The Day of the Languages of the Peoples of the Russian Federation marked at National Centre RUSSIA for the first time
The National Centre RUSSIA hosted the central event dedicated to the Day of the Languages of the Peoples of the Russian Federation. The event brought together 150 participants, including teachers of Russian and other languages of the peoples of Russia, students from media classes, and members of literary clubs from Moscow and other regions. The agenda focused on preserving linguistic legacy, shared cultural imagery, and the role of literature, theatre and cinema in bringing the peoples of Russia together.
A message of greetings from President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to participants in the celebrations dedicated to the Day of the Languages of the Peoples of the Russian Federation was read out by Yelena Yampolskaya, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation.
"I congratulate you on the Day of the Languages of the Peoples of the Russian Federation. It is symbolic that this new holiday, timed to coincide with the birthday of Rasul Gamzatov — a great son of Dagestan and of our multinational homeland — is being celebrated for the first time in the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia. In our country, representatives of around two hundred peoples and ethnic groups live together in friendship and harmony. Their languages, distinctive traditions and customs are our common legacy and Russia's true wealth. That is why the state gives priority to preserving ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity," the President said in his message.
During the dialogue, Yelena Yampolskaya noted that the need for such a holiday had long been apparent, given that almost 200 peoples and ethnic groups live and interact in Russia. She stressed that preserving this linguistic and cultural diversity is of fundamental importance.
"My position is simple: the people themselves should preserve their language, while the state must create the conditions for its preservation. Establishing a new holiday is another important step in this direction. A language is not simply a set of sounds, letters or rules. Every language carries unique meanings and values. It is through languages and cultures that the peoples of our country enrich one another. It is therefore important that no language should disappear and that each one should be carefully preserved. We have already adopted the Fundamentals of the State Language Policy, and a new law 'On the Languages of the Peoples of the Russian Federation' is being prepared; textbooks and their electronic versions are also being developed. This work is essential to ensure that languages are not only preserved, but also studied and passed on to future generations," Yelena Yampolskaya said.
She also recalled that the Day of the Languages of the Peoples of the Russian Federation is celebrated on 8 September, the birthday of Rasul Gamzatov. According to Yelena Yampolskaya, the poet's work exemplified a harmonious combination of his love for the Avar language — the language of his family and native land — and the Russian language, which opened the way for him to readers and to the wider world of culture.
Maxim Dreval, Director General of the Russian society Znanie, also addressed the participants with welcoming remarks:
"Despite the country's multilingualism, it is the Russian language that enables people from different ethnic backgrounds to study, work and build a common future together. Thanks to its unifying role, the cultures of different peoples become part of the legacy of Russia as a whole. I would like to thank all the teachers of our native languages for the work you do. Congratulations on our shared holiday! The Russian society Znanie will always stand with you."
During the open dialogues, participants turned to works of Russian, Tatar, Bashkir, Yakut and Avar literature and oral folk traditions, exploring language as an important part of cultural memory and the shared legacy of the peoples of Russia.
Yevgeny Knyazev, Rector of the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute and People's Artist of Russia, noted that preserving the languages of the peoples of Russia is also important for maintaining a sense of national identity. He said that the institute trains representatives of different peoples of Russia every year, including in national studios, where students create works not only in Russian but also in their native languages.
"It is important to me that everyone should be proud of their language. I would not want all the stars in the sky to come together into one enormous star — we already have the sun for that. I want everyone to have their own star. And my star is my language. Every people, every ethnic group has its own language, and I would like everyone to be proud of their language," Yevgeny Knyazev said.
He also stressed that Russian remains the common language of communication, while preserving national languages is particularly important in a multinational environment where they may gradually be forgotten.
People's Artist of Russia Dmitry Kharatyan devoted his address to the role of cinema in shaping a shared cultural code and referred to Robert Rozhdestvensky's poem "Ballad of the Little Man". Khurmatulla Utyashev, People's Artist of the Republic of Bashkortostan, spoke about preserving the cultural legacy of the peoples of Russia. Iskander Khairullin, Honoured Artist of the Republic of Tatarstan, spoke about the shared heroes, meanings and cultural imagery of the peoples of Russia, referring to the work of Tatar poet Gabdulla Tukay. An excerpt from the Bashkir epic "Ural-batyr" was performed during the dialogue. Anastasia Alekseyeva, an actress at the Olonkho Theatre, presented an excerpt from the Yakut olonkho "Nyurgun Bootur", introducing participants to one of the key works of the traditional culture of the Sakha people.
A separate part of the programme was dedicated to the work of Rasul Gamzatov. Magomed Bisavaliev (Aliyev), Director of Gamzat Tsadasa Avar Music and Drama Theatre, and theatre actress Amina Abdulatipova spoke about Rasul Gamzatov's language, culture and the shared memory of the peoples of Russia. They performed Gamzatov's famous poem "Cranes" in the Avar language.
The event also featured a ceremony presenting letters of appreciation from the President of the Russian Federation to lecturers and educators who have contributed to promoting and preserving the languages of the peoples of Russia.
It became a platform for discussing how the linguistic legacy of the peoples of Russia is preserved not only in everyday speech, but also in literature, theatre, cinema, epics and other forms of culture. Through works representing different peoples, participants explored values and cultural imagery shared across Russian culture.
Event photobank
One of the key topics on the second day was caring for schoolchildren's health, emotional wellbeing and safety.
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