Press releases

GRODNO, 22 April (BelTA) – Representatives of the United States, Nigeria, Syria, Sri Lanka, and also Chechnya of Russia will debut in the 11th Festival of National Cultures in Grodno, Alexander Versotsky, the first deputy head of the main division for ideology, culture, and youth affairs at the Grodno Oblast Executive Committee, told a press conference, BelTA has learned.

The final events of the festival will be attended by representatives of 37 ethnicities. The best teams were selected during regional tours of the festival in different parts of the country. The Grodno festival will see art and traditions of the communities which are not very widespread in Belarus; five of them will be presented in Grodno for the first time. During the festival the multinational participants will take part in traditional processions, concerts, and will arrange national pavilions. This year there will be 22 of them.

The Festival of National Cultures in Belarus is held every two years. It starts in districts and oblasts. The final events are held in Grodno. This year's final events will be held on 3-5 June. The opening ceremony will take place a day later than previously planned, on 4 June.

The forum brings together representatives of all national minorities living in Belarus, contributes to the preservation of the national identity and promotes understanding and mutual enrichment of cultures. In terms of the format the festival is unmatched in the world.

The Festival of National Cultures was first held in Grodno in 1996. The founders are the Culture Ministry of Belarus, the Office of the Commissioner for Religious and Ethnic Affairs, Center of National Cultures, the Grodno Oblast Executive Committee and Grodno City Hall.