330 events per day. Vitebsk region summed up the results of the Year of Culture
It is no coincidence that this year Gorodok became the venue for the event. The district is famous for its creative achievements. The House of Crafts and Folklore is a laureate of the special prize "For Spiritual Revival", and recently the folk club of craftspeople and amateur artists "Vytoki" received the title of Honored Amateur Collective of the Republic.
Marina Gushcho, who revived the unique openwork weaving, which is included in the State List of Historical and Cultural Values, was recognized as the Person of the Year in Culture of Belarus. She and two other employees of the Gorodok House of Crafts and Folklore – Lyudmila Gorovaya and Vasily Simankovich – were awarded the title of folk craftspeople. Corresponding certificates were solemnly presented to them during the meeting.
– We must encourage, stimulate and position in the information field in every possible way the people who glorify our Vitebsk region with their work, – emphasized in his speech Gennady Egorov, head of the main department of ideological work, culture and youth affairs of the regional executive committee.
Reach Every Person
Ideological workers, Gennady Egorov noted, are always at the forefront, they are focused on working with people and strive to approach their duties responsibly and creatively. One of the main directions of the ideological sector's work is information and clarification.
In 2016, more than 2.5 thousand information and propaganda groups were active, about 39 thousand meetings were held in work collectives and at places of residence, with representatives of authorities, trade unions, and specialists in various fields speaking.
– It is necessary to expand this practice, interact with trade union organizations, paying special attention to the agro-industrial complex, private
business, entrepreneurship, where there is high inertia in public work, low membership in trade union organizations, – Gennady Mikhailovich noted.The main goal of such events is direct communication between the authorities and the people, studying problematic issues of rural life support. In the regions, rural Soviets have introduced the practice of Days of Work with the Population. Deputies and responsible employees of district executive committees, services and departments take part in them. This helps to promptly resolve pressing issues.
Summing up the past year, Gennady Egorov paid special attention to perpetuating the memory of the fallen defenders of the Fatherland. Over the past two years, authorities, labor collectives, with the support of public organizations and volunteers, have repaired and improved more than 300 military burials, verified about 133 thousand surnames inscribed on memorial plaques, and installed more than 44.5 thousand previously unknown names.
The experience of the Vitebsk region in working with the unified database "Memorial" for perpetuating the memory of heroes and victims of wars was presented at international conferences and recommended for dissemination in other regions of the republic.
The regional coordination council, which has united the efforts of the main political parties and public organizations operating jointly with the authorities, has become the headquarters of important initiatives. A successful example is the involvement of activists in solving specific problems.
Thus, in Novopolotsk, people's assemblies are held to consider issues of state and public importance. In the Verkhnedvinsk, Dubrovensky, Dokshitsky, and Senno districts, elders' gatherings are held; youth parliaments operate on the basis of the regional council and local councils of deputies.
Gennady Egorov noted the role of the media in informational and ideological work. In the Vitebsk region, 24 state print publications, 10 regional TV and 8 radio programs are published, and 9 FM stations operate. We were the first in the republic to start broadcasting the regional TV channel "Vitebsk" from the end of 2014, and since 2015, a second regional channel, "Belarus 4 Vitebsk," appeared in the region's information field. The website of the regional executive committee won the competition of the International Specialized Exhibition of Information Technologies and Telecommunications TIBO-2016.
– Ideology is concentrated economics. By solving the problems of the region's life, a settlement, we must reach every person, their big and small needs and problems. It is this approach that will ensure stability and order in society and the state, – said Gennady Egorov and outlined the tasks for this year.
Among them are: fostering an active state position among people, strengthening the moral and psychological climate, unity in work collectives, and a sense of responsibility of each employee for the development of enterprises, the region, and the country.
The Dvina Region – Initiator of Projects
– The sphere of culture is one of the priority areas of state policy, folk art and creativity enjoy comprehensive support from the regional authorities, which allows us to preserve and develop the main achievements in this area, – noted Larisa Olenskaya, Deputy Head of the Main Department of Ideological Work, Culture and Youth Affairs of the Regional Executive Committee.
The Dvina region has always been an initiator of various creative projects. No other region of Belarus, besides Vitebsk region, can boast that every district has its own festival or holiday. Our craftspeople, amateur art groups, painters, and writers are known far beyond the region and Belarus. More than a thousand cultural institutions help people develop their creative abilities and spend their leisure time interestingly and usefully.
In recent years, the culture industry has learned to generate revenue. In 2016, over 10 million rubles were received from paid services alone, and non-budgetary funds accounted for over 16% of the industry's budgetary financing. Additionally, about 1.4 million rubles in sponsorship funds were attracted.
– To ensure the effective use of state funds in the field, clear approaches have been developed for creating an optimal industry structure. The formation of a network of cultural organizations capable of providing the population with quality services, including through non-stationary forms and new information technologies, has begun, – emphasized Larisa Olenskaya.
Optimization of the network alone has saved 4 million rubles. Simultaneously, work is underway to strengthen the material and technical base of cultural organizations and educational institutions.
In terms of the number of historical and cultural values (949 objects), the Vitebsk region ranks second in the republic. Throughout the year, efforts were made to find new owners for architectural monuments that are not used for their intended purpose and are in a neglected state. The Rudnitskikh estate in the Miory district and two buildings in the regional center were sold through auctions.
8 elements of the Vitebsk region have been included in the State List of Intangible Historical and Cultural Values of the Republic of Belarus, and another 12 are vying for this high status. Larisa Olenskaya noted the work of the region's museums, which conduct extensive research and use modern formats to attract visitors, with their numbers increasing last year compared to the previous one. The achievements in this area are evidenced by awards received at the III National Forum "Museums of Belarus" and professional republican competitions.
A successful project for cinema and entertainment enterprises can be considered the content demonstration of recorded performances from leading world venues with subtitles and online broadcasts of operas and ballets.
most famous scenes of different countries. Advanced forms are also used in library services. In the Vitebsk region, library-clubs and library-museums have been created, and bookmobiles serve residents of remote and sparsely populated areas.The golden fund of Vitebsk region's culture is a bank of gifted students of additional education institutions, which includes over 500 children and adolescents. In 2016, over 70 students of cultural educational institutions became laureates and diploma winners of international, republican, and regional creative competitions.
Creative groups and cultural institutions of the Vitebsk region represented national culture in 17 regions of Russia and 13 foreign countries, including Bulgaria, France, Romania, Germany, Italy, and the UAE. The Regional Executive Committee is the founder and organizer of 9 international festivals and celebrations. In total, over 119 thousand various cultural events were held last year. If divided by the number of days, it comes out to almost 330 per day. This is impressive!
Creative groups and cultural institutions of the Vitebsk region represented national culture in 17 regions of Russia and 13 foreign countries, including Bulgaria, France, Romania, Germany, Italy, and the UAE. The Regional Executive Committee is the founder and organizer of 9 international festivals and celebrations. In total, over 119 thousand various cultural events were held last year. If divided by the number of days, it comes out to almost 330 per day. This is impressive!
Tatyana Pasternak, photos by Dmitry Osipov. "Vitebskiye Vesti".