As part of this year’s Francophonie Festival, a hydrogen-powered ship will sail into Singapore.
The French zero-emission hydrogen-powered vessel Energy Observer will make its sole stop in Asia in Sentosa Cove from March 10 to 20.
The vessel is currently on a world tour to promote more sustainable energy technologies. On March 19 and 20, the public is invited to visit exhibition forums and learn about the company’s excursions to expedite ecological transition at One 15 Marina’s Open House Pavilion.
Its arrival will kick off the festival’s tenth edition, which will run from March 10 to 28 and will focus on the topic of sustainability this year.
The celebration honoring linguistic and cultural variety is organized in collaboration with the French and Mexican embassies, the latter of which was recently appointed observer state to the francophonie, or French-speaking world.
Mr Marc Abensour, 55, France’s Ambassador to Singapore, states: “The francophonie is a global community of 300 million individuals spread across five continents. This event exemplifies cultural cooperation in the fields of science, art, innovation, and dynamism with the goal of co-creating an emergent Francophonie identity.”
“The topic resonates with the global agenda following the Paris Agreement and subsequent climate negotiations, most recently the (climate conferences) COP26 and COP15,” said Mr Agustin Garcia Lopez, 60, Mexico’s Ambassador to Singapore.
The festival will feature 18 public programs, including screenings of La Croisade (The Crusade, 2021) and L’Homme Dauphin (The Dolphin Man, 2017) at the Alliance Francaise de Singapore.
Participants can learn to cook meals from Canada, Mexico, Egypt, and other nations through a series of culinary classes at EHL Campus (Singapore).
The festival’s previous iteration, which focused on gender equality, drew more than 20,000 attendees. The organizers want to draw more than 22,000 people this year.
