Press releases

“The event calendar for 2016 features many landmark anniversaries. The Slavonic Bazaar festival will celebrate its 25th birthday. This event is connected with our contemporary history. The 75th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Mulyavin is also part of our modern heritage. Besides, we will mark the 95th birthday of Ivan Shamyakin, the 120th birthday of Kondrat Krapiva, and the 125th anniversary of the birth of Maxim Bogdanovich. We will be gearing up for the celebration of the birthdays of Yanka Kupala and Yakub Kolas in 2017. The Code on Culture is expected to be adopted next year. This will be a landmark event attesting to the systematization of the culture-related legislation in Belarus,” the Culture Minister stressed. The promotion of the Belarusian culture and eminent cultural personalities will be high on the agenda in 2016.

Boris Svetlov said that the idea to declare 2016 the Year of Culture in Belarus was suggested by people of art and enthusiastically supported by the ministry. It did not come from the outside, and it was not borrowed from elsewhere. “The idea is based on the logic of Belarus’ development, its reflection in the public mind. The Year of Youth is nearing its end. I believe there is a gradual transition between the Year of Youth and the Year of Culture in Belarus. Young people need a mechanism for socialization, and culture is one of them. To get integrated into the society, young people should become part of its culture. I am not referring to artistic culture, but rather culture in its broad sense. It includes the culture of everyday life, production, and interpersonal relations,” Boris Svetlov noted.