VITEBSK, 15 July (BelTA) – BelTA's photographer Aleksandr Khitrov has received an honorary certificate of the Belarusian Information Ministry for covering last year's edition of the Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk festival. The award was presented at the opening ceremony of the 30th edition of the International Festival of Arts Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk on 15 July, BelTA has learned.
Previously, Aleksandr Khitrov covered the events of the All-Union Festival of Polish Songs, the predecessor of the Slavianski Bazaar. Since the establishment of the Slavianski Bazaar festival in 1992, the photographer has annually provided photo coverage of the main events of the festival. He captured the most memorable moments of all editions of the festival in Vitebsk and took photos of many celebrities: from Vladimir Mulyavin and Alla Pugacheva to Patricia Kaas and Joe Lynn Turner.
Presenting awards to representatives of mass media is an annual tradition, Belarusian Information Minister Vladimir Pertsov noted. “After every edition of the festival, we analyze and evaluate its coverage in mass media,” he explained. The Information Ministry conferred honorary certificates on journalists of regional and national mass media outlets, employees of newspapers and TV channels.
This year, more than 400 journalists of 76 mass media outlets, including 62 correspondents of 33 foreign outlets, have come to Vitebsk to cover the festival, Vladimir Pertsov added. They include representatives of Bulgaria, Serbia, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Moldova, Ukraine, and Russia.
The 30th edition of the International Festival of Arts Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk is running from 15-18 July, but the first events of the festival took place on 14 July. The festival will wrap up with a gala concert featuring a ceremony to award the winners of the song contests on 18 July. People's Artist of Belarus Anatoly Yarmolenko and Serbian singer Filip Zmaher will lead the jury of the adults' and children's song contests respectively.
Photos by Aleksandr Khitrov
