Whether it is through words, colors, or sounds, art speaks about people, about the soul, about the light within us. For art and culture are what unite destinies.
Culture reflects the way we relate to ourselves and the manner in which we perceive and treat others. As Nicolae Iorga so eloquently stated, “without the banner of culture, a people is but a crowd, not an army.”
The days of August 15–18, spent in Satu Mare in a festive atmosphere, created a cultural, spiritual, literary, and artistic connection. The International Symposium “Closer through Literature and Folklore”, organized under the auspices of the IGF World Folklore Union, brought together writers from Turkey, France, Israel, Serbia, the Republic of Moldova, the United States, Germany, and Romania. Books, traditions, art, and symbols specific to each country’s culture bore witness to the respect and reverence for folklore, for the ancestral heritage of every nation represented at this event by people eager to learn and to express themselves in a single universal language — that of the joy of being together.
This cultural endeavor was first conceived a year ago, in Satu Mare, with the aim of bringing together writers from around the world, building a bridge between contemporary literature and art, and national tradition and folklore. The hosts of this year’s edition of the symposium were the same devoted individuals: Robert László, manager of the County Center for the Preservation and Promotion of Traditional Culture, writer, vice president of the National Folklore Association, and editor-in-chief of the cultural and opinion magazine Cronograf; Loredana Știrbu, editorial secretary of Cronograf, president of the Cronograf Literary Circle, a sensitive and talented writer who brings together literature enthusiasts and serves as the “soul” of countless literary gatherings; poet, prose writer, and journalist Felician Pop, currently president of the Satu Mare branch of the Union of Professional Journalists of Romania. Remaining within the literary sphere of Satu Mare, I cannot fail to mention the young Adrian Lupescu — poet, folk singer-songwriter, active member of the Cronograf Literary Circle, cultural program producer, and editor at Gazeta de Nord Vest.
The symposium “Closer through Literature and Folklore” also provided an exceptional occasion for the launch of the bilingual international anthology of folklore-rooted literature, “Woven Words” (Țesături de cuvânt), a project we contributed to with genuine dedication and passion: writer Robert László; Mr. Dorel Cosma, President of the IGF World Folklore Union, coordinator of the online publication BC Media, member of UZPR, member of the Australian-Romanian Academy and the editorial board of a literary journal in Paris, author of over 40 books, recipient of the “Omnia” Award from the Sibiu branch of the Romanian Writers’ Union, and winner of numerous international prizes in France, Turkey, Italy, and New York; Zorin Diaconescu, professor, journalist, poet, essayist, and promoter of literature in social media; myself, Cristina Mirela Rus, member of UZPR, with numerous articles published in local newspapers (Răsunetul, BC Media, Mișcarea Literară) as well as in Cronograf, producer of television shows, recipient of the “Doru Dinu Glăvan” Annual Award for journalistic literature in 2021, along with other distinctions for participation in cultural and literary events, editor and reviewer for works of well-known authors from Bistrița; and fellow contributors Carmen Petruț, Doris Nedelea, and Florin Coșoiu. The volume’s distinguished graphic design, reflecting its prestige, was made possible by the efforts of Nosa Nostra Publishing House in Bistrița.
Those who honored our invitation to share their styles, ideas, thoughts, and emotions — and whose works also enrich the pages of the Anthology — included remarkable writers and cultural figures from:
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Turkey: Murat Huryet, member since 2019 of the IGF Executive Council and, since 2023, President of IGF Turkish Folk Dances, recipient of an IGF “Oscar” for artistic achievements; Mesut Senol, member of the Turkish PEN Center, the Translators’ Union, the Writers’ Syndicate of Turkey, the Association of Turkish Journalists, the Union of Authors of Scientific and Literary Works, and FIJET, participant in numerous national and international poetry and literature festivals; poet Filiz Civa, member of the Writers’ Syndicate of Turkey and BESAM; Mevlut Soysal, editor-in-chief and coordinator of several local publications in Kocaeli, winner of awards in playwriting and short story competitions; Ergun Demir, journalist and editor-in-chief of a local news portal; Erdem Arcan, coordinator of the Izmit Municipal Academy of Arts, poet, photographer, and president of the Izmit Municipal Commission for Culture, Tourism, and Arts; Aslihan Ciftgu, passionate about both poetry and the visual arts, participant in national and international art fairs and exhibitions, and promoter of Turkish traditional sword and shield dances.
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Israel: Nidal Kaseem, playing a significant role in cultural life while supporting it through his legal expertise within IGF; Afif Shlewet, Arab writer and artist with extensive cultural contributions, participant in numerous local and international festivals and workshops, and recipient of multiple awards in both literature and acting.
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Serbia: Milan Lukic, poet and editor-in-chief of the Literary Newspaper of the Serbian Writers’ Association, also passionate about theater and folklore; Milan Panic, active promoter of cultural and literary heritage, editor, graphic designer, and member of multiple cultural organizations, dedicated to highlighting unifying cultural values at international meetings dedicated to literary art.
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Germany/Romania: Ioana Haidel, originally from Oltenia and settled in Germany since 1998, with professional experience in IT and medical studies, but whose first and enduring love remains writing. She translates her own novels into German, collaborates with newspapers in both Romania and Germany, and is a member of the Romanian Writers’ Union.
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Republic of Moldova: Veta Ghimpu Munteanu, radio producer, member of folklore ensembles, performer in musical films, recipient of numerous publications and awards, member of the Musicians’ Union of Moldova, founder of the “Andrei Tamazlâcaru” Library at the Chisinau Cultural Directorate, and initiator of the Moldovan Book Branch in Mestre, Italy; she is also the author of a valuable monograph of her native village, Paicu. Likewise, Silvia Zagoreanu — though absent from the Anthology’s pages — is a celebrated folk singer, radio producer at Radio Moldova, and Director of the Ungheni Municipal Palace of Culture.
The Woven Words Anthology also bears the names of other distinguished writers who, although unable to attend the Satu Mare event, enriched the volume with their creations: Joel and Florence Conte-Taillasson (Paris, France); Gino Leineweber (Germany); Theodor Damian (New York, USA); Prof. Dr. Bosko Suvajdzic (Serbia); and from Romania: Father Professor and writer Nicolae Feier, recipient in 2022 of one of the four Gold Star Awards (Ex Oscar) at the global level within IGF for his cultural achievements, member of UZPR, author of over 23 volumes, and visiting professor delivering international lectures under the auspices of the Romanian Cultural Institute and IGF in Istanbul, Bari, and beyond; Elena M. Cîmpan, Menuț Maximinian, Gheorghe Mizgan, Dumitru Alexandru Bar, David Dorian, Veronica Știr, Victor Știr, and Alin Cordoș — figures who carry fragments of their own souls, and of their nation’s soul, into the intricate embroidery of their written works.
The celebratory days in Satu Mare were further enriched by events such as the gathering in Beltiug, which felt like a rustic festivity brimming with dance and joy — a delightful escape from the whirl of daily routines, offering moments of genuine beauty and authenticity. Together with our guests, beneath the scorching summer sun, we rejoiced in another celebration of beauty, through song and tradition, at the Codru Folklore Festival in Oțeloaia, Homoroade commune. On a stage set above Lake Oțeloaia, in a natural setting perfectly suited to the event’s spirit, we admired the splendid costumes, the vibrant performances, and the profound love for Romanian folk music demonstrated by ensembles, children, young people, and seasoned artists such as Nicolae Mureșan and Nicolae Mureșan Jr., Lavinia Goste and Marius Zorilă, Sava Negrean Brudașcu, Petre Petruse, Veta Ghimpu Munteanu, and Silvia Zagoreanu.
The Woven Words Anthology, where literature intertwines so harmoniously with its folkloric roots, the symposium “Closer through Literature and Folklore”, as well as the folklore festivals that took place, all speak of that eternity that Blaga so beautifully evoked when he wrote that “eternity was born in the village,” and also of the soaring of thought and of the poetic and artistic soul toward the immortality of the written word.
