12 culture news headlines from 6 countries in January

The latest arts and culture news from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

Armenia

Armenia's culture minister promised innovative changes for 2017. Armen Amiryan noted that the government is working on creation of new types of bookstores. This initiative should boost the publishing industry of the country. A new television programme about books is set to be launched at the beginning of 2017. Five major publishers are about to participate in its creation. Another innovation concern museums. According to Amiryan, they will be furnished with auditory and visual systems that can be downloaded onto cell phones via special app. An electronic ticket system for museums is planned as well. Hetq.am

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Exhibition dedicated to Armenian culture to be opened in Ukraine’s capital. Marina Sargsyan, the director of the Designers Union of Ukraine, will present her exhibition titled exhibition entitled “Ukrainian soul with Armenian heart” on 3 February. The cycle of works called “Armenian khachkars (crosses painted in Petrykivska Painting style),” will be presented to wide audience in Ukraine for the first time. News.am

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Azerbaijan

Baku to host 5th International Book Exhibition and Fair. The event organized by Azerbaijan’s culture and tourism ministry will bring together more than 150 local and 30 foreign publishers and other related organizations. The exhibition is aimed at developing publishing industry in Azerbaijan, encouraging local publishers to build cooperation with their foreign counterparts, and promoting the country’s culture and literature. Azertac

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Romania’s National Culture Day to be celebrated in Baku. The celebration will take place on 15 January and is dedicated to the 167th anniversary of Romanian poet Mihai Eminescu’s birth. According to the article, cultural links between Romania and Azerbaijan are flourishing and they serve as a strong fundament for closer interaction. Azernews

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Belarus

Belarusian culture ministry summed up the Year of Culture. According to the statement of the ministry, numerous initiatives in the field of culture were characterized by an innovative approach. The range of activities has also been quite wide: from the support of Belarusian language to launches of numerous contests in culture sphere. Ministry of Culture of Belarus

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Citydog.by named the most important theatrical projects in Belarus. The research, conducted in cooperation with the EU-EaP Culture and Creativity Programme, has shown that there is a strong divide between “classic” and “alternative” theatres in Belarus. Even though there are numerous modern plays shown in the country, many of them are more popular abroad. Citydog.by

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Georgia

Berlin Christmas concert marked Year of German-Georgian Friendship. Berlin Philharmonic concert hall hosted a show titled “Georgia on My Mind.” The show celebrated Orthodox Christmas. It also signified the beginning of the officially designated Year of German-Georgian Friendship. Agenda.ge

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Georgian short film “Guest” screens at French festivalA film by Georgian director Nino Shaburishvili is in the line up of an international competition at Aubagne International Film Festival which focuses on young cinema talent.  This short film has previously been featured at the Short Film Corner of the Cannes Film Festival in France. Newsgeorgia

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Moldova

Diez.md analyzed cases where culture contributed to resolving conflicts. Among others, the case of refurbish the Chekhov square in Chisinau was studied. The square has been turned into parking lot and has been a constant source of conflicts between pedestrians and car owners. The initiative group has set itself to refurbish and revitalize this urban area. The activists raised funds through a fundraising campaign which generated some 15 thousand dollars. Another 50 thousand dollars were provided by Chisinau municipality. Diez.md, EU-EaP Culture and Creativity Programme

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More than 50 culture projects to be financed from Moldova’s state budget in 2017. Funds allocated to this goal amount two million Moldovan leus (approximately 100 thousand dollars). The projects were selected by the committee organized by Moldova’s Ministry of Culture. George Postike, Moldova’s deputy culture minister, noted that the main criteria was the way in which candidate project could satisfy the national and social interest. Moldpres

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Ukraine

Brussels to host Ukrainian Film Festival. The “Ukraine on Film” festival will take place from 20 till 22 January. This annual festival presents the most celebrated modern movies and film classics accompanied with the famous Ukrainian musicians. Ukrinform

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Museums have to work with audience more, National Art Museum director says. Yuliia Lytvynets stressed in her conversation with Ukrainska Pravda that only 100 thousand people of Kyiv’s 4 million population visit museums during the year. She thinks that museums have to cooperate with education ministry in order to launch more educational programmes in culture sphere. Moreover, museums have to work with public themselves; social network might come on handy here. Ukrainska Pravda

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