Slavianski Bazaar has become a source of creativity and new achievements, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at the opening ceremony of the 31st edition of the International Arts Festival Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk on 14 July.

“Dear Belarusians, our long-awaited guests! Once again the Slavianski Bazaar festival is reverberating around the ancient Vitebsk land. This melody is a mix of much-loved songs, the voices of truly popular artists, the applause of the most candid, sincere and open audience that has gathered here in this amphitheater. This applause reflects the centuries-old history of the unique Slavic culture that has enriched the world with extraordinary spirituality, depth and beauty. Like in all previous years these sounds chime in with the hearts of thousands of people who came to Belarus despite the distance and, unfortunately, certain obstacles,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

According to the president, this shows that art is eternal, and people’s yearning for friendship and peace overcomes and will overcome any obstacles. “I will say more: in today’s crazy, insane world that cancels culture and languages, rejects people on ethnic and other grounds, our festival has become almost the only life-giving spring, a source of creativity and new accomplishments!” the head of state said.

The single Slavic world which strength lies in its thousand-year history has to survive politically and culturally, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at the opening ceremony of the 31st edition of the International Arts Festival Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk on 14 July. “Of course, this festive, creative atmosphere is not the best time to talk about politics. Yet, politics has played a role in the history of Slavianski Bazaar from its very first day. And we did the right thing to retain and preserve our festival throughout the difficult period of the 1990s,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

According to the head of state, the motto of the festival “Through Art to Peace and Understanding” is more relevant than ever:

"When founding this festival, we could not even think that the single Slavic world which strength lies in its thousand-year history would be put to the test politically and culturally, that simple human values like friendship, trust, sincerity that serve as a vital link between countries and peoples would be lost.

 We could not even imagine that a friendly nation of Yugoslavia would disappear from the political map, the post-Soviet space would plunge into a series of armed conflicts, and NATO, a military bloc, would expand to the east scattering the Slavs across different sides of the barricades. But the most crushing blow was dealt eight years ago right at the very heart of the Slavic world - the Belarusian-Russian-Ukrainian brotherhood. And no matter how history is being twisted today, we lost Ukraine long before the start of the special operation. It was when its politicians themselves abandoned their Slavic identity, when we struggled to bring Ukrainians to perform on this stage, even those who had been living in other countries for a long time. Yet, no matter what it cost us, the Ukrainian language was spoken at the opening of the Slavianski Bazaar festival. And it will be spoken, including today. Moreover: it will always be spoken here!

 Ukraine, the brotherly Ukrainian people, will return to their family, and we must do everything to keep the festival going and welcoming visitors from all over the world. No one should doubt that our Slavic soul will endure everything and pull through, and the ideas of good, peace and justice will triumph again. No matter how hard the West tries to draw the Iron Curtain on us, guests from Europe and other continents continue coming."

During the opening ceremony the Belarusian President awarded young Belarusian singer Yelisei Kasich who won the Grand Prix of the International Children’s Song Contest.

Aleksandr Lukashenko also presented the Union State Award in Literature and Art 2021-2022. The award is designed to acknowledge the most impactful works of literature and art that made a meaningful contribution to strengthening brotherhood, friendship and cooperation between Belarus and Russia. The award was presented to several groups of artists taking part in the concert programs of the International Arts Festival Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk, the creators of the Rzhev Memorial to the Soviet Soldier and the team of the publishing project Historical Memory of the Union State timed to the 75th anniversary of the common Victory of the peoples of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War.