“Public life regularly needs rites, symbols to make visible to all the values that are common to us”, declared Fabien Sudry who invited the mayors and public officials to celebrate the Republic on September 4 at the prefecture. of the Côte-d’Or.
Foray into the past: “The Republic calls us, let us know how to win or let us know how to perish”, chanted the “Chant du Départ” written in 1794 to celebrate the victory against the monarchies encircling France.
Leap in time: on September 2, 1870, Napoleon III was captured by the Prussians in Sedan. The Second Empire falls. On September 4, Léon Gambetta then proclaimed the Republic from the Paris City Hall. Elections followed which decided peace, the insurrection of the Paris Commune in 1871 then the adoption of the constitutional laws of 1875. The republic settled permanently in France, burying any possibility of monarchical restoration.
Mayors, public officials and caregivers celebrate the Republic
Back to the present: the “Chant du Départ” and the date of September 4 were chosen by the prefect of Côte-d’Or to celebrate a republic threatened with separatism.
On August 24, the law confirming respect for the principles of the Republic was adopted (also known as the law “against separatism”). As enacted by the text which balances between the request of the President of the Republic and the inflections of parliamentarians, it is a “contract of commitments for the respect of the values of the Republic and the minimum requirements of Life in society”.
This Saturday, September 4, 2021, five songs, patriotic and operatic, resonated in the gardens of the prefecture while nearly 300 people were gathered to the slogan “Vive la République”. First and foremost elected representatives (parliamentarians, mayors, representatives of local authorities, etc.) as well as state servants, not to mention medical and paramedical personnel in the context of the health crisis.
Each of them was greeted by the prefect, accompanied by his wife, before returning to the gardens. There, the participants were welcomed by the students of the École des Métiers who served a lunch cocktail.
The chef of the prefecture and the waiters of the École des Métiers
The students were supervised by Audrey Clusel and François Hau, teachers in the hotel and catering industry, and Philippe Kohser, technical supervisor on an integration project. Nineteen young people were mobilized, enrolled in BTS, bac pro and integration project. They set up the various points of the buffet as well as the drinks and glasses.
“We do outside interventions, cocktail lunch and dinner services. It fits completely into what is expected of them in off-site practical work, ”explained Audrey Clusel.
Some students have just returned to school and were immediately immersed in this prestigious place. Built between 1756 and 1760, the Bouhier hotel in Lantenay has been the residence of the prefect of Côte-d’Or since a decision in 1800 by Napoleon Bonaparte, then First Consul of the Republic. The Department of Côte-d’Or has owned it since 1811.
“We showed them the first rooms, the garden; they’ve been to the kitchens too. It is an environment which does not know, it is a discovery ”, indicated Audrey Clusel.
“For the people on the site as well – since there are Syrians, Somalis – for them to find themselves there, there was a little stress. This is the point of this kind of event. They see people arriving in costume, when we come from countries where we know war, find themselves with people who are lucky to have privileged places, that impresses them, ”added Philippe Kohser.
The dishes were prepared by Bertrand, chef of the prefecture of the Côte-d’Or for 23 years. “There are a lot of things: Indian chicken kebabs, Provencal duck breasts, cod acras, shrimp fritters, quiches, pizzas, canapes. The important thing is that it can be eaten upright, without a plate, fast and hot, ”he explained.
“The Republic is a requirement”
While speaking, Fabien Sudry spoke of the “happiness” and “honor” of receiving the personalities present. Having taken up his duties as prefect of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region and prefect of Côte-d’Or in the midst of a health crisis, on August 24, 2020, this is one of the first times of conviviality and fraternity since . Access to the event was on presentation of the health pass, allowing you to do without a mask outside.
Having recalled the anniversary date of September 4, 1870, the prefect underlined that “public life regularly needs rites, symbols to make visible to all the values that are common to us”.
“The Republic is a requirement, it is also a transmission that we owe to the youngest. I had the opportunity to greet young mayors, I did so with the greatest pleasure; I see that the renewal is assured. It is also, the republic, a will never completed, which is always to be reconquered. They rely on all of you in everyday life. We are united here in our various responsibilities, ”the Prefect developed.
In short, the event was organized “to honor France, our beloved country, and to celebrate the Republic in the diversity of our commitments, our responsibilities, sometimes of course our respective philosophies”.
Lyricism and patriotism
On the program of the musical moment: the song “Douce France” by Charles Trenet (1947), the aria “Ah that I love the soldiers” from the opera-bouffe “La Grande-duchesse de Gérolstein” by Jacques Offenbach ( 1867), the aria “Salut à la France” taken from the comic opera “La fille du régiment” by Gaetano Donizetti (1840), the “Chant du Départ” which was written in 1794 by Étienne Nicolas Méhul for the music and Marie-Joseph Chénier for the lyrics.
The national anthem “la Marseillaise” (written by Claude Jospeh Rouget de Lisle in 1792, orchestrated by Hector Berlioz in 1830), widely repeated by the participants, concluded the event.
These songs with a “blue-white-red tone” were chosen by Viviana Amodeo, director of the Superior School of Music of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Among the 120 students of the school, Viviana Amodeo selected Sofie Garcia, soprano, and Carole Alonso, pianist, “two wonderful musicians”, for this summer ceremony tinged with solemnity.
Jean-Christophe Tardivon
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