Emmanuel Macron will make reading a
"great national cause"
on the occasion of a trip Thursday to the Somme and Aisne during which he will celebrate the 400th birthday of Jean de la Fontaine, one of the most important authors. studied in France, announced the Elysee.
This announcement will launch a series of initiatives which, for one year starting in the summer, will aim to promote the learning and practice of reading at all ages.
To read also: What Emmanuel Macron prepares for the "after-regional"
Reading is one of the
"bases of citizenship"
because it allows
"to develop the capacity for emancipation, to relate to others and to create a national community through common values",
explains the Elysee. Initiated in the 1970s, the government label
"great national cause"
is awarded for one year to a public interest campaign around a theme with, at the end of the day, media and fundraising initiatives. It is the National Book Center (CNL) which will be responsible for its coordination, under the aegis of the Ministries of Culture and Education, notably with the Partir en Livre operation, which will take place from June 30 to 25. July with one objective
: "to restore the desire to read".
The government also intends to strengthen its
“library plan”
by mobilizing 40 million euros in 2021-2022 to allow around a hundred libraries to extend their opening hours. This trip to the Somme and Aisne is Emmanuel Macron's third as part of his tour launched to
“take the pulse of the country”
in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis. He has already visited the Lot and last week in the Drôme, a visit disturbed by the slap given to him by a young man. He is expected in the morning at the elementary school of Poix-de-Picardie (Somme), of which his maternal grandmother Germaine Noguès, whom he nicknamed "Manette", was the principal for 23 years.
In addition to schoolchildren, there
"will meet parents of students to discuss the impact of the crisis on children,"
said the Elysee. At the beginning of the afternoon, he will join Château-Thierry, in the south of the Aisne, in the company of his wife Brigitte, a former French teacher, and the actor Fabrice Luchini. He will discuss with primary, college and high school students, around the fables of Jean de La Fontaine, born 400 years ago, on July 8, 1621, in this city. After a probable stroll, the Head of State will end the day in Villers-Cotterêts to
"take stock of the progress of the construction site of the castle of François Ier"
, the great cultural site of his five-year term which is to host
"the International City. of the French language".
