Culture in its broad global, historical and philosophical meaning was identified by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov as one of the fundamental priorities for development of the independent Turkmen state in the period of the Revival of the New Epoch of the Powerful State.
From time immemorial, a power for the Turkmens has been stability, unity and spiritual integrity. It is no coincidence that the great Turkmen poets and thinkers associated the flourishing of their native land and the happiness of the people with these concepts.
It is culture that tends to, preserving the memory of centuries and succeeding to the spiritual code of the nation, is a starting point for the advancement to the higher economic progress. Establishing a reputation in the world arena as a state that has high economic capacity, as well as spiritual and creative potential, Turkmenistan actively applies cultural diplomacy to develop international cooperation. This policy continues to dominate in development of culture in 2022.
It should be reminded that since the beginning of the year, national and international holidays have traditionally been widely celebrated in the country, and events were held on the significant occasions.
Cooperation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has been stepped up significantly. A whole number of online meetings, webinars and consultations took place with the participation of the UNESCO headquarters and regional divisions, during which promising areas of fruitful cooperation in the field of science, education, culture and ecology were reviewed.
On February 1, the Mukams Palace hosted a conference and an exhibition on the occasion of the inscription of the dutar making craft, the music art of playing it and the bakhshi’s art on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Conferences, concerts, exhibitions, creative meetings and many other events were held at museums, libraries and concert halls, as well as at specialized institutions of higher education and public organizations. Theatrical performances, film and television premieres were dedicated to the significant event.
The “Türkmeniň ak öýi” buildings in all velayats hosted a television recording of concerts given by bakhshi musicians and their broadcast on the air.
On March 30, the presentation of video clips with the performance of the Turkmen song “Saýra, dutar!” recorded by singers of the Turkic language speaking states took place at the metropolitan Mukams Palace.
A new creative competition “Çalsana, bagşy!” was announced among dutar players and bakhshi in order to identify and encourage talented bakhshi musicians.
In view of the instructions given by President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, as well as the targets outlined in the Commission’s Plan for 2022 and the Plan of joint activities with UNESCO for 2021-2023, work is stepped up to include new properties in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List and the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
At present, the documents prepared by Turkmenistan on the inclusion of the Akhalteke horse breeding art, horse decoration, silk production and national embroidery traditions, and other crafts in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity are studied.
In the first half of the year, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov approved the procedure for granting the legal status “National” or “Academic” to theaters of the country, as well as the Procedure and Terms for assigning the legal status “National” to museums.
As was emphasized, this status will open up wider opportunities for museums to carry out research, scientific and methodological work, improve the qualifications of their employees, as well as for the participation of relevant professionals in scientific conferences, congresses, symposiums and exhibitions in our country and abroad.
One of the trends in further development of culture in the new historical epoch is the popularization of the national historical and cultural heritage.
In this regard, a special role is attached to the “State Program for 2022-2028 for the careful preservation of objects of the national historical and cultural heritage, their protection and study, and attracting tourists to them”, adopted in April this year
The large-scale international events of the current year include a scientific and practical conference and exhibition “The Turkmen land - the center of cultural values of world popularity”, a media forum on the role of media in the world community in the context of developing Turkmenistan.
On March 1–2, the International Conference and Exhibition “Bagtyýarlyk baharyň şekillendiriş sungatyndaky waspy” were organized at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In addition to the cultural figures of the country, well-known artists, representatives of the creative intelligentsia of foreign countries joined the forum via a digital system.
The progressive policy being pursued by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov contributes to the study, preservation and popularization of the cultural heritage of our ancestors, the establishment of broad international contacts and creating a favorable domestic political climate, as well as encouraging active scientific research, and the involvement of leading foreign experts for these purposes.
The list of cultural events of the current year includes conferences, scientific field meetings and exhibitions on archaeological surveys at historical and cultural monuments of our country.
In this regard, it is worth mentioning the scientific and practical conference at the historical and cultural complex of monuments “Dehistan”, as well as the international scientific meeting “Historical and cultural monuments of Turkmenistan - in the focus of the world community” that were held on April 19. Well-known scientists and archaeologists of foreign scientific centers, who participated jointly with Turkmen scientists in archaeological excavations and research at historical monuments of the Homeland, spoke via a digital system.
An exhibition of archaeological finds was organized as part of the forum, and the findings of surveys carried out in Turkmenistan by international and national expeditions were discussed. The results of their work have been published in the new richly illustrated edition “Antiquities of Turkmenistan: Scientific Research and Restoration of Monuments”, prepared by the National Administration for the Preservation, Study and Restoration of Historical and Cultural Monuments of Turkmenistan.
In the last decade of May, within the framework of the festival “Turkmen Dramatic Art”, the theaters of the country, as well as the performers of the State Circus, presented their new productions. Thus, the tradition of holding spring creative forums, including international events, which are invariably one of the largest, most iconic and popular brands in the cultural life of Turkmenistan, was supported.
The priority goals of the show were to introduce the people of Turkmenistan to new trends in the performing arts and forms of its development, and productions of both famous and young directors, creating opportunities for strengthening positions of our national theater in the common global cultural space.
It is equally important that the meeting at the festival site contributed to the collaboration of the metropolitan and regional theater staffs, communication, experience sharing, and the improvement of the stage culture in young performers, their rapprochement with the audience.
The festival program included performances different in genres, themes and stage effects. They were based on legends, parables, historical information and memoirs of our contemporaries. The heroes of these plays seemed to have connected different epochs, the past and the present.
One of the most significant events in the cultural life of the country is the annual Culture Week. In the last ten days of June, Mary city was for the second time in the last ten years the center of this creative forum, timed to coincide with the Day of Culture and Art Workers, as well as the Poetry of Magtymguly Pyragy.
The program of the Week of Culture included theater and film premieres, daily concerts, as well as scientific and methodological conferences, field seminars and creative meetings, poetry evenings and master classes, competitions, exhibitions, and an international media forum.
Famous folk bakhshi musicians, popular pop singers and groups, as well as young talents, winners of creative competitions show their talents during concerts that were given every evening at the “Türkmeniň ak öýi” building equipped with modern facilities for organizing large performances. Works of national and world vocal classics, ethnic and modern dances were performed.
It was the first time within the framework of the Week of Culture that stand-up performers such as humorists and parodists gave a separate performance on the stage of the Kemine State Drama Theater of the Mary Velayat.
On June 26, the staff of the regional theater gave the first performance of the play “Ylahy yşgyň kyssasy”, which was based on the plot from the Quran legend about Prophet Yusuf.
During the days of the art forum, the theatrical theme was also addressed in Ashgabat, where two important events took place on the eve of the professional holiday of culture and art workers, the granting of the status “Academic” to the Main Drama Theater of Turkmenistan and the first performance of a new opera production “Magtymguly”.
On the same days, new works prepared for publication by the Ministry of Culture of the country were presented to a broad readership. These are a two-volume edition “Leading Performers of the Turkmen Theater, Cinema and Circus”, and a two-volume almanac, which comprised the plays of Turkmen playwrights.
Vekilbazar, Yolotan and Murgab etraps were chosen for film screenings and meetings with the producers of new films. As part of the Cinema Days, the audience watched the premieres of eight films produced by the “Türkmenfilm” Association named after Oghuz Khan.
The Mary Region, where historical and architectural monuments of universal significance are concentrated, is a striking illustration of the large-scale work under way in Turkmenistan to study and preserve the historical and cultural heritage, and identify prospects in these areas.
Recently, so-called field conferences and seminars taking place on archaeological sites have gained popularity in the country.
Such a meeting on the topic “New principles for the careful preservation of historical and cultural monuments and trends in development of tourism” was held at the “Ancient Merv” State Historical and Cultural Reserve. An exhibition of artifacts found in this area was organized on the very site of excavation, where archaeologists demonstrated the peculiarities of dealing with them.
A thematic conference on the cooperation between Turkmenistan and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was held in the building of the Mary Velayat Library.
In this regard, the methodological conference at the cultural center of Murgab etrap was also indicative, during which the topic of improving the activities of family musical ensembles was first covered.
Moreover, it was the first time that a methodological conference was held as part of the Culture Week on improving the activities of rural houses of culture.
A number of major events of the Week of Culture took place at the Museum of History and Local Lore of the Mary Velayat. These included an international scientific and methodological meeting, a subject meeting of the museum staffs “Basic directions for development of museum activities in the period of the Revival of the New Epoch of the Powerful State”, as well as methodological courses on studying the experience of improving the performance of house museums.
At the hybrid-format international scientific and methodological meeting “New principles for the careful preservation of historical and cultural monuments and trends in development of tourism”, presentations were heard on the further study and popularization of the national heritage, the findings of archaeological excavations in different regions of the country, and scientific research that open the pages of the ancient history and culture of the Turkmen people.
One of the distinctive features of the Culture Week-2022 was the attention to the topic of improving the performance of the media as an important factor in development of international relations and popularization of national culture.
These issues became the major topics during the first international media forum held within the Culture Week-2022 at the “Mary” Hotel, which brought together public figures, representatives of domestic and foreign media, and the faculties of higher educational institutions.
The Week of Culture ended on June 27, when the Day of Culture and Art Workers, as well as the Poetry of Magtymguly Pyragy, was widely celebrated throughout the country. The final event was a big festive concert in the “Türkmeniň ak öýi” building of the Mary Region.
Celebrations on this occasion also took place in the “Türkmeniň ak öýi” building in the Akhal Velayat.
The creative figures have the important festive events of September ahead. A large-scale solemn program is prepared for the Independence Day of Turkmenistan. September is also the time to sum up the results of creative reviews, first of all, the competition of the President “Türkmeniň Altyn asyry”. Traditionally, among the nominees are young citizens of Turkmenistan, participants in the children’s show “Garaşsyzlygyň merjen däneleri” and winners of the television competition of young talents “Ýaňlan, Diýarym!”.
As a rule, festive events of autumn is not complete without international cultural actions. Already today, one of them has been announced - the International Festival “Crafts and decorative-applied arts in the heritage of the peoples of the world”, scheduled for October in the city of Turkmenabat, Lebap Velayat.
Exhibitions-fairs in various fields of folk arts and crafts, master classes, scientific and practical conferences and other events are planned as part of it.
The international tourism exhibitions scheduled for autumn, September 2022 in Tokyo (Japan) and Miami (USA), as well as a ministerial level conference of the Caspian states on cooperation in the tourism sector between the countries of the region, scheduled for October this year in the Gulistan Province, the Islamic Republic of Iran, are aimed at development of the recreation potential of our Homeland.
The creation of a modern tourist infrastructure in Turkmenistan is one of the basic goals for development of international cooperation, attraction of innovative technologies to the country and comprehensive modernization of the national economy, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov emphasizes.
Today, thanks to the progressive policy being pursued by the head of Turkmen state, our country is actively strengthening its image of a stable, peace loving and dynamically developing state, and the richest historical and cultural heritage of the Turkmen people and the creative potential of national culture contribute to the rapid progress of the Homeland towards the heights of spiritual development.
