VITEBSK, 16 July (BelTA) – The Slavonic Bazaar Festival in Vitebsk has confirmed one more time that creative activity and art is the basis to develop spiritual and cultural ties between the nations, Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus, Chairman of the Festival Organizing Committee Vladimir Potupchik told at the official closing ceremony of the 19th international festival of arts, Slavonic Bazaar in Vitebsk, on 15 July, BelTA has learnt. The Slavonic Bazaar which is held under the auspices of the Belarusian Head of State remains the unique cultural phenomenon in Europe and in the world, the Vice Premier said. The festival presented new names and interesting program. The Vice Premier thanked the organizers of the festival and Vitebsk residents. Nearly 5,000 guests from 34 countries took part in the 19th forum of arts. Representatives of Montenegro, Panama and Cuba took part in the festival for the first time. The program of the show included 70 projects on 16 major urban venues. The Summer Amphitheater hosted 19 concerts alone. Two concerts took place at the rejuvenated Victory Square of Vitebsk. The Slavonic Bazaar in Vitebsk presented the days of Belarusian, Russian and Ukrainian culture. Famous pop-singers such as Nikolai Baskov, Larisa Dolina, Dmitry Khvorostovsky, Yuri Antonov, Stas Mikhailov, Elena Vaenga, Inna Afanasieva, Pesnyary and Syabry bands, Taisia Povalyi, Thomas Anders, Tomas N'evergreen, Helena Vondrackova took part in the concerts of Slavonic Bazaar 2010. The sophisticated public could enjoy the performance of Nino Katamadze and the Insight band. Theater goers saw the Moscow Theater and St Petersburg State Youth Theater. The Union State awards in literature and arts in 2009-2010 were presented during the festival’s opening night. The prizewinners included a team of authors of Russia’s People’s Architect Yuri Grigoriev, sculptors Lev Gumilevsky and Sergei Gumilevsky from Belarus, sculptors Yuri Orekhov and Grigory Orekhov from Russia and also a team of authors including Soviet Union People’s Artists Aleksei Tkachev and Sergei Tkachev. People’s Artist of the Republic of Belarus Leonid Shchemelev was also among the prizewinners. People’s Artist of the Russian Federation Yuri Antonov was ordered the Order of Frantsysk Skorina in recognition of his contribution to the strengthening of the cultural cooperation between the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation. The Day of the Union State at the Slavonic Bazaar in Vitebsk was celebrated on 10 July. State Secretary of the Union State Pavel Borodin met with veterans of the Great Patriotic War. A ceremony of laying flowers at the Eternal Flame took place on the same day. The Vitebsk Art Museum hosted an exhibition of Leonid Shchemelev’s works To My Countrymen. The concert, Two Sisters, finished the Day of the Union State at the Slavonic Bazaar. The concert program presented Kim Breitburg’s songs written by Belarusian and Russian poets. Damir Kedzo from Croatia won the Grand Prix of the Vitebsk 2010 Song Contest which was held as part of the international festival of arts, Slavonic Bazaar in Vitebsk. Mario from Romania won the main prize of the Vitebsk 2010 Junior Song Festival. Nearly 900 craftsmen and artists presented the Towns of Craftsmen at the Slavonic Bazaar in Vitebsk. The festival was covered by around 500 journalists from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany and China. About Br2.5 billion of the presidential reserve fund and almost RUB25 million of the Union State budget have been allocated to organize and hold the Slavonic Bazaar in Vitebsk. БЕЛТА
Written by belta.by
