Smiles, songs, dances at Festival featuring disabled children

Songs, dances, sketches and poetry performances were presented on Sunday by children with disabilities at the VII Festival “As vrea sa fiu si eu o stea” /“I would also like to be a Star”/ that took place at the National Philharmonic in Chisinau. Concurrently with the concert, the children presented a drawing exhibition inside the Philharmonic, where they tried to express their optimistic feelings in an attempt to say that are also part of society. “This is a Festival-competition for the children with disabilities, but all of them will eventually receive prizes and participation certificates, regardless of how they performed”, says Svetlana Bivol, the director of the National Philharmonic. “This is an opportunity for them to rejoice, to demonstrate us, the healthy people, that they also lead meaningful lives. These kids, with their energy and optimism, are trying to tell us that life is beautiful”. The 50 children with disabilities performing on stage were joined by a group of 15 disabled children from the Belorussian capital Minsk, who came here to support and encourage their peers, says Olesea Topal, the chairwoman of the Balti-based NGO “Stoicii”. Ms Topal added that the Festival is part of a series of activities dedicated to the persons with disabilities, that started on November 22 and will end on December 3. “We wanted to show these children that our attention to them is not limited to December 3, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities; we wanted to dedicate them a longer period, during which we'll hold multiple activities, exhibitions, meetings”. Ion Ciobanu, senior consultant at the Culture Ministry, says similar activities will be held all over the country. “This Festival represents a point from which we want to convey the truth that these persons can dance, sing, and create. This is a very touching moment, very impressive”. Attending the Festival, caretaker President Mihai Ghimpu wished the children to see their dreams about becoming stars come true and “brighter days every day”. He gave every children a chocolate and 5,000 lei to the organizing NGOs. The Festival was organized by the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Education, the association “Pro-tineret”, the association for children with disabilities “Motivatie”, the association “Stoicii”, the National Philharmonic, and the National Center for Children and Youth.