Bastille Day on the isthmus

Bastille Day celebrations

by Tomás García

Panama’s French community celebrated Bastille Day on July 14, commemorating the overthrow of the absolute monarchy led by King Louis XVI. The observance was the highlight of celebrations that ran throughout the week.

One of these events was the cultural festivity held at the Alliance Francaise on Calle 49 in Bella Vista, in which representatives of the French, Canadian and French Antilles embassies participated. The event started with a speech by the rector of the Alliance, Martine Sellos Ramiere, explaining and praising the French Revolution.

Ramiere also used the occasion to present the murals in homage to French impressionist painters Fernand Leger and Maurice Utrillo. These murals were painted by students of the Alliance with the guidance of Cristina Ordoñez, another French student of the Alliance with an exceptional talent who will be going to France to continue studying French. “I am very excited about it all,” Ordoñez comments, “This trip will be the dream of a lifetime.”

Ordoñez, a 16-year-old student of la Salle School, is not only traveling to France to practice her French, but also to participate in displays of her own in FIAP Jean Monet, an association dedicated to receiving exchange students from around the world and to exhibiting their art. “The idea of exhibiting some of my pieces in France bedazzles me,” Ordoñez admits, “I recall how Picasso, being Spanish, was supported by the French people and suddenly I feel as blessed as he was.”

Another celebration was held in the Ceremony Hall of the Miraflores Visitor Center, facing the Miraflores Locks. French Ambassador Christophe Philibert opened the night with a few words about the French Revolution. He also showed his gratitude to the Panamanian government for receiving him, and to the Panama Canal Authority administrator for giving the French Embassy the opportunity to celebrate the French Revolution in the Miraflores Visitor Center.