Belarusian Written Language Day opened
Among the key surprises in Kopyl were a joint performance of opera diva Oksana Volkova and Belarus’ representative at the 2018 Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk Festival, Yevgeny Kurchich, as well as a video greeting from cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky
Warm greetings to the guests and participants of the 28th Belarusian Written Language Day were sent by President Aleksandr Lukashenko; they were read out by the Deputy Prime Minister, Igor Petrishenko. Natalya Kochanova, the Chairperson of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly, also congratulated all those involved in the holiday celebrations; her greeting was read out by host Alena Spiridovich. In particular, the message read: ‘This holiday is a great opportunity to travel to the past, bring history closer to our modern days and feel the connection of generations. It is not for nothing that the Belarusian Written Language Day is hosted by the Kopyl District: the area is long known for its original cultural, rich historical and literary heritage, generous and hardworking people. This year, the format of the holiday unites literature and culture. Not only the Festival of Books and Printed Media, exhibitions, meetings with authors and representatives of the scientific community are organised but also sports events’.
The Chairman of the Minsk Regional Executive Committee, Aleksandr Turchin, in turn, recalled that it is not the first time that the Minsk Region hosts literary events. This year’s choice of Kopyl as the festival venue has clear reasons.
“More than 50 famous writers and poets are related to this region and – to honour them – we’ve launched an interactive Alley of Writers. We’ve tried to jointly refashion Kopyl and, as a result, the local urban space, social, industrial and commercial facilities have gained a new breath. When I was driving to the festival this morning, I saw many art objects made of straw along the road. One of them had the words on: ‘Kopyl Welcomes!’ In my opinion, they should become the city brand – so that not only local residents but also guests – who come to explore the region – feel that Kopyl is really happy to welcome them all,” Mr. Turchin addressed those present.
In this respect, Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, is convinced, “Preservation of the memory of our country’s past, careful attitude to its spiritual and cultural heritage determine the ability to build up the future without breaking away from the previous generations’ achievements. With this in view, during the Path to Shrines international scientific and educational campaign and as part of the Belarusian Written Language Day, much attention is paid to scientific discussions, conferences, seminars, various forms of publishing and information activities. We aim to enable people – especially our young generation – to learn as much as possible of the spiritual, cultural and historical roots of our heritage.”
The first musical surprise for the audience was a premiere of a song based on a poem of a Belarusian classic writer – Maksim Tank. It was performed by a Bolshoi Theatre diva and an Honoured Artiste of Belarus, Oksana Volkova, jointly with a prize winner of the Special Fund of the President of Belarus on Supporting Talented Youth – Yevgeny Kurchich. In addition, cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, a native of Belarus who is currently on board the International Space Station, recorded a special video greeting, also quoting lines from his favourite poem by Maksim Tank.
