Restoring Bangladesh heritage should be a goal of the interim government, France says as Ambassador Marie Masdupuy visited Mymensingh on the occasion of the European Art House Cinema Day on Friday.
The embassy in X, formerly twitter, said the Day was "a wonderful occasion" for the Ambassador to discover this "gorgeous" city.
The event was jointly organized by the International Academy of Film and Media (IAFM) and International Confederation of Art Cinemas (CICAE) for the first time in Bangladesh.
It was held in Mymensingh where the sculpture of Venus, Roman goddess of beauty and love, was destroyed after August 5 political changeover.
IAFM and Institut Français, a public institution that promotes French culture abroad, support the promotion of universal values purported by Art and Culture. The Ambassador said she was appalled at the destruction of the Venus of Mymensingh.
"Restoring Bangladesh heritage should be a goal of @ChiefAdviserGoB @UNESCO," it added, tagging the offices of Chief Advisor Dr Muhammad Yunus office and the UN educational and cultural agency.
The white-marbled statue, Venus, was standing in the garden of Soshi Lodge for more than 200 years until August 8, when a mob demolished it while celebrating the resignation of Awami League President Sheikh Hasina from the office of prime minister.
Maharaja Shashikant Acharya's palace, which is situated in the centre of Mymensingh city, is called Soshi Lodge. It is locally known as Mymensingh Rajbari.
In front of the lodge there is a garden that was adorned with various species and fountains. Among them there was a sculpture of Venus.
The European Art House Cinema Day celebrates the global connectedness that art house exhibitors foster and calls all art house and independent film lovers to use film to advocate for a more humane, artistically vibrant, and just world.