5th edition of French Week commences at Boulevard

AMMAN — Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Majd Shweikeh,  along with Véronique Vouland-Aneini, French ambassador to Jordan, and Akel Biltaji, president of the Franco-Jordanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry,  launched the 5th edition of the French Week in Jordan on Saturday during a press conference at the Amman Rotana Hotel.

The French week is an annual "rendez-vous" that celebrates French culture in all its forms and, taking place in the heart of Amman, it aims at highlighting and promoting the strong French presence in the Kingdom, according to an embassy statement on Saturday.

The event will take place every day from September 14 until September 21 at The Boulevard from 4pm to 10pm, and showcase and celebrate French expertise, culture and "art de vivre" through various activities, the statement said.

As France is the first non-Arab foreign investor in Jordan, with a volume of investments amounting to 1.5 billion euros, economy and trade represent an extremely important pillar of the Franco-Jordanian relations, and the French Week will highlight this strong bond, the statement said.

French companies present in Jordan, ranging from telecommunications, to energy, automobile, cement, aircrafts, shipping, banking, insurance and gastronomy as well as the internationally renowned French cosmetics, fashion and perfumes, will showcase their products to a Jordanian audience, turning The Boulevard into a "French Marché", the statement said.

The Boulevard will display some iconic monuments of the French capital: The Eiffel Tower; la Pyramide du Louvre and le Pont des Arts, a famous pedestrian bridge crossing the Seine River in Paris as this year's new addition, according to the statement.

Live concerts will take place every day on The Boulevard at 8pm, including the French band Nazca, the statement said.

Students and alumni of the Royal Academy for Culinary Arts will have the chance during the French Week to showcase their culinary skills, the statement said, adding that many other activities are on the list for the French Week, such as free screenings of French movies subtitled in English, an exhibition of photos and vintage cameras from the 1920s as well as a contemporary 3D art and jewellery exhibition, all taking place at The Boulevard.

All the activities of the French Week are free of charge and accessible to all, the statement concluded.