Monaco Mayor Georges Marsan and several members of the Municipal Council welcomed HSH Prince Albert, Mélanie-Antoinette de Massy, ​​President of the National Committee of Monegasque Traditions Claude Manzone, as well as representatives of the Prince’s Government for the traditional prize-giving ceremony of the Monegasque Language Competition.

The evening began with the Monegasque anthem performed by the ‘U Cantin d’A Roca’ choir, before Mayor Marsan addressed the guests. In his speech, the mayor recalled that the organisation of this competition is the result of a close collaboration between the Department of National Education, Youth and Sports, the Town Hall of Monaco and the National Committee of Monegasques Traditions, which will celebrate its 100 years of existence in 2024.

“Committed to the defence of our language, the committee plays an essential role in this link woven with our history. Without his work, without the dedication of the members who have succeeded generation after generation, it is likely that part of our traditions and our intangible heritage would have been irremediably lost. I would like to express our gratitude to the members of this Committee and wish them a wonderful birthday,” said the mayor, before giving the floor to his deputy, Karyn Ardisson Salopek, who presented this year’s winners and made a speech in Monegasque

Roughly translated, the deputy’s speech said “that learning the history, traditions and language of the country does not mean retreat into a territory. Quite the contrary! This allows us to connect to a collective memory and an identity. It’s a beautiful tribute to the country and to the expressive language of our ancestors.”

In total this year, 1,919 students from CM2 to Terminale took part in the written qualifying tests for the competition, compared to 1,886 students in 2023. During the ceremony, the 72 participants in the oral test were rewarded with numerous prizes in the presence of their families, teachers and donors.

A warm cultural moment, during which the traditional skit was admirably performed by six students.

Feliçitaçiùn a tüt’i alievi!

Original Source Monaco Town Hall Press Service

Featured image courtesy of Ed Wright Images / Monaco Town Hall