KUALA LUMPUR: Many foreign missions here have been getting creative as they celebrate their national days during the recovery movement control order period.
The celebrations and receptions have been put off, but the pomp and glamour will be captured online.
The French Embassy will honour the country’s 231st Bastille Day on Tuesday with a string of activities.
The La Marseillaise quartet will sing the French national anthem online before ambassador Frederix Laplanche’s address to be aired via its “France in Malaysia” Facebook page, with a piano performance by Mei Lin Hii.
Various French restaurants in the Klang Valley will also offer discounts in conjunction with the occasion.
The Argentinian Embassy released a special video to celebrate the republic’s 204th independence day on July 9.
Its Ambassador to Malaysia Manuel Balaguer Salas said the video commemorates the occasion in view of restrictions against “face-to-face” mass gatherings in most parts of the world.
“In the first part of the video, we paid tribute to the architect of the iconic Petronas Twin Towers, Argentinian César Pelli, who died last year at the age of 92.
“The Petronas Towers are a pride for both Malaysia and Argentina, as it is a symbol of friendship and cooperation between both countries,” he said.
The second part of the video showcased a performance by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra at the Petronas Towers, which played Carlos Gardel’s classic tango.
Like Malaysia, he said Argentina was also a multiracial country that successfully promoted unity among people of different racial, religious and cultural backgrounds.
The US Embassy posted a music video online to commemorate the country’s 234th independence day on July 4.
US Ambassador to Malaysia Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir said: “While Americans and Malaysians can’t gather in person to celebrate our relationship this year, we can find other means to highlight our long history of partnership and cooperation.
“Today, more than ever, music is a universal language that transcends borders, bringing people together.
“And in that spirit, the embassy is proud to release a new recording of the Malaysian classic Standing in the Eyes of the World,” she said.
It is part of the embassy’s special cultural diplomacy collaboration featuring musicians from the US and Malaysia, including Ella.
An embassy spokesperson said despite movement restriction, they were still able to keep up the tradition of creatively showcasing US-Malaysia ties.
“Typically we choose a theme for our Independence Day events.
“This year, we were to commemorate the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the US,” he added.
The Venezuelan Embassy however kept it low key as the country commemorated its 209th National Day on July 5.
“We abide by the advice to refrain from organising any public gathering to avoid the risk of Covid-19 transmission,” said an official.
The Algerian Embassy posted speech texts of its President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad to commemorate the country’s 58th independence day on July 5.
Other nations that will mark their national days this month include Colombia (July 20), Belgium (July 21) and The Netherlands (July 26).
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