Today, the International Festival “Handicrafts and Decorative and Applied Arts in the Heritage of the Peoples of the World” opening ceremony has taken place in the administrative center of Lebap velayat.

The large-scale creative action initiated by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov is destined to demonstrate the bright and distinctive palette of national culture, its role in the development of the state, and its enormous creative potential.

It is the spiritual component that Arkadagly Serdar sees as the key in the formation of modern society, its development on the basis of traditions and humanistic principles inherited from ancestors, intellectual and creative potential of Turkmen people.

Today, a festive atmosphere reigns on the square in front of the “Türkmeniň ak öýi” building, which was multiplied by the performances of the united creative teams of the country’s eastern region, who presented a bright composition for the glory of national culture.

In the foyer, participants and guests of the festival were greeted by young musicians with an original performance – virtuoso playing on bowls.

There is also an exhibition of museum artifacts, which fully represents the types of national decorative and applied arts and creativity, folk crafts and has become a clear evidence of the multifaceted creative talent of Turkmens.

The guests also got acquainted with the permanent exposition placed in the “Türkmeniň ak öýi” exhibition hall and telling about the modern development of the national fine and decorative arts with great interest.

The grand opening of the festival took place under the arches of a magnificent concert hall, where members of the Government, leaders and representatives of the national sphere of culture, the velayat and city administration and the public, the media, venerable elders, residents and guests of Turkmenabat gathered.

Among the foreign participants of the international forum are representatives of the cultural sphere, artists, craftsmen, from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Turkey, Latvia, and the Republic of Korea.

The opening ceremony of the cultural forum was continued by the literary and musical composition “Türkmenistan dost-doganlygyň mekany”, performed by artists of the Seyitnazar Seydi State Musical Drama Theater and creative collectives of the velayats of the country.

The wonderful staging was replaced by song-musical and choreographic numbers performed by soloists and ensembles, glorifying in the language of art the independent Motherland, its leader – President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, who pays special attention to the preservation and enhancement of national cultural values.

The continuity of the best traditions of the national culture was reflected by the bright performance of children’s groups in the number of “Bagtyýar çagalar”.

The concert program featured folk melodies, works from the treasury of national musical classics, as well as modern pop songs.

Some folklore numbers were dedicated to the distinctive traditions and customs of the Turkmen people.

A real gift for the audience and foreign guests were dance compositions, as well as popular melodies and songs of the participating countries of the festival – Kazakhstan, Iran, Latvia, Turkey, Uzbekistan, performed in the original languages by Turkmen soloists and the united ensemble of musicians of Lebap velayat.

The song “Gel Türkmenistana”, performed in Turkmen, Russian and English, became an invitation to independent neutral Turkmenistan, a country of peace and friendship of peoples.

The concert program was completed by a bright performance of the united ensemble of velayat creative collectives with the incendiary composition “Dost-dogany jem edip – toý toýlaýar Diýarym!”.

The anthem of the new era of the Turkmen state and its initiator – President Serdar Berdimuhamedov was the song “Alkyş Arkadagly Serdara!”, performed at the end of the concert by all its participants.

The festival events continued in the afternoon at the Museum of History and Local Lore of Lebap velayat, where the opening of an exhibition of works of decorative and applied art and handicrafts took place.

Visitors got acquainted with the exhibition with great interest, unfolded in the lobby and on the square of one of the largest museum halls, where an unforgettable atmosphere of national labor and national culture reigned.

Craftsmen demonstrated and fascinatingly told stories about the process of making carpets and pottery, embroidery, various national instruments, working with wood and metal…

The attention of numerous lovers and connoisseurs of decorative and applied art was attracted by the exhibits of foreign participants of the festival: filigree crafts made of wood and tin, painted glass products, inlaid caskets, board games, decoupage of fabrics and on fabrics, jewelry, and paintings made in the technique of “ebru”.

A special color and ornamental tonality distinguish the artifacts presented at the exhibition from different regions of our country, as well as Iran, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, the Republic of Korea and Latvia, which can be equally attributed to craft and art.

In the evening, the guests were invited to the Seyitnazar Seydi State Musical Drama Theater to watch the feature film “Gyzyl kürte”, the plot of which is based on real events of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

The film, filled with vivid details of Turkmen life, was released on the big screen this year, its premiere took place in June – during the celebration of the Day of Workers of Culture and Art, as well as the poetry of Makhtumkuli Fragi. The work of Russian cinematographers has a great success not only among the audience of our country, but also abroad, as it was presented in a number of international film festivals.

Tomorrow, within the framework of the forum “Handicrafts and Decorative and Applied Arts in the Heritage of the Peoples of the World”, Lebap Velayat Library will host a scientific and practical conference “Adaty senetçilik we amaly-haşam sungaty dünýä halklarynyň mirasynda” to discuss topical issues of preserving, studying and popularizing the national heritage, integral components of which are handicrafts and decorative and applied arts.

A presentation of national costumes will take place in the building for mass events adjacent to the “Türkmeniň ak öýi”.

Foreign guests will continue to get acquainted with the sights of the city on the Amu Darya.

Creative meetings and master classes are also scheduled as part of the forum program.

The closing ceremony of the festival will be held on October 14 at the Museum of History and Local Lore of Lebap velayat.