Astronaut Thomas Pesquet, the second favourite personality of the French, is the supporter of the Rouen Seine Normande 2028 European Capital of Culture bid.
Thomas Pesquet grew up between Dieppe and Rouen, where he did part of his studies. At 44, the astronaut is the second favourite personality of the French according to a survey published in the Journal du Dimanche on 1 January 2023. Faithful to his home region, Thomas Pesquet is the supporter of Rouen’s bid to become European Capital of Culture.
“I am very happy to be the supporter of Rouen’s bid to become European Capital of Culture 2028,” explains Thomas Pesquet. This is my region, this is where I have my roots, this is the region that gave me wings. It is a melting pot, a territory where people come together. The rural character, the culture, the scientific, technical and sometimes industrial character: all this blends together harmoniously and that is what we want to represent.
And he continues: “We have technical and scientific challenges in front of us that are global, and the first step is to understand them, explain them, share them and study them. It is through this sharing that we will succeed in solving them for ourselves and for future generations.
The Rouen Seine Normande 2028 bid is conceived as a tool for dialogue and the sharing of knowledge and know-how, including scientific culture, a field in which the sponsorship of Thomas Pesquet is particularly meaningful.
In a conversation with the french President of the Republic in 2021, the astronaut declared: “Through the window of the Space Station, we can clearly see the fragility of the Earth, an oasis with limited resources, and the harmful effects of human activities, river pollution, atmospheric pollution”. A fragility that particularly affects the Normandy Seine and its evolution in the years to come, and which is at the heart of the European Capital of Culture 2028 bid project.
