Belarus hosts Days of Tatar Culture
Days of Tatarstan Culture were held in Belarus for the first time. On 4-7 June, Minsk and Grodno hosted exhibitions, presentations, concerts and other events devoted to Tatarstan's cultural heritage.
Days of Tatarstan Culture took place in Minsk and Grodno on 4-7 June, reports BelTA citing the Belarusian Culture Ministry. The official opening ceremony was held at the Belarusian State Philharmonic on 5 June. The ceremony comprised an exhibition of national arts and crafts, the photo exhibition ''Ethnographic Mosaic of the Tatar People'' and a gala concert. The festival was aimed at introducing residents and guests of Minsk to musical and choreographic art, folk handicrafts and creativity of contemporary artists of Tatarstan.
Within the festival, the Yelabuga State Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve presented its exhibition ''Multicolored Tatar National Culture'' in the National Historical Museum of Belarus. The unique exhibition includes about a dozen authentic daily and festive costumes of Tatar women of different social status. Besides the ethnographic collection, the Yelabuga Museum presented modern national art, such as paintings and drawings of Tatar artists. The exhibition will work in Minsk for about a month, then it will move to Gomel.
The festival's programme also featured the presentation of the Kazan International Muslim Film Festival, Days of Tatarstan Cinema in Belarus Cinema House and a visit of directors of Tatarstan libraries to the National Library of Belarus to exchange the experience.
Over the last years, Belarus and Tatarstan have worked hard on strengthening their cooperation. In 2017, bilateral trade between the parties increased by 50% and reached $1,2 billion, and in January-February 2018 the trade volume surpassed $200 million (up by 36,3% compared to the previous year). At the end of April, Belarusian national air carrier Belavia launched a direct flight between Minsk and Kazan, which is operated four times a week. A specialised working group on Belarus-Tatarstan cooperation is now implementing the 2017-2020 action plan. According to Andrey Rybakov, deputy chairman of Belneftekhim, whose company is officially responsible for the promotion of Belarus-Tatarstan cooperation, economic ties have been improving lately between businessmen and companies specializing in mechanical engineering and light industry.