraternity”. The Minister of Culture also paid tribute to her French teacher at college, who sent her “the most beautiful virus”that of the theatre, and to “children in refugee camps, hospitals, orphanages” whom she met during her work with the NGO Clowns sans frontières.
Outgoing Minister of Culture, Roselyne Bachelot, for her part, recalled the results of her mandate. He had started in July 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, during which his ministry provided 14.6 billion euros to help a weakened cultural environment.