Tiraspol, 19 April. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. The protection and development of historical and cultural heritage are matters of state concern. This is what the state adviser to the president of the PMR, Anna Volkova, said welcoming the scientific and practical conference «heritage in the system of spiritual values of the Pridnestrovian society', held in the Palace of Republic.
«History is a teacher of life, as the ancients said. The historic legacy of Pridnestrovie goes back thousands of years," said Volkova.
The conference, which has already been held for the tenth time, has gathered members of non-governmental organisations, state authorities and the scientific community. Its purpose is to draw attention to the preservation of the cultural heritage, multi-ethnic traditions of the republic and the development of international cultural ties.
«Everything that has been accumulated by the Pridnestrovian people and the people who had lived in the territory of the republic throughout the ages makes the Pridnestrovian treasure," says the conference organiser, Nikolay Dymchenko, head of the centre for the study of the cultural, historical and spiritual heritage of Pridnestrovie.
This treasure, according to Dymchenko, requires not only protection but also comprehensive study. It is essential, at the same time, that society have access to historical and cultural heritage through the media and various educational activities, Dymchenko says.
«If there is no historical memory, the people and society cease to exist. We know there are such precedents in the world when people renounce their history and culture," explained Dymchenko.
To that end, he stressed the need to consolidate the efforts of state authorities, non-governmental organisations and associations. For example, Dymchenko notes, an expert advisory council has been established under the Supreme Council to help MPs to improve legislation on the protection of historical and cultural monuments. It includes representatives of both state authorities and NGOs.
The conference is divided into several workshops in various areas of culture where the reports of scientists, historians, art and culture experts on all aspects of the republic's historical and cultural space will be presented.
The conference is held under the auspices of governmental agencies, the Society of Archive Historians, the Pridnestrovian Institute of Arts, the Tiraspol and Dubossary Diocese, as well as the International Association of Cultural and Arts Workers.
Among the forum's distinguished guests was a member of Rossotrudnichestvo, Sergey Skvortsov. This organisation, by the way, has centres in 80 countries of the world, including Moldova. According to Skvortsov, unlike its neighbour countries where only a few enthusiasts care about monuments to the soldiers of the Great Patriotic War, Pridnestrovie treat its historical heritage with respect.
«It is due to the fact that Pridnestrovians — people, enthusiasts, authorities 2013 — attach importance to and care about [historical monuments], it is due to this very fact the state exists. When people forget history, remove monuments, the state disappears," said Skvortsov.
The head of the Pridnestrovian Geographic Society, Oleg Olshansky, also highlighted the key role of the historical and cultural foundation for society.
«Of more than 2,000 monuments of historical and cultural heritage, about 85% are archaeological sites. At the same time, we are facing the problem of implementing the PMR's legislation on the protection of these sites. We together with state authorities aim to consolidate public efforts to launch efficient mechanisms for the protection of cultural heritage, as well as to improve this legislation," Olshansky said in an interview with journalists.
Several theme-based exhibits, displaying artworks by the international symposium KamArt and the Central State Archive's documents, were organised before the conference.
Several interesting reports were made during the plenary session. The vice rector of Rubinshtein Pridnestrovian State Institute of Arts, Natalya Gavrilyuk, spoke about the potential of culture in shaping Pridnestrovie's image, and the head of Shevchenko PSU's archaeological museum, Sergey Simonenko, reported about the traces of the antique Chernyakhiv culture left by Teutons, Slavs, Thracians and in even Iranians back in the 3rd — 4th cc.
The highlight of the plenary session was a report by the student of theoretical lyceum No.2 Yelena Ostafi about the elements of a traditional costume in the wardrobe of a Pridnestrovian woman. The young researcher proposed to create an original Pridnestrovian national costume comprising the elements of the traditional clothing of all the ethnic groups of the republic.
