Opinions & Interviews
National Cultures Festival in Grodno hailed as example for all nations
An archive photo
GRODNO, 1 June (BelTA) – The Festival of National Cultures is an example to all peoples of the world, the heads of the public national-cultural associations said during a press conference to discuss the 15th edition of the Festival of National Cultures at the national press center in Minsk on 1 June, BelTA has learned.
"Just a few days are left before the final events of the 15th edition of the Festival of National Cultures. The pre-festival excitement is already palpable. We have been preparing for this event for two years, during which the qualifying rounds took place. This year we will showcase the best that has been created over the decades of activity of the public national-cultural associations," said Georgiy Egiazaryan, Chairman of the Consultative Interethnic Council under the Commissioner for Religious and Ethnic Affairs, Chairman of the Minsk Armenian Cultural and Educational Society Hayastan.
He recalled the first festival in 1996. At that time, it featured representatives of 11 ethnicities. The delegations were small, the national pavilion was manned by a few people so there was no free time to see everything that was happening. Now, the scale is completely different, and each participant has the opportunity to soak in the atmosphere of a multinational celebration, to see what other associations have brought, to learn something, and simply to enjoy the event.
The Armenian community has prepared many interesting things for Grodno. Among them there will be a concert by the well-known folklore company Erebuni, established under the Minsk city society Hayastan in 1998 and an ever-present participant in the national cultures festivals. The youth wing of the association is preparing exhibitions, traditional games, and amusements. Armenian cuisine will be presented by the Grodno Regional Public Association of Armenians Musaler.
There will be 800 participants in the final events of the festival, and the support group will be many times larger, Georgiy Egiazaryan noted. People come from all over Belarus to connect with their kin and to experience the unique atmosphere of unity.
Ri Kimi, Chairperson of the Korean Cultural and Educational Society Arirang, has also been participating in the festival since its very beginning. “Each time we see how much this holiday is loved by participants, guests, and residents of Grodno. There's simply no room for an apple to fall in the city; every pavilion has difficulty accommodating all those who wish to visit it,” she noted.
The head of the national association particularly emphasized that the president pays great attention to interethnic peace and harmony in Belarus. Thanks to wise national policies, all peoples live in friendship.
“Our festival is an example to all peoples of the world. It seems to me that there is no festival like ours, on such a scale, anywhere else in the world. I am very glad that we participate in it,” Ri Kimi said.
The Korean pavilion will be abuzz with music and drums and will also offer calligraphy lessons, and an original photo zone.
With each passing year, the festival becomes more extensive and better, the heads of national public associations concurred.
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