Monaco will finish pavilion, despite postponement

It’s official. Expo 2020 Dubai, in which Monaco has a pavilion, will be postponed for a year because of the coronavirus crisis. But it won’t stop Monaco from pushing ahead with its construction. 
The International Exhibition Bureau (BIE), at the request of the United Arab Emirates and the event organisers, had asked the member countries of the BIE to decide on a possible postponement.
In assessing the consequences that the crisis could have on public health, considering that economic activity will undoubtedly be slowed down, and that there will likely remain restrictions on international travel, the vast majority of countries was in favour of postponement.
The world expo will now be held from 1st October 2021 to 31st March 2022. However, it will maintain the name Expo 2020 Dubai.

Previous cancellations and postponements

The Expo 2020 Dubai is not the only world fair to suffer such a fate. In 1942, the Rome was forced to cancel its event because of the world war. In 1955, Brussels postponed its official opening by three years due to the Korean War and the international tensions which raged. More recently, in 2002, the Prime Minister of France, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, decided to cancel the 2004 world expo in Seine-Saint-Denis because of the financial risks of the operation.

Monaco Pavilion

The Monaco Pavilion on track for completion

Despite the postponement of this year’s event, Albert Croesi, Managing Director of Monaco Inter Expo (MIE), said that MIE teams remain mobilised in Dubai to complete the construction of the Monaco Pavilion before the end of next summer.
“On the other hand, I must now rethink the event calendar that was planned for this year and I will contact all the partners and speakers who signed up with us for Dubai,” said Mr Croesi. “I hope that their commitment will be the same despite this postponement because their assistance is invaluable in demonstrating internationally the multiple facets of the Principality. Monaco 360 must keep its meaning.”
 
 

Artmonte-carlo adapts to crisis

A beautiful catalogue of art work accompanied by commentary is replacing this year’s artmonte-carlo event, which was due to take place at the Grimaldi Forum this week.
Founded in 2016 by Thomas Hug, artmonte-carlo brings together the most prestigious international galleries of modern and contemporary art for three days, under the high patronage of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco.
Due to the global impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the artmonte-carlo fair was this year replaced with a special catalogue edition.
The publication is similar to an e-book and can be viewed online or printed. It presents a selection of cutting-edge works with commentary by various personalities from the art world: curators, artists, collectors, gallery owners, critics and curators.
The catalogue presents a selection of three works per gallery, featuring 51 carefully selected galleries and their corresponding contact details.
“We wanted to honour the exhibiting galleries who support us and who have already confirmed their presence in 2021, as well as the collectors and the artistic community which follows us loyally,” said Thomas Hug.
Dotted throughout the 200-page catalogue are editorial contributions on music and video, as well as a recipe. The ‘special exhibitions’ section is dedicated to non-commercial presentations of works of art and an overview of the 2020 Geneva Biennale: Sculpture Garden, which will be held outdoors this summer in Geneva parks.
You can see the catalogue by clicking here.
 
 
Top photo: Artwork from the Corentin Grossmann, La Meneuse 2020, graphite, dry pastels and coloured pencils, 100 x 165 cm. Olivier Antoine Art Concept / Paris
 
 
 
 

Princess’s Foundation distributes masks to SBM

The Princess Charlene Foundation has been distributing masks bearing the #StrongTogether slogan to Monegasque establishments. The latest recipients are employees of the Société des Bains de Mer (SBM) who are working through the lockdown.
In the past few weeks, the Princess Charlene Foundation has distributed thousands of protective masks to institutions and citizens around the Principality. This week, it was SBM employees who received the masks for workers at their many establishments.
Last week, the Foundation donated 2,700 protective masks to the Princess Grace Hospital for both employees and private family use outside the facility. An additional 1,000 masks were also donated to staff in the Principality’s educational establishments who have been working tirelessly to keep the schools in tip top condition for the children when they are able to return to their studies.
A similar donation was made to Monaco’s Public Services. A thousand masks were distributed to civil servants and state agents working on site for the Business Continuity Plan.
The masks were given free of charge and are made of a high performance fabric. They carry the #StrongTogether logo, the message of solidarity being spread by the Princess and Prince Albert II since the start of the health crisis.
 
Photo: © Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer
 
 
 

F1 driver joins Prince’s environmental campaign

Retired Formula One champion Nico Rosberg is urging people to speak up about the environment in light of the Covid-19 health crisis, as part of the latest awareness campaign of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.

The video entitled A Green Shift?, is one of a series being produced by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation inviting personalities, experts and scientists to speak out about the pandemic’s effect on the environment.  

The latest one, starring Nico Rosberg, has been making the rounds with an important message to people about climate change, emission control and the plus side the global lockdown has had on the environment.

“One of the crucial issues that the pandemic has revealed is the state of our emissions. The pandemic has cleaned up our air so significantly, it’s been unbelievable,” said the Finnish-German racer in the video. “I think the positive from this is that we have a very, very clear target of where we want to get to for the long term, in terms of emissions.”

The 34-year-old Mercedes pilot, is not only a Formula One champion, he also founded the Greentech Festival to inspire people to create and use new green technologies for a more sustainable future.

“All of us as individuals can take some measures to avoid going back to just business as usual after the crisis. This is a good thing. But I think major measures are required and here we also need politics and governments involved to really put sustainability at the forefront.”

Taking his message one step further to entice politicians, governments and business leaders to unite in a green future, he reminded them of the financial benefits, as well as the ecological ones, that can be achieved.

“This mega trend of sustainability will eventually make money for governments and for individuals in the medium and long term, so it is actually, even on a business and money-making front, a huge opportunity.”

Rosberg, who grew up primarily in Monaco, shocked the racing world in 2016 when, after beating his rival Lewis Hamilton, retired from racing at the age of 30. Since then, he has been an avid investor in start-ups and has been an outspoken advocate for the environment.

To see the Nico Rosberg’s video, click here.
Other videos include Paul Polman, co-founder and chair of IMAGINE, Julia Marton Lefèvre, chair of the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, and Maria Damanaki, global managing director of Oceans at The Nature Conservancy.
 
 

Rundown of French de-escalation plan

France unveiled its plan for easing the confinement regulations earlier this week to much anticipation. Here is how they say it will work.
Starting 11th May, France will begin the long, fraught road to de-escalation after Prime Minister Edouard Philippe’s plan was passed on Tuesday by the National Assembly.
The general plan is fairly straightforward. Shops and primary schools are set to reopen from 11th May, but senior schools will remain closed until at least June. Those who cannot work from home must wear masks and keep a safe distance from fellow employees. Masks will be compulsory on public transport. Cafes, bars and restaurants are to remain shut.
To make a success of this new phase, France is aiming to test all persons who have been known to have been in contact with anyone who was infected. An ambitious target of 700,000 tests per week is being launched the week of 11th May.
“Once a person has tested positive, we will begin to identify and test all those, symptomatic or not, who have had close contact with them. All these contact cases will be tested and will be asked to isolate themselves for 14 days,” Philippe said.
Assurances have been made that there will be sufficient masks for everyone from the first day of de-escalation, and companies have been asked to make sure there are enough for all workers to have them on site. Smaller establishments can ask for assistance if necessary.
Five million masks will be made available to the elderly and vulnerable, and secondary school students will be required to wear them during school hours. How these masks will be distributed and where they will come from has not been disclosed.
The Prime Minister applauded the French people for saving what he said in his speech to be 70,000 lives by adhering to lockdown and said that overall, the positives outweighed the negatives. But he went on to say that remaining in this state for much longer would have repercussions, financial and emotional, for the people of France.
That being said, the easing of lockdown measures will only go ahead if the rate of new infection remains below the 3,000 people per day threshold. This means that people are being asked to abide by the strict rules until 11th May, or risk having a collective hand smack and a rescinding of the easement.
Additionally, certain hard hit regions may be forced to stay on lockdown until things calm down more. Paris and Alsace-Lorraine, who were particularly hard hit, may be required to stay in confinement longer, for example.
Critics are fearful that trying to go back to normal too quickly will result in a second wave of infections. These fears have prompted the government to start looking at what they’re calling a “stop and go” strategy, consisting of alternating periods of lockdown and easements. No plan on how this would work has been set out, and as of now it is only a possibility.
President Macron has warned that making hasty moves could lead to a reintroduction of lockdown measures and is trying to impart that patience is the way forward. He has spoken publicly that the gradual lessening of rules is for the greater good and that going too fast could jeopardise the efforts and sacrifices already made.
 
 

Entertainment during lockdown

 
To remind us of the wonderful array of cultural offerings we have in our little Principality, we have put together videos by Alessandra Tognoloni, one of the principal dancers of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, and Emma Wilkinson, formerly of the Lido in Paris and now with MC Performers.
From their #StrongTogether secret locations in Monaco, they bring you both the classical and showgirl adaptations of Beyonce’s Deja Vu. What do you think Monaco – can we convince them to do some more? Until we can once again see Alessandra gracing the stage and take Emma’s dance classes at the Forge, we hope this tides you over.