By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo
On August 26, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in the opening ceremony of the thirteenth International Music Festival “Sharq Taronalari”.
The President of Uzbekistan greeted the guests and expressed his best wishes on behalf of the people. He noted that today, the “Sharq Taronalari” festival has become a festival of world melodies in essence and meaning.
“How many fascinating, beautiful melodies have sounded over the past time under the starry sky of Samarkand! Thanks to our forum, the musical values formed in the ancient East have won wide international recognition. The festival revealed the names of dozens of talented singers and musicians, gifted young people, gave them wings to fly, gave their creativity strength and inspiration”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.
In recent years, the number of such events has increased in the country. International festivals of the art of maqom, bakhshi, handicrafts, folklore, and dance “Great Silk Road” and “Lazgi”, and the Tashkent International Film Festival are held regularly. They have become a kind of noble appeal to the humanity of Uzbekistan for peace, harmony, friendship, and unity.
“In the current troubled times, preserving the original and humanistic values is increasingly difficult. In such a difficult situation, true art, music, and literature, originating from sacred sources, glorifying the ideals of humanism, must enter the arena as a life-affirming force, bringing peace and goodness to people, overcoming the boundaries of time and space”, the President of Uzbekistan said.
The Head of state drew attention to the issues of strengthening friendship and harmony between peoples, studying the musical heritage, and passing it on to future generations. In this context, it was proposed to create a separate encyclopedia and its virtual version – a multifunctional information platform displaying the history and traditions of the “Sharq Taronalari” festival, containing extensive information about the rich and diverse musical culture of the East, as well as to organize an international Club of Friends of the Festival. An initiative was put forward to hold concert programs with the participation of festival winners on prestigious stages in countries worldwide.
The ceremony was attended by honorary guests from UNESCO, TURKSOY, the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, the Commonwealth of Independent States and other organizations. More than 400 artists and scientists from almost 80 countries are participating in the festival this year.
The festival will include an international scientific and practical conference on “Musical Culture of the Peoples of the East: Principles of Creative Integration in the Process of Globalization”.
