Friends in One Language: the motto of the 8th SUM Peoples’ Friendship Festival

The Peoples’ Friendship Festivals at SUM gather as many people as the KVN League games, COOL festivals and beauty contests. Everyone, especially those who are studying far from home and rarely go back, enjoys the fabulous performances and the rhythms of their homeland familiar from childhood, shares their unique culture and traditions and talks in their native language.

This year, the traditional presentation of the national and cultural diversity of the world’s peoples was held under the motto ‘Friends in One Language’. The theme was chosen for a reason: language differences are not an obstacle to true friendship.

The scale of the event could already be seen from the first minutes of the festival:  the audience warmly welcomed all the performers with their musical performances in national costumes.

Aleksandr Troitskiy, Vice Rector of the State University of Management, greeted the Festival participants on behalf of the Rector Ivan Lobanov:

The main idea of the Festival is to familiarise students with the national and cultural diversity of the peoples of the world and strengthen inter-ethnic cohesion among students. This event is a celebration of the unity and closeness of our students.

The festival is organised by SUM’s International Friendship Club, which unites ten foreign communities.

Culture, education, science and talent form the basis for successful international dialogue and the development of relations between universities, scientific schools, nations and ourselves,

said Aleksandr Troitskiy.

Attending the Festival as guests of honour were the Deputy Permanent Representative of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic in Moscow, member of the Supreme Council of the Russian Congress of Caucasian Peoples (RCCP) Sultan Togonidze; First Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan Sultani Rakhshan; and Chairman of the Public Council on Youth Affairs at the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights in Moscow, Assistant Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Denis Lytkin, who presented SUM with a letter of gratitude.

Among other things, it says,

People today are concerned with the fundamental matters of self-determination, the meaning of life and the path to follow.

Throughout the centuries, representatives from various religious traditions have lived in our country in friendship and harmony. Religious associations are one of the most important institutions of civil society. They play a significant role in the life of the country. Supported by state bodies, they focus their efforts on preserving cultural and spiritual heritage, educating the younger generation and strengthening the institution of the family and family values.

I wish you successful, creative and fruitful work that will help strengthen friendly inter-ethnic relations and promote productive inter-confessional dialogue.