Number of events to promote Azerbaijani culture held in Reims
By Nigar Orujova
An Azerbaijani pavilion opened at the international fair being held in the city of Reims, France, on November 29.
Produces made in Ganja were displayed at the pavilion. Books related to the life and creativity of Azerbaijani poetess Mahsati Ganjavi prepared by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation on the occasion of the poetess's 900th jubilee were distributed at the pavilion, where Ganja wines, carpets and samples of decorative and applied art, as well as pomegranates and persimmons were displayed.
The mayor of Reims, Adeline Hasan, after meeting head of Ganja Executive Authority Elmar Valiyev, acquainted herself with the pavilions of the international fair, where produces from Ganja were displayed.
Carpet-maker-artist Faig Osmanov, master of decorative and applied art Vilayat Gourbanov and wine expert Namig Valiyev informed Hasan of the products they displayed at fair.
A number of cultural events were held as part of the 900th anniversary of Mahsati Ganjavi with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in the city of Reims during the last days of November.
Following UNESCO's decision to hold events on Mahsati Ganjavi's 900th anniversary, an exhibition was inaugurated in the city on November 28.
The poetry of the first Azerbaijani poetess, which draws attention with its philosophical essence, as well as the time's historical environment, daily life and samples of garments was presented at the exhibition.
Moreover, a concert devoted to Mahsati Ganjavi's 900th anniversary was held at the Reims Conservatory, one of the most famous music temples of Europe on November 30.
The host, Elizabeth Nacoco, mentioned that Azerbaijan situated in a region, where Asia and Europe meet, on the Silk Way, on the shore of the Caspian Sea.
"The first democratic republic in the Muslim Orient was established in Azerbaijan, a country with its ancient customs and traditions, back in 1918, and women were granted a right to vote, " she said.
He brought to the attention of the guests that first opera in the Muslim Orient was created in Azerbaijan in 1908, and the foundation of ballet was laid in our country in 1940.
Nacoco talked of the significant ties that Azerbaijan has built in cultural sphere with UNESCO and other international organizations, including those in France, a country considered to be the cradle of culture, due to tireless efforts by Mehriban Aliyeva, Azerbaijan's First Lady, the President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.
She also noted that the Heydar Aliyev Foundation had provided financial support to the repair of two monuments in the Versailles Castle; the Strasbourg Cathedral, and seven churches in Normandy.
According to Nacoco, exhibitions and concerts were held in a number of French cities, including Reims, with a view to promoting Azerbaijan in France within the project "Cultural Treasures of Azerbaijan - the Pearl of the Caucasus", and that these events were met by city residents with much interest.
Along with works by great Azerbaijani composers Uzeir Hajibeyli, Tofig Gouliyev, Fikret Amirov, Shafiga Akhundov and others, popular songs and songs composed to lyrics of Mahsati Ganjavi were performed, and rubaiyats by the poetess translated to French were read.
Officials of the Reims city municipality, members of the Champagne-Ardenne Regional Council, deputies, a delegation led by head of the Ganja Executive Authority Elmar Valiyev, and representatives of the Azerbaijani Diaspora attended the concert.
After the concert, books with rubaiyats of Mahsati Ganjavi - printed at the Heydar Aliyev Foundation's initiative - in the French and English languages were distributed among the guests.
Born in Ganja, Mahsati Ganjavi was a 12th century poet and a famous rubai writer, with her most productive period was spent in the palace of Sultan Mahmud Seldjuk and that of his uncle Sanjar Seldjuk. Ganjavi commonly wrote rubai in Persian, with love as a key theme, and her work is distinguished by its humanism, epicurism, and optimism.
Earlier this month, an exhibition devoted to the 870th anniversary of Nizami Ganjavi was opened in collaboration with the 7th arrondissement and the Museum of Letters and Manuscripts in Paris.