By Galina Grishkevets
The exhibition showcases over 100 children’s works from Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. According to Vladimir Schastny, the Chairman of Belarus’ National Commission for UNESCO, who spoke at the presentation, Minsk is the first capital to host this international event on its tour.
The exhibition has been initiated by the Forum of Slavic Cultures and was first presented in May 2012 at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, to mark the Day of Slavic Culture and Written Language, helped by the Belarusian Embassy to France. National contests were held in participating countries to select works. Over 400 children (pre-school and junior age) took part in the Belarusian national contest, with the best 16 works sent to the international exhibition in Paris and awarded prizes.
The current exhibition has been organised by the Belarus’ National Commission for UNESCO, the Belarusian Association of UNESCO Clubs and the National Centre of Art Creativity for Children and Young People, with assistance from the Belarusian Embassy to France. Foreign diplomats from participating countries attended the launch, alongside representatives of the Foreign Ministry of Belarus and those from Belarusian Education Ministry institutions and pupils from children’s art schools.
A representative of the Slovenian Embassy to Russia and Belarus (concurrent), Denis Mantsevich, noted that this exhibition should promote more active cultural dialogue between member states.
