Vieru taught us to look into future with hope, festival participants

“The fact that the truth lit people's lives is a great merit of poet Grigore Vieru. It is our duty to keep the flame burning as a candle,” Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca said during the second “Grigore Vieru” Festival on October 12, Info-Prim Neo reports. The festival includes recitals of music and poetry given by artists from Moldova and Romania. It starts in Iasi and continues in Chisinau. “Once a year, the festival enables us to connect the two banks of the Prut during four days,” said poet Daniel Corbu, who is one of the founders of the festival. In Chisinau, the festival was Tuesday preceded by laying of flowers to the grave of the late poet, the unveiling of a commemorative plaque representing Grigore Vieru and a symposium themed “Grigore Vieru at the Age of 75”. The events were attended by officials, writers, historians and literary critics from Moldova and Romania. “We will try in the future to hold this festival in winter, closer to the poet's birthday,” said Dorin Chirtoaca. Deputy Mayor of Iasi Romeo Olteanu said Vieru's poems unite the people. “Grigore Vieru left a treasure of words in the museum of our souls and we are obliged to maintain it. Grigore Vieru taught us to look into the future with hope,” he said. Poet Valeriu Matei said Grigore Vieru was and remains the symbol of the return to normality, language, nation. 2010 was declared the Year of Grigore Vieru. A number of scientific and cultural activities have been held in Chisinau this year, including the international scientific conference dedicated to the 75th birthday of poet-academician Grigore Vieru, institution and awarding of the Academy of Sciences' prize “Grigore Vieru”, printing of the commemorative volume “Grigore Vieru, the Poet!”.