France, US Celebrate New Statue of Liberty

法國和美國慶祝新自由女神像

Americans will celebrate Independence Day on Sunday with a new Statue of Liberty — again sent by France to celebrate freedom and shared democratic values, at a time of warming transatlantic ties.

美國人將在週日（編按： 2021 年 7 月 04日）以一座新的自由女神像慶祝獨立日。在跨大西洋關係升溫之際，法國再次贈與一尊自由女神像，慶祝美法兩國自由和共同的民主價值觀。

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France, US Celebrate New Statue of Liberty
VOA News｜USA
July 03, 2021 02:41 PM(source)

France, US Celebrate New Statue of Liberty

法國和美國慶祝新自由女神像

July 03, 2021 02:41 PM

PARIS

  VOA News 搶先看 

法國為鞏固與美國外交關係及祝賀其獨立日，在週日（編按： 2021 年 7 月 04日）贈送美國一尊新的自由女神像。自 1885 年起，紐約著名的自由女神像就象徵著法國在美國獨立戰爭時的建立的盟友關係，這座高不到 10 英尺，重近 1,000 磅的新女神像，被暱稱為本尊的 "小姐妹" 。這座迷你雕像將於7 月 4 日在紐約港一同慶祝獨立日後，送往法國駐華盛頓大使館，為7 月 14 日的法國巴士底日揭開序幕，並在那裡放置十年。美國總統拜登上任後，試圖修復美法兩國在過去四年關係的裂痕，法國也期盼贈與微型自由女神像的舉動能讓兩國友誼長存。

Americans will celebrate Independence Day on Sunday with a new Statue of Liberty — again sent by France to celebrate freedom and shared democratic values, at a time of warming transatlantic ties.

Just under 10 feet tall and nearly 1,000 pounds, the statue is being called the “little sister" to the much bigger one France shipped to New York in 1885. It will spend July 4 in New York Harbor, just across from the original on Liberty Island. It then will head to the French Embassy in Washington, for France's Bastille Day, July 14, and will stay there for the next decade.

"It's an iconic statue," said historian Olivier Faron. "And the statue could represent obviously freedom, but it's also a very important point for the relationship between France and the States, from the end of the 19th century, when it was sent in the States."

Faron is general administrator for the National Museum of Arts and Crafts in Paris, where the bronze reproduction was housed before its U.S. voyage.

"I think now, when we are trying to escape the pandemic situation, when our countries have a new page of their history, with a new president — for us the new relationship between the States and Europe, I mean — it's an important political significance for us, too," he said.

The work of 19th-century French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, the original Statue of Liberty was funded by France. American citizens paid for its pedestal. It reflects one of America's oldest alliances, consolidated in 1778 with France's support of America's revolution against Britain.

"For us, it's important to remember that some French politicians were very engaged to develop freedom, to help American people to be completely free," Faron said.

Nicole Bacharan, a French political analyst specializing in the U.S., called the new statue "really cool. It's something positive, it's something happy, it's something about values, about old friendships and old alliances that need to survive. And it's a gift. It feels really good."

The newest statue's arrival in the U.S. comes after Joe Biden paid his first presidential visit to Europe, intended to shore up transatlantic ties that frayed under the Trump administration. The original Statue of Liberty — sent to the U.S. just after the end of its Civil War — also sought to strengthen diplomatic relations with Washington.

The statues depict broken chains and shackles at the feet of Lady Liberty, symbolizing the end of slavery. Yet the legacy of slavery and European colonialism are hotly debated today, seen with the global Black Lives Matter movement.

Meanwhile, Bacharan said, Europeans question whether their warmer ties with Washington will last beyond the current U.S. administration.

"Everybody in Europe has been very pleased with Joe Biden's attitude toward NATO and Europe overall," she said. "Everybody is acutely aware that American leadership may not be on solid ground at all. But it might just be a moment of pause. So, yes, welcome back, we're happy to see you. We stick together, we know what we have in common … but we're careful."

The U.S. is not the Statue of Liberty's only home. Dozens of replicas can be found in France and elsewhere in the world, including Kosovo, Ukraine and Mexico. There's also one in Paris, given to France by U.S. citizens living here in 1889, to celebrate the French Revolution.