It was the final countdown of Shanyraq Fest Brussels, which took place from the 8th until the 11th of April in Brussels in different places! It was Nauryz, which was the reason we, all the guests, gathered in the magnificent garden of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Belgium, where we were treated by the first class musical performances (from etno and folklore to the classic ones)! We were witnessing traditional wedding ceremony and listening to different folk instruments, looking at dancing children and dehydrating Kazakh traditional food! The true queen of the day was the Kazakh Yurta, which was just assembled before this Fest!
Cercle Royal Gaulois et Artistique © photo Yelena van Kharitonova
Grateful for the Embassy of Kazakhstan for the invitation to attend this event! Kudos to H.E. Ambassador, who promoted the concept of cultural diplomacy and puts it into the reality! More than 500 guests were invited to attend Nauryz Fest on the territory of the Embassy!
Saint-Gilles townhall © photo Yelena van Kharitonova
H.E.Ambassador Roman Vassilenko plans to organize such the Shanyraq Fests annually, so more to come next year for sure! This Fest is a part of Shanyraq dialogues, which happen at the premises of the welcoming Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Belgium and invited interesting speakers to come and share their vision, experiences and ideas under the upper Shanyrak, which symbolizes unity and family! Speaking of which is necessary to say a few more words! Every visitor of the Embassy, the Fest and the Shanyraq dialogues is becoming a part of the extended and inclusive family!
At the embassy of Kazakhstan in Belgium © photo Yelena van Kharitonova
But back to this first edition of Shanyraq Fest!
It started on the 8th of April at Cercle Royal de Gaulois with a musical concert of the Astana Philharmonic Orchestra, artists came specially under patronage and great support of the Lord Major of Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan! The repertoire was colorful and multifaceted: from folk and etno music to classical popular songs! The honorary guest and the coordinator of 40 artists, who came to Belgium is a Director of the Fund of Creative Industries of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mr. Yerlan Kanalimov! According to him this Fund has enough resources to promote the rich culture of Kazakhstan outside and cultivate positive images of his motherland abroad! Many initiatives and projects are on the agenda planned and many are yet to come!
Saint-Gilles townhall © photo Yelena van Kharitonova
On the 9th of April it was a spectacular soirée, which took place at the Municipality of Saint Gilles, one of the most active ones in terms of hosting various events at its premises! The house was full and packed with friendly corps diplomatique representatives and all guests! The acoustics were perfect and the costumes of our guests from Astana were impressive! Speaking about Astana: the name of the event was: From Astana to Brussels! And so was it!
On the 10th of April it was a memorable and truly historic moment, when The Ambassador Vassilenko gave a national folk instrument as a present to the Museum of Musical Instruments. We all know it in Brussels and attend regularly.
All in all, all events of this new initiative were extremely successful and impactful for sure! These kind of festivities are one of the marks of cultural and creative developments in my Morherland and cultivate positive image of the county particular and Central-Asia in general! This boosts the economic exchanges, political dialogues and create and promote the culture of peace and understanding in the world! Voila!
Celebrating the year of the Horse
