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18 December 2019, 18:30

Belarus' FM calls not to divide prominent historical figures between countries

elarus' FM calls not to divide prominent historical figures between countries

MINSK, 18 December (BelTA) – Outstanding historical figures are a shared cultural heritage. They cannot be divided between countries, Belarus' Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chairman of the Belarusian National Commission for UNESCO Vladimir Makei said as he attended an event to mark the 200th birthday of Stanislaw Moniuszko in Minsk on 18 December, BelTA has learned.

The event was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the National History Museum. The ministry hosted the exhibition “Stanislaw Moniuszko: A Trip to the 19th Century” prepared by the Museum of the Theater and Music Culture History and also a virtual project of the National Library of Belarus “Stanislaw Moniuszko. Music Romantic from Minsk Oblast”. Students of the Belarusian State Academy of Music performed at the event.

This was one of more than 70 events held in Belarus to celebrate the outstanding composer. “He left behind a significant legacy that enriched world culture,” the minister said. Vladimir Makei cited Moniuszko's words that after choosing art as a life purpose, one should do it so that it could bring joy and support to people. “I believe it cannot be described better,” said Vladimir Makei.

According to him, many famous people in Belarus belong to the historical heritage of many countries. These are Adam Mitskevich, Tadeusz Kosciuszko. “They do not belong to our history only. They lived in different territories, different countries. They are part of the common heritage of the neighboring peoples. There is no need to divide or to assign Stanislaw Moniuszko, Adam Mitskevich or Kastus Kalinovsky to one country. They belong to all our countries,” the minister said.

This understanding of the common heritage is a good foundation for building intercultural dialogue and an effective tool for establishing strategic good-neighborly relations in the future, the minister noted

By celebrating Moniuszko's jubilee together, the two countries have demonstrated the ability “to unite beautifully”, Charge d'Affaires of Poland in Belarus Martin Wojciechowski said. “Let me thank you for the fact that we can share Moniuszko in the best sense of the word, because each of our countries considers the composer his own to a certain extent. Not everyone likes it, but given the biography of the great composer, we have no other choice,” he noted.

The event was attended by members of the National Commission for UNESCO, representatives of culture and education of Belarus, partners of the commission, diplomats of the embassies of Lithuania and Poland, and senior staff of the Polish Institute in Minsk.

The anniversary of Stanislaw Moniuszko has been included in the UNESCO List of Commemorative Dates for this year, while 2019 has been officially declared by UNESCO as the year of the composer.

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