The TURKSOY Theater Festival has ended in Turkmenistan

​On October 20, the II Theater Festival of the member countries of the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY) ended in the capital.

This significant event was a solemn dedication to the ancient Turkmen city of Anau, which this year became the cultural capital of the Turkic world, as well as to the 300th anniversary of the great poet Mahtumkuli Fragi.

The holding of the theatrical forum of the Turkic peoples in our country confirms the high peacekeeping mission of the independent neutral Turkmen state, which today successfully uses the entire arsenal of cultural diplomacy to develop constructive international cooperation.

At the same time, the events held within the framework of the forum testify to the priority attention paid by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov to the improvement of national culture, its popularization in the world, strengthening international creative contacts and sharing the experience of representatives of theatrical art, which has received a new impetus to its development in the modern era.

For three days, Ashgabat residents and guests of the Turkmen capital received vivid impressions of the sparkling, full of creative discoveries and unforgettable meetings of the friendship holiday. All performances of the artists were held to a full house at the best stage venues in Ashgabat. Our guests – the collectives of the Musical Drama Theater of the Khorezm region of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Mangystau Regional Musical Drama Theater named after Nurmukhan Zhanturin of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Issyk-Kul Musical Drama Theater named after Kasymala Zhantoshev of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, the State Sivas Theater of the Turkish Republic brought their best works to the festival, among which new productions and widely known performances that deserved great audience success. Thus, Turkmen citizens got a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the theatrical art of the TURKSOY member countries, with bright acting, directing and scenic works.

The Turkmen theater performs an important function of patriotic, aesthetic and moral education, familiarizing the viewer with national and world culture, and contributes to the development of international cultural dialogue. In short, the national stage art, which is directly addressed to the viewer, preaches universal ideals and moral values.

This was fully confirmed by the productions of the theater groups of the Main Academic Drama Theater of Turkmenistan named after the Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi, the National Musical Drama Theater named after Mahtumkuli, the National Drama Theater named after Alp Arslan, the State Musical Drama Theater named after Seyitnazar Seydi of the Lebap Velayat, etc.

Regardless of the genre and form of presentation of stage material, all performances were distinguished by full creative dedication and sincerity, deep originality, originality of interpretation of images, commitment to eternal and understandable themes in any language – honor and duty, love and friendship, moral purity and human dignity, the search for the meaning of life, etc. Each performance of talented artists was imbued with love and respect for the centuries-old traditions of the culture of friendly peoples.

The participants of the theater forum visited the Seyit Dzhemaletdin monument complex. It contains monuments of national culture and bygone times. Today, the modern city of Anau is flourishing here on the same scale, which is being systematically built up with social infrastructure facilities.

The Seyit Dzhemaletdin Mosque, like other monuments of our people, is included in the World Heritage List and is considered a sacred object. Since the values next to the mosque are under protection, major reconstruction is impossible, and this is very important in terms of preserving it in its original form for future generations.

As part of the festival, the staff of the National Drama Theater named after Alp Arslan showed the play "Akyldar".

One of the events in the festival context was the TURKSOY Biennale dedicated to the historical monuments of the Anau, which took place at the Museum of Fine Arts of Turkmenistan, becoming a tribute to the veneration of cultural heritage and a demonstration of a new creative understanding of common traditions in art.

It should be noted that the dialogue of national cultures and civilizations is of particular importance for the political, economic and cultural rapprochement of the continents. Culture is a kind of bridge uniting different peoples and nations, since it is its language that is accessible and understandable without translation. And various creative events, including film and theater festivals, Cultural Days of different countries of the world, international exhibitions and fairs, have become a symbol of friendship and mutual understanding.

Such events are held in order to expand ties, popularize, and enrich the spiritual life of peoples. This is the only way to preserve the continuity of the best traditions of centuries-old intercultural relations.

On the final day of the festival, during the 10th meeting of the heads of theaters of TURKSOY members, colleagues in the workshop discussed current trends in the development of the theater, the possibilities of further interaction. As noted, new forms are being used today to attract the viewer, advanced technologies and achievements of scientific and technological progress are being applied, and bold experiments are being conducted. The past and the present, traditions and innovations, folklore and creative ideas coexist harmoniously on the stage.

The potential of the performing arts is also widely used in large-scale events, including cultural and sporting events. At the same time, the life-affirming spiritual message that the theater carries, its role in the aesthetic and moral education of people, especially young people, remains unchanged. The phenomenon of his eternity and youth is that the theater is always a celebration and emotions, history and life itself, creativity and talent.

The heads of the TURKSOY member theaters expressed their sincere gratitude to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov for the hospitality, the high level of organization of the forum, the creation of favorable conditions for comprehensive creative activity and strengthening international contacts in the field of culture and art of the Turkic-speaking peoples.

In the evening, the closing ceremony of the II Theater Festival of the member countries of the International Organization of Turkic Culture took place at the Main Academic Drama Theater of Turkmenistan named after the Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi.

It was noted in the speeches that the main purpose of the events held within the framework of the project "Cultural Capitals of the Turkic World" is to establish cooperation between the Turkic peoples for the preservation and development, transfer to future generations of common material, cultural and spiritual values. It was also emphasized that modern theater is one of the important means of preserving and developing the language, broadcasting cultural and historical heritage to future generations. Support for the theatrical movement of Turkic–speaking countries and regions is one of the priorities of the International Organization TURKSOY, which consistently supports various international forums.

The participants noted that an important factor in the development of theater in the modern world is the creative communication of theater groups carried out at the venues of international festivals and other meetings. In this context, the need to further intensify cultural exchanges, promote the implementation of existing and create new projects in the theatrical sphere was emphasized.

The participants of the performance art show were awarded diplomas, prizes and memorable gifts.

According to the laureates, the current festival has made a significant contribution to the popularization of the unique historical and cultural heritage of the Turkic peoples.

The overwhelming feelings of gratitude of our guests to the head of the Turkmen state, the Hero-Arkadag, were expressed this evening in a creative form. A song praising the progressive policy of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and the Hero Arkadaga sounded high and inspired, to the applause of the participants under the arches of the magnificent hall.

The participants of the II Theater Festival of the member countries of the International Organization of Turkic Culture accepted a letter of thanks to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, in which they expressed gratitude to the head of the Turkmen state for his tireless care for the development of national culture, creation of favorable conditions for comprehensive creative activity.

Source: State News Agency