On September 11-14 the 10th St Petersburg International Cultural Forum took place at the same time Russia is chairing CIS and BRICS.
In the centre of attention – unity and cooperation
This forum is not called the Forum of United Cultures in vain; at the centre of its vision is the fostering of humanitarian ties, the exchange of ideas and opinions, multiculturalism and multipolarity, the opportunity for representatives of various cultures to listen and hear each other and discuss issues and challenges common to all. In his speech at the plenary session of the Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that its very name encompasses “recognition of the civilizational diversity of the world, the natural right of people to identity, respect for traditional values and religions and, of course, the unconditional equality of states in shaping the world cultural agenda”.
The Russian leader recalled that “the key to the development of cultures lies in constant interaction and mutual enrichment… A powerful creative force lies in the unity of different cultures and traditions”. For Russia, such unity is “the source of our national identity”. On a global scale, against this background, one can now observe “the time of the formation of a new common international infrastructure of national cultures”.
At the same time, the President stressed: “the importance of humanism and dialogue, mutual respect and trust in the world is shared by the world majority”, however, due to the hostile activities of globalist elites, “it is under constant pressure and threat of erosion, primarily due to the unprecedented politicisation of the cultural sphere, turning it into a weapon of geopolitical intrigue, due to constant attempts to push people to the side-lines of life, to belittle the importance of national value systems”. One can increasingly see that “the value agenda promoted by Western elites ignores – and sometimes intentionally offends – global religions, cultural traditions of entire regions of the world”. This has already become obvious to the ‘world majority’ and they see the ‘future of culture’ in a completely different way – “in mutual respect and trust, in equal international cooperation”.
Thus, the tone of the Forum was set. These principles and values – and this is very important – are aligned completely with the idea of a multipolar world, which almost all non-Western states, i.e. the ‘world majority’, have come to realise the need to build.
The friendly ones and the rest
This majority, in all its cultural diversity, including the densely populated and multinational countries of Eurasia, Africa, and Latin America, were widely represented at the Forum. The sessions and discussions were attended by representatives of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, UAE, Vietnam, Thailand, Mongolia, Brazil, Venezuela, Cuba, South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and many other states and international organisations.
Equally noteworthy is the participation of cultural figures from countries clearly unfriendly to Russia, e.g. France, Germany and Italy. It seems that, over time, an increasing number of people in the West will eventually realise that it is impossible to discriminate, to ‘cancel’ culture or create a conflict of political contradictions with cultural exchanges. The language of cultural ties is universal; they are vital for all mankind.
From museums to AI
The Forum programme stretched over four days and was packed with both business and creative and cultural events. Participants discussed the most pressing and relevant subjects for the whole world: preservation of cultural heritage, development of education in the field of culture, prospects for modern cinema, the interaction between culture and mass media, the role of art in socio-cultural rehabilitation of people with serious health problems, opportunities for the application of artificial intelligence technologies in the field of culture in a manner safe and beneficial for humanity and so forth. There were ten thematic sections in total: ‘The Right to Heritage in a Multipolar World’, ‘Artificial Intelligence in Culture and National Sovereignty’, ‘Cultural Heritage: Traditions and Modernity’, ‘Business Culture’, ‘Media Culture’, ‘Cinema’, ‘Theatre’, ‘Musical Culture’, ‘Circus’, ‘Museums’.
A number of sessions were focused on specific areas of international cooperation, which, from a practical point of view, was convenient and, likewise, significant. Thus, discussions were held on ‘Towards the Eurasian partnership’, ‘Cinematography of the CIS countries. Common past, sovereign present, multipolar future’, ‘CIS countries — ways of rapprochement’, ‘Museum cooperation: activities of ICOM (International Council of Museums) in Russia and the world’, ‘Origins and new opportunities for dialogue between theaters of Russia and China’, ‘Potential and formats of theatrical interaction between Russia and the BRICS countries’.
CIS and BRICS: increase in humanitarian contacts
Major international events beyond the framework of the Forum were held in St Petersburg through both multilateral structures. Meetings of the Council for Cultural Cooperation of the CIS member states and a meeting of the Ministers of Culture of the BRICS countries were held.
The Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, Olga Lyubimova, raised the issue of preparing for the joint celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War in 2025 and took the initiative to create a CIS youth choir. It was proposed to appoint the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music as the curator of the project from the Russian side.
The meeting of BRICS Culture Ministers brought together representatives of Russia, Brazil, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Iran, UAE and Ethiopia. According to Olga Lyubimova, the meeting (the 9th in a row over the years of the group’s work) has become a landmark, as it is taking place for the first time after the large-scale expansion of the BRICS. “BRICS is an open club of like-minded people, uniting the world’s largest political, economic and, of course, cultural centers”, the minister said, noting that she was glad to welcome new participants for the first time.
The results of the meeting are reflected in the joint declaration. Decisions have been made on increasing the number of BRICS art festivals and creating a special calendar of cultural events of the association. In the near future, new BRICS members are scheduled to join the alliances of museums, galleries, libraries and youth theatres of the group and join the Agreement on Cooperation in the field of Culture (2015). The initiatives taken by the Russian side are as follows: the creation of alliances of folk dance and film schools of BRICS countries.
In addition, Olga Lyubimova invited BRICS countries to participate in Eurasian film projects: the Eurasian Academy of Cinematographic Arts and the Open Eurasian Film Awards. The joint declaration also identified several other areas of further cooperation: the preservation of cultural heritage, creation of a BRICS creative industries platform with the involvement of experts from the countries of the association so as to harmonise the terminological and methodological base, exchange best practices and develop joint projects for sustainable production and consumption in the field of culture, including in the context of combating climate challenges. The BRICS New Development Bank will be able to support new joint projects.
Cultural programme: BRICS and more
The BRICS Cultural Festival was timed to coincide with the Forum. It took place at the Alexandrinsky Theatre on the opening day. The audience saw performances by leading musicians from the countries of the association: laureates of international competitions from Russia, Brazil, India, China, South Africa and the UAE. The genre diversity of the evening was impressive; the Russian stage brought together works of classical music, gospel, a virtuoso guitarist and a performance on a traditional Indian musical instrument, the sitar. Responding to the purpose of the Forum, the organisers combined the musical traditions of different peoples.
Another concert within the framework of BRICS cooperation was held on the evening of September 13 at the Palace Square. It likewise demonstrated the connection of different cultures: duets of Russian popular performers with singers and musicians from BRICS countries performed in front of the visitors. Denis Maidanov with opera singer Ahmed al-Hosani from the UAE, Habib with Indian singer Sayli Ke, Yulianna Karaulova with Brazilian singer and violinist Matu Miranda, ST with Chinese performer Guo Ren, Garik Burrito with jazz singer from South Africa Dudu Makhoba. Thanks to its unique organisational idea, the concert attracted wide attention of the public and gathered a lot of spectators, who warmly welcomed all of the evening’s guests.
In addition to these events, the business agenda of the Forum was complemented by other events of a diverse cultural programme, each of them bright and memorable in its own way: an evening of music by M. I. Glinka at the State Academic Chapel of St Petersburg in honour of the 220th anniversary of the composer’s birth, an exhibition of works by the studio of military artists named after B. Grekova ‘Breathing Love for the Motherland …’, presentation of the books ‘Life for one’s own friends’ and ‘There is no bond holier than comradeship’, released by the State Foundation ‘Defenders of the Fatherland’ edited by Zakhar Prilepin, concert of creative teams of the Armed Forces of Russia ‘About valour, about exploits, about glory…’ at the State Academic Chapel of St Petersburg, the exhibition ‘Pushkinskaya 10. The Ark of the XXI Century’ in the Central Exhibition Hall ‘Manege’ of more than 400 works of various genres (painting, graphics, sculpture, photography, installations), an exhibition of works by Belarusian artists in the Russian Museum, a gala concert of opera and ballet stars of Russia and Kazakhstan at the Mikhailovsky Theater, a musical show ‘Singing Bridges”’ an exhibition ‘Petersburg! Life in the city …’ at the Levashovsky Bakery Cultural Centre, the presentation of the Hermitage Prize, the premiere of B. Eifman’s ballet ‘Crime and Punishment’, the international circus festival ‘Without Borders’. Among these events, each guest of the Forum could find something that warmed his heart and feel the trend of the times in combination with enduring cultural values.
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The Cultural Forum has become a truly significant event in international cultural life. According to the organisers, this year it gathered about 2,000 participants from 80 countries. The main thing that its programme provided was humanitarian contacts, live communication and a discussion of the most pressing problems faced by Russian and foreign cultural figures. Russia has once again shown its openness and interest in other cultures, the ability to hear its partners and act with them in an ensemble.
It is encouraging to observe the ‘cultural’ expansion of BRICS, the initiative of Russia during its presidency of BRICS and CIS and the wide representation of African countries at the Forum. Everyone answers the question of choosing between sovereignty and globalism in the name of the Forum for himself, but the participation of the countries of the ‘world majority’ has become the clearest demonstration of genuine multipolarity, mutual respect for the traditions of different peoples and mutual interest in their cultures. In practice, the results of the Forum should be reflected in joint projects, the continuation of established contacts between specialists from different countries and better mutual understanding between representatives of different cultures – both in cultural contacts and in international cooperation in general.
Ksenia Muratshina, PhD in History, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Southeast Asia, Australia and Oceania of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”
