News & Events in Belarus

The year 2016 was rich in commemorative events and that was one of the reasons why 2016 was declared the Year of Culture in Belarus. The year witnessed a number of new initiatives and projects.

1. The development of the Code of Culture. At a recent meeting of the CIS Council for Cultural Cooperation in Astana, the CIS member states decided to adopt this Belarusian experience and to recommend Belarus’ Code of Culture as the base model. Belarus has been a pioneer in this area. There is no such document either in the post-Soviet space or in the world.

2. Pesnyar performance by the Gorky National Academic Drama Theater dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the birth of the People's Artist of the USSR, People's Artist of Belarus Vladimir Mulyavin, which was marked this year. The performance was shown in Belarus and in Moscow. Vladimir Mulyavin’s art had no boundaries. His popularity has gone far beyond the country. His songs still remain popular.

3. I love You, Belarus. The nationwide campaign kicked off with a large-scale concert in Minsk on 13 February. The campaign was dedicated to Valentine's Day and the International Mother Language Day. The campaign gave people an opportunity to confess in love not only to each other but also to the country. The initiative was put forward by young people.

4. The youth festival Vyshyvanka Day in the run-up to the Independence Day. The festival kicked off with an art parade featuring talented young people, representatives of the art and folk groups, cheerleaders, participants of the Queen of Spring beauty pageant, representatives of various subcultures. The parade was rounded off by the Flowers of Great Victory museum project procession, bikers and retro-cars decorated with national flags. The Belarusian traditional costume vyshyvanka became the artistic centerpiece of the Independence Day celebrations.

5. Slavonic Bazaar in Vitebsk. The 25^th edition of the international festival of arts was held on 14-18 July, with additional events organized on 12-13 and 19-20 July. The main program included over 130 projects. Among the unique events was the Festival Book of Records. The Slavonic Bazaar welcomed more than 5,000 participants from 45 countries. Belarus’ representative Aleksei Gross won the Grand-Prix of the international contest of young pop singers Vitebsk 2016 at the 25^th international festival of arts Slavonic Bazaar in Vitebsk, while the first prize, special prize and the diploma of the prizewinner of the children’s singing contest went to Belarus’ Anastasia Zhabko.

6. Kupalye festival in the agro-town Alexandriya. The festival became the national heritage of Belarus. It is held on the banks of the Dnepr River and is aimed at promoting the unity of Slavonic peoples. One of the oldest festivals Kupalye has become a national cultural symbol aimed at preserving and multiplying the traditions and cultures.

7. Exhibition of 18th-19th century Belarusian icons in the Vatican. The icons from the holdings of the National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus were on display in the Vatican Museum on 18-25 July, in close vicinity to the famous Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo’s frescoes. The exposition included 33 works of Belarusian icon painters and introduced Italian specialists and numerous tourists to the masterpieces of the Belarusian sacral culture.

8. The exhibition Celestial World on the Earth, which was an expanded version of the recent exhibition of Belarusian icons in the Vatican. It opened at the National Art Museum of Belarus on 30 September. The exhibition showcased religious artifacts of the 17th-21st centuries, including Russian Orthodox, Catholic and Uniate icons and altar paintings, woven artifacts and service items. The exhibits on display were from the holdings of the National Art Museum of Belarus. The exhibition also showcased icons by contemporary artists who follow the ancient Byzantine and Balkan traditions.

9. Europa Nostra award for the National Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve Nesvizh. The museum won the award in the Dedicated Service category. The jury were impressed with the results of the project to create a museum at the recently renovated former residence of the Radziwill family in Nesvizh. The jury also noted that the museum’s ability to maintain public interest and the annual visitor numbers of 400,000 also deserve high praise. As many as 30 exhibition halls were built as part of the museum project.

10. Belarus is proud of its talented people. In the Year of Culture, many Belarusian people of art were honored with awards in Belarus and abroad. For instance, the 2015-2016 Union State Literature and Art Awards were given to a creative team comprised of artistic director of the Syabry band, People’s Artist of Belarus Anatoly Yarmolenko, composer and Honored Art Worker of Belarus Oleg Yeliseyenkov, and poet Ivan Yurkin. Eminent Belarusian writer, Chairman of the Belarusian Writers’ Union Nikolai Cherginets won the 2016 Golden Pen Award in the Prose category.

Through the course of the year, the country has been working to promote the Belarusian art and the eminent figures of the Belarusian culture.