The Palace of the Romanian Parliament has hosted Tuesday, May 9 2017 on the occasion of Europe Day a special event that will remain forever in the history of folk culture.
The event was initiated by the President of the IGF Prof.Dr. Dorel Cosma and senator Ioan Simionca and supported by the Culture and Media comision of the Romanian Senate.
The round table “We support the UE through folklore” acknowledged folklore as a crucial element of national heritage 10 years after Romania joined the EU and 140 years after the country’s independence.
The event was opened by the pop opera group “Distinto” from Romania and the soprano Maria Luigia from Italy who intoned the anthems of Romania and the EU.
The hosts of the festivity were Lucian Romașcanu, president of the Culture and Media comision of the Romanian Senate and Dr. Dorel Cosma, president of the IGF. Both speakers stressed the importance of folk culture in promoting national heritage, unity in diversity in the present European environment.
The guests from Romania and abroad who took part in this special event included the board members of the IGF (Nicolas Charlety – adjunct president , Benito Ripoli – adjunct president, Jose Antonio Viñas Mira – vice president, Ameen Kasem – vice president, Vladan Tesanovic – vice president, Rosen Bogdanov – secretary general, Pahone Pop – vice treasurer, Bulent Uzun – member of the artists’ board , and the writer Mesut Senol), ambassadors, members of Parliament, personalities of the cultural life and many other guests.
The IGF golden medallion was granted to several personalities present including Liliana Țuroiu, president of the Romanian Cultural Institute, h.e. Osman Koray Ertaş, ambassador of Turkey in Romania, Alexandru Pugna, secretary of the Romanian Ministry of Culture, senator Ioan Simionca, the mayors of Bistrita – Romania, San-Giovanni Rotondo – Italy, Razgrad – Bulgaria, Mirel Taloș, vice president of the Romanian Cultural Institute and other personalities as a recognition of their merits in support of the promotion and development of folk culture.
The Palace of the Romanian Parliament also hosted in the lobby an exhibition of posters about the most important events of the past years produced by the IGF. The exhibition attracted the interest of both Klaus Johannis, president of Romania and Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Comision who visited and appreciated it on the occasion of their visit in the Palace of Parliament on this festive occasion. Adding the manyfold messages and the ties that were developed between the guests from France, Bulgaria, Spain, Italy, Israel, Turkey, Germany, and Serbia makes the report on this event complete.
The end of the event belonged to the artists from Romania and abroad dressed in their folk costumes in a parade never seen before in the Romanian Parliament as remarked by Lucian Romașcanu, president of the Culture and Media comision.
I.G.F. – PRESS OFFICE
ADRIAN PUȘCAȘ