Chisinau will host the 7th edition of the Festival of Ethnic Minorities

On Sunday, September 16, the Public Garden “Stefan cel Mare si Sfant” in Chisinau will host the 7th edition of the Festival of Ethnic Minorities themed “Unity through Diversity”. According to the Chief of the Department of social-humanitarian and interethnic relations, Nina Stratulat, this year’s edition will bring together 22 ethno-cultural organisations from Chisinau. Nina Stratulat mentioned that this Festival became a holiday for various ethnicities, among which the friendship and peace gets stronger year by year. The Festival will begin at 10.00 with the ceremony of laying flowers to the Monument of Stefan cel Mare si Sfant. After the official opening of the festival in the Public Garden “Stefan cel Mare si Sfant”, the guests will be invited to visit the improvised mini-pavilions of the participant organisations, also called the “streets” of ethnicities. According to the assistant director of the Bureau of Interethnic Relations, Vera Petuhov, the participants of the Festival will display on their stands decorative and artesian artworks, books in native languages, as well as folk costumes and popular traditions. The stage installed by the central fountain will host artistic events, while on the area of the “Guguta” café the experts of different ethnical groups will display food representing their cultures. The programme of the day will close with an entertaining participation of the Park Department’s fanfare. The festival’s climax will be Dance of Friendship, started off by the representatives of all ethnicities around the fountain in the Public Garden “Stefan cel Mare si Sfant”. According to the interim chief of the Department of Culture, Leonid Gorceac, the Chisinau City Hall will provide technical support in organising of the Festival of Ethnic Minorities this year as well. The City Hall will provide the stage and sound equipment, while the specialised municipal service will provide electric energy and water, as well as security and medical assistance. The Ethno-folk Festival “Unity through Diversity” is organized by the Chisinau City Hall in cooperation with the Bureau of interethnic relations on an annual basis on the third Sunday of the month of September. At the same time, similar manifestations are being held in other districts of the country as well.