Press releases

BREST, 28 June (BelTA) – There are plans to hold an international friendship festival in Brest in 2019, BelTA learned from head of the culture department of the Brest City Executive Committee Svetlana Semashko.

Brest will assume the title of the CIS Capital of Culture in 2019. The work is underway to flesh out the program of cultural events. “Some 34 large-scale events are to be held involving CIS member states. Some of them have already taken place in the city, others will have their debut. For example, we want to arrange an orchestra parade. Orchestras will march along the central streets of the city and the central square. Brest has never done it before. There are plans to conduct a choreography festival, a conference of museums of ancient cities, a seminar of Pushkin libraries, a plein-air of sculptors, a violin contest, a friendship festival,” Svetlana Semashko said.

The international friendship festival is to be held in September, during the official celebration of the 1,000^th anniversary of Brest. Invitations to take part in the forum will be sent to artists from the CIS states.

The presentation of Brest – the CIS Capital of Culture 2019 – took place at the 13^th Forum of Creative and Academic Intellectuals of the CIS Member States that was held in Astana on 19-20 June.

“The visit was very important, we forged many new contacts. In particular the State Historic Public Library of Russia pledged to donate book collections to our ten libraries in 2019. The International Committee of the Red Cross put forward the same proposal. Its representatives arrange several war-themed exhibitions in the city. It is important that Brest will host the Eurasian Library Assembly,” Svetlana Semashko informed. She noted that these events will take place as part of the CIS Year of the Book 2019.