A press conference earlier this week marked the start of the events in which people are being encouraged to discover the history, diversity and significance of the country’s cultural heritage. Announced by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research, the events will explore the overall European Heritage Days’ joint theme of Heritage and Education.

 

This year, 136 events are planned, with exhibitions, music recitals, seminars, excursions and lessons encouraging the public across the country to discover knowledge, traditions and skills of European and local heritage. Run in partnership with local public authorities, NGOs and volunteers, the events are being organized by public local authorities, museums, libraries, youth centres and educational institutions, with sanitation and training sessions having been provided.

 

Events this year include a folk show supported by the Epic Theatre of Ethnography and Folklore “Ion Creangă”, an exhibition featuring the most recent additions to the collections of the National Museum of Art of Moldova, and ‘I read, so I am ...’ featuring marathon readings from writers, museographers and readers of all ages at the "Mihail Kogălniceanu" National Museum of Literature.

 

Additionally, this year, the public will be particularly encouraged to consider ‘The Archaeology of Cultural Heritage’. Prompted by increased local tourism due to international travel restrictions during the pandemic, this awareness campaign will be emphasizing the responsibilities of individuals and communities in preserving cultural heritage for future generations. Organizations including The National Museum of History of Moldova, The National Archaeological Agency and the National Centre for Promotion and Conservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage will collaborate with public and voluntary associations to highlight the role of everyone in the campaign’s objectives.

 

The awareness campaign will visit nine nationally important locations, starting at the Orheiul Vechi Cultural-Natural Reserve and moving to the villages of Văleni, Slobozia Mare, Crihana Veche, Cheile Butești, Cobani, Climăuții de Jos, Vadul lui Rașcov and Mateuți. During the launch event, volunteers from the Caritas Moldova Foundation and locals will collect waste found in the Reserve, and students from the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design from the Ion Creangă Pedagogical State University will then transform it into objects of art to be displayed at a special exhibition, Butuceni ArtObject.

 

The exhibition will launch on the final day of the events, during a TV show on Moldova1. The special two-hour show about cultural heritage policies and activities will showcase the previous two weeks of European Heritage Days with reports from museums, footage from the awareness campaign and interviews with those who took part.

 

More information about the events and campaign can be found on the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research website, including a link to the 2020 programme.