Kyrgyzstan celebrates Days of Slav culture and literature

Traditional Days of the Slav culture and written language started in the Chuysky region of Kyrgyzstan. The event is celebrated for the tenth time, every year it is celebrated in a special way.

This time the event is to be celebrated not in the Kyrgyzstan capital, but in the towns and villages of the Chuysky valley, where majority of Slavs live and where traditions are carefully observed. Another peculiarity of the celebration this year is a bigger number of its participants. Traditionally guests from Russia and Belarus take part in the event, but this year actors, writers, journalists and diplomats from Ukraine are also coming to Kyrgyzstan to celebrate the Days of the Slavic culture and written language.

The key idea of the Days’ celebration in Kyrgyzstan is to make the nations closer, to get a better picture of other people’s cultures and ways of living. Guests from the CIS Slav countries said at the Days’ opening ceremony, that culture was designed to make people closer to each other, not separate them from each other. In many respects Kyrgyzstan may serve an example to it. Since establishment of the independent state practically no international conflict occurred there. Russian Tatars live in the republic, newspapers and magazines are regularly published in the Russian and Ukrainian languages. It means, cultures of different people live in harmony in Kyrgyzstan.

Russia’s ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Georgy Rydov said, the Kyrgyz people always were tolerant and wise as concerning traditions of other nations who live by their side. For example, this is seen perfectly well from the decision of the president and parliament to declare the Russian language official in the republic. The Russian ambassador says, this law is really very important for the whole of the CIS, as it demonstrates wise and far-seeing policy of the country.

It is to be pointed out here, the Russian Government and the Moscow city administration permanently support those Kyrgyz schools where the Russian language is studied. Recently the Kyrgyzstan Ministry for Culture and Education got another batch of 25,000 Russian textbooks. Due to Moscow’s assistance, the Slav University that was opened in Bishkek, became the most prestigious and popular educational institution in the country.

As it was mentioned above, actors from Ukraine are taking part in the Days’ celebration for the first time this year, their participation in the ceremonial opening of the event became a great success. In the Days’ network numerous round-table discussions, contests, exhibitions, festivals of small theatres and school Olympiads are to be held. The celebration is to be concluded with a grand gala concert on the Slav University stage.

Yury Razgulyayev PRAVDA.Ru Bishkek Kyrgyzstan

Translated by Maria Gousseva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/04/30/40577.html