Dr. Andreja Rihter, Director of the International Foundation Forum of Slavic Cultures (FSK), was a special guest at an international conference in Bursa, Turkey, where she spoke about the importance of intangible cultural heritage and presented examples of good practice from the Slavic world. She also met with the Mayor of Bursa, this year’s cultural capital of the part of the world, where Turkic languages are spoken.
»Records – whatever their format – that ensure the preservation of the richness of intangible cultural heritage are invaluable. Not only are they ‘preserved’, but they allow the past to interact with the present, give a sense of belonging and dynamism to intercultural dialogue, and offer inspiration for human creativity,« said Dr Andreja Rihter, Director of the Forum of Slavic Cultures, in her welcoming address to the nearly 50 participants at the International Museum Meeting of the Turkic world, adding that it is cultural heritage that enables dynamic dialogue, the consolidation of identity and cultural values, the preservation of diversity, the promotion of mutual respect and the sustainable development of humanity.
In her lecture, Rihter also presented good practices from Slavic museums. Several representatives of the latter (also long-standing partners of the FSK), including Meri Stojanova from the Institute and Museum of Bitola and Daniela Nikolova from Museum of Macedonian Struggle (North Macedonia) and Ivan Maksimović from the Ethnographic Museum of Belgrade (Serbia), also took part in the conference. Salim Ezer from Turksoy presented the digitisation of the art collection, a challenging and comprehensive project that will allow for the universal visibility of the art heritage in the Turksoy countries. At the end of the international conference, the museum directors signed a declaration on the establishment of the Federation of Museums of Turkic Countries.
During her working visit to Bursa, this year’s Cultural Capital of Turkic world, the Director of the FSK also met with the Mayor of Bursa, Alinur Aktaş, the Director of the Bursa Museums, Nazim Enes Altan, and the representative of Turksoy, Kanat Mambetaliev.
