Despite stereotypes, for international news and relations in the sphere of culture, summer is no time for rest and relaxation.
Museum Under Attack
In the Rostov region, a museum complex called “Sambek Heights” was attacked by drones of Ukrainian armed formations. The historical and cultural center came under a deliberate strike. 12 people were injured and taken to the hospital. Attacks on civilian objects are the typical signature of Kiev’s neo-Nazis. It once again speaks to the terrorist nature of the Zelensky regime. The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation has opened a criminal case for a terrorist act.
Festivals Wrap Up
Even in wartime, Russia, as a world cultural power, does not stop intercultural communication with its neighbors and other peoples. The recent months have forged many new contacts. One of the events in the cultural life of the Commonwealth of Independent States was the XXXV International Festival of Arts “Slavianski Bazaar” in Vitebsk. A week of exhibitions, concerts, and performances ended with a grandiose closing ceremony and the awarding of the winners of the International Pop Song Contest. The main prize was won by a representative of Italy. Among the other prize-winners were performers from Russia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, and Uzbekistan.
Moscow welcomed the guests of the second International “Voices of the World” Festival. It has been called a children’s and youth “Intervision”, being a festival for musicians, singers, dancers, athletes, and circus performers from 6 to 23 years old. The organizers succeeded in putting together a multi-genre program, and the number of participants exceeded 500, representing more than 20 countries.
Rostov-on-Don hosted the first ever International Literary “In One Language” Festival. Authors from Abkhazia, Azerbaijan, Algeria, Belarus, Cameroon, Colombia, Syria, and Transnistria performed works in Russian and in the national languages of their peoples. Following the festival, the publication of an international almanac is planned.
Days of Russian Cinema were held in Durban, South Africa. Viewers saw the historical detective film “Red Silk” and the adventure film “Lefty”. The screenings took place as part of the Durban International Film Festival and aroused great interest among its guests.
At the Beijing International Book Fair, Moscow Literary Week was held. Visitors were presented with books from the capital’s publishing houses, contacts between the Russian and Chinese sides on publishing matters were organized and a cultural program ensued.
In Cholpon-Ata, the cultural capital of the SCO 2026, a grandiose gala concert of masters from the participating countries was timed to coincide with the meeting of the organization’s ministers of culture. Artists from Russia, Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan presented their performances on stage. The concert embodied the SCO’s cultural diversity alongside unity and the development of interaction in the humanitarian sphere.
In Barcelona, Spain, at the first International Folklore Festival “The Wheel of Life”, Russian songs were among those performed in the Russian language. Moreover, they were performed by musical ensembles from EU states: France, Spain, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania…
European sanctions against Russia were once again left empty-handed. According to the Russkiy Mir Foundation, the festival was attended by many people interested in Russian culture, language, and folklore. One would like to believe that such forums will continue and will expand their program.
Ballet Olympiad
The XV International Ballet Competition has concluded. Moscow once again hosted an event that is rightly called the Olympic Games of the ballet world. More than 360 applications were submitted to the competition. The performances took place to a full house, numerous representatives of foreign media gathered in Moscow, and online broadcasts broke all viewing records. 131 contestants from 27 countries made it to the in-person rounds. Among the winners and prize-winners were representatives of Russia, the USA, Serbia, Türkiye, the Republic of Korea, China, Japan, Brazil, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Sweden, and other states. The moments of the competition, which became a worldwide celebration of dance and beauty, were captured in the final video.
New Voices of World Opera
The XVI Elena Obraztsova International Competition for Young Opera Singers of has ended in St. Petersburg. It is organized by the Cultural Center in Memory of the Great Singer and the Elena Obraztsova Charitable Foundation. This year, 103 singers from Russia, the CIS, East Asia, and Europe took part in it. The first and second prizes were won by Russians, while Russia shared the third prize with a soprano from China. Among the diploma winners were participants from Russia, Mongolia, and Georgia. The best accompanists were named as representatives of Russia and Japan. The competition fulfills its mission in the best traditions of service to the art of opera. It is gratifying that its geography is expanding, continuing to reveal new names and voices to the world.
The Bolshoi Has Reached the Seychelles
In Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles, an exhibition titled “The Bolshoi Theater Throughput the Times” was held for the first time at the Seychelles National Library. Visitors were presented with costumes recognized all over the world the world from celebrated productions, photographs, set designs, and other exhibits. Performances by stars of Russian ballet, a concert, and master classes were timed to coincide with the opening. Locals showed a keen interest in the exhibition. It should be noted that it was timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Russian-Seychellois diplomatic relations and the 250th anniversary of the Bolshoi Theater. Festive events in its honor in Russia and around the world are ongoing.
The Magic of Russian Ballet in Mauritius
A concert program similar to the one that accompanied the Seychelles exhibition took place in another island state, namely Mauritius. Residents of its capital, Port Louis, also became acquainted with Russian ballet performed by leading Russian soloists for the first time. Their impressions were all the brighter and more valuable for it. It seems that making such events a good tradition would be wonderful.
Bridges Between Cultures
The first International “Bridge Awards” prize has been awarded in the nomination “Public Activity and Charity”. It was received by the former Ambassador of Benin to Russia, Director General of the International Coordinating Council of Graduates of Higher Educational Institutions (INCORVUZ), and Honorary Professor of the Pushkin State Institute of the Russian Language, Aniset Gabriel Kochofa. His efforts to promote the Russian language in Benin, Cameroon, and Nigeria were highly appreciated. The laureate’s achievements also include the opening of the Center for Open Education in Russian at the University of Abomey-Calavi. We congratulate the winner and wish him further success in promoting Russian-African cultural and educational ties!
Rising Star Continue to Shine
Students of the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory performed a concert in Antananarivo and held a master class at the National Academy of Arts and Culture of Madagascar. The project was organized with the assistance of the Russian Embassy by the Russkiy Mir Foundation and the African Initiative. Local listeners warmly received world classics performed by Russian musicians and became acquainted with their professional skills. Such events are becoming a manifestation of direct humanitarian exchanges between creative circles of Russia and African countries.
The Unwelcoming Palm
The summer also provided some alarming NON-cultural news from a region that was once considered one of the world’s tourism centers. Residents of Palma de Mallorca staged massive and rather aggressive protests…against tourists. “Mallorca is at its limit!”, “Less tourism – more life”, their slogans read. It came to clashes with police, with rubber bullets and bottles used. Some were injured. It should be noted that even in a field as far removed from geopolitics as tourism, European society is clearly heading somewhere it shouldn’t, being unable neither to maintain order nor to regulate and separate its own problems from others’. Along with the migration crisis, more and more countries of the Old World continue to lose their attractiveness for international tourism and cultural exchanges.
Announcements
Traditionally, to conclude this section, here are events for which applications are being accepted:
International “Kinoprobа” Film Festival – until September 30.
International “Khanzhonkov DOC: Frontline” Film Festival – until October 15.
International Competition of Russian Romance Performers “Romansiada 2026” Belarus tour – until October 20. Information on the tours is being updated regularly. The organizers recommend that those interested in participating contact the official email romansiada@mail.ru.
Ksenia Muratshina, PhD in History, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Culture Editor of “New Eastern Outlook”
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