The opening ceremony of the International Festival of Traditional Culture and Music Rukh Sanat was held on August 1 in the city of Cholpon-Ata. The Cabinet of Ministers’ press service reported.
The Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Adylbek Kasymaliev expressed confidence that the event would become an important cultural platform for strengthening creative and cultural ties between nations.
«I warmly welcome you to Kyrgyzstan — a land where the incomparable in its volume epic «Manas» was created, where hundreds of folk epics, dastans and poems are still heard, where the art of improvised singing lives, where melodies performed on the famous stages of the world are heard — in the heart of Ala-Too, in the pearl of the mountains — on the shores of Issyk-Kul Lake. The greatness of the nomadic empire lives in our blood, in our unique way of life, in our culture and history. We may speak different languages or follow different faiths, but music is a universal language that needs no translation. If a song or melody touches the soul, brings joy, and stays in one’s memory, it becomes truly folk — alive in the hearts of people,» he said.
The festival features three main components: an international competition for traditional music performers, an international academic and practical congress, and a special space called «The Market» — a fair of cultural practices and ideas.
The total prize fund amounts to 3 million soms, with 1 million allocated for the Grand Prix. The remaining amount will be distributed among other categories.
