Dialogue of Civilizations of BRICS Countries celebrated in the Main Building’s Emperor Hall
The event on 24 September was dedicated to the power of humanitarian exchange and building a better future for the countries of the union. In addition, on the margins of the forum, the presentation of a book from the Great Series of Chinese Painting Through the Ages from Zhejiang University took place.
The event was initiated by the State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China, the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan, and the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Kazan. The organizers of the Dialogue among Civilizations of the BRICS countries were the Wu Zhou Center for International Communication and Kazan Federal University.
The event was attended by guests of honor. They were Wang Gang, Deputy Head of the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Zhou Jianghong, Vice President of Zhejiang University, Leila Fazleeva, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan, Svetlana Smirnova, First Deputy Secretary General of the Assembly of Peoples of Eurasia and Chairwoman of the General Council of the Assembly of Peoples of Eurasia, and Dawood Mirzakhani, Consul General of Iran in Kazan, and others.
Musicians of the Chinese Eastern Orchestra performed classical musical works of the BRICS countries – Brazilian “Lambada”, Russian “Kalinka”, Chinese “Liang Zhu” and others.
“This year in November Kazan Federal University celebrates its 220th anniversary. And it is very significant that this is the year when our country, Russia, presides over BRICS, and the capital of Tatarstan, the city of Kazan, has been chosen as the venue for the summit of heads of state,” said Dmitrii Tayurskii, First Vice-Rector, in his welcoming speech. “Out of 12 thousand foreign students at Kazan University, approximately 3.5 thousand students from BRICS countries. It is very honoring and at the same time very responsible.”
The First Vice-Rector emphasized that the University is actively developing cooperation with the BRICS countries. For example, the KFU branch in Cairo (Egypt) opened in 2023. For more than 20 years the Center of Arab Culture Al-Khadara has been working on strengthening the ties between KFU and Arabic-speaking countries. Today more than 2,000 Chinese citizens and about 1,000 Iranian citizens study at KFU.
Wang Gang stepped in with a welcoming speech.
“I would like to thank for the warm welcome and extend warm greetings to our friends from BRICS countries who have come from afar; thank our joint organizers – the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan, the Consulate General of China in Kazan, as well as Kazan Federal University; express respect to those who have been promoting cooperation between BRICS countries for a long time, promoting the exchange between our cultures,” he said.
Since the establishment of the union, BRICS cooperation mechanisms have been gradually gaining momentum, strengthening the foundation of the countries’ interaction.
“The BRICS countries have become an active, stable and good pillar in international affairs. In January this year, with the formal accession of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, our circle of friends in the BRICS family further expanded. The cooperation mechanisms have entered a new era of great BRICS cooperation,” Wang Gang continued.
The Republic of Tatarstan is a vivid example of centuries-old dialogue and a meeting place of East and West. Tatarstan is a multiethnic province of the Russian Federation, said Vice-Premier Fazleeva.
“Special attention is paid to education. Today there are about 2.5 thousand students from China studying in Tatarstan,” emphasized the Vice-Premier. “We are particularly pleased that the event establishes close ties between our universities – the leading universities of our countries. Our dialog is aimed at further growth of scientific, educational and cultural exchange between the BRICS countries.”
The main part of the event included presentations on “Humanitarian exchange between peoples within BRICS” (Brazil), “Influence of public figures on cultural exchange” (Russia, China), “Academic exchange as a bridge of friendship” (India), “Promotion of traditional Chinese medicine on the world stage” (Iran), “Striving for freedom, equality and peaceful development” (South Africa).
Talita Bernardo (Brazil) spoke about the history of cultural exchange and cooperation among the BRICS countries, emphasizing the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and mutual partnership.
Anna Shcherbakova, Olympic champion figure skater from Russia, shared how her victory at the Beijing 2022 brought her closer to Chinese culture.
“China, like Russia, is a country with its long history, culture and traditions that can be studied and learned endlessly and with great interest. It is wonderful that we have the opportunity to exchange knowledge through art, culture and sport,” the figure skater believes.
Tamara Moskvina, Honored Coach of Russia, Soviet figure skater, told journalists why sport unites.
“Sport already unites nations, countries, people all over the world. Why? Because there is an influence going both ways. Athletes enjoy being watched, they compete – who is better, who is stronger, who is faster, who is more inventive. And the spectators who watch it get pleasure from viewing this action. Therefore, since sport is not connected with any differences in terms of people’s religion, nationalities, skin color, education, it is attractive,” commented Moskvina. “May sport continue to be a means of uniting people around the world!”
B.R. Deepak, Director of the Center for Chinese and Southeast Asian Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University (India), spoke about the revival of cultural exchange between the two ancient civilizations of China and India, emphasizing the role of literature in the development of humanitarian relations. The series of speeches concluded with Paul Tembe, Founder and Director of SELE Encounters, the Center for Strategies and Analysis of Communication among Civilizations in Pretoria (South Africa).
This was followed by a tour of the exhibitions BRICS Countries in the Lens and Chinese Past Painting Series located in the Marble Hall of the Second Building.
A symbolic conclusion of the BRICS Civilization Dialogue was the presentation of a book from the Great Series of Chinese Painting Through the Ages from Zhejiang University.
The final number was performed by the Kazan Chamber Orchestra under the direction of conductor Rustem Abyazov.