Russian World Promotes Its Culture, 80 Countries Attend Assembly

by sara star | November 3, 2009 at 06:28 pm

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To offset the increasing influence of western culture, the Russian World Foundation was formed three years ago. This year, over 1000 delegates from 70 countries attended the third Russian World Assembly in Moscow on Nov 3. Their goal is to promote the Russian language, prevent the perversion of history, and to foster Russia's standing worldwide.

Russian is the fifth largest language in the world, with 300 million people understanding it, and is one of the main languages of the UN system.

Many present-day emmigrants now living all over the world, have never forgotten their motherland, and maintain their Russian tongue even though they do not live in Russia. For instance, in Canada, the mass immigration of Russian citizens in 1899, still maintain their culture and language 110 years later, population estimated to be 20,000.

Russian studies are popular in Universities. When President Medvedev addressed the university students in Pittsburgh Oct. 2, 2009, during the United Nations Assembly, he was asked questions by students speaking in the Russian tongue.

Your forum has brought to Moscow delegates from 80 different nations. Such wide representation serves as evidence that our countrymen abroad and the entire Russian Diaspora are striving to unite and provide effective support to solving the problems that stand before Russia today. (telegram from President Medvedev)

Moscow, November 3, Interfax - More than 1,000 public figures and policymakers, members of clerisy and social and cultural organizations, diplomats and experts from 70 countries worldwide attend the 3rd Russian World Assembly organized by the Russky Mir Foundation in Moscow.

"Such broad representation demonstrates the wish of the Russian-speaking community abroad and the whole multiple Russian world to unite and provide a substantial support in meeting the challenges of modern Russia," President Dmitry Medvedev said in a welcome address to the Assembly which was presented at the opening ceremony by Mikhail Shvydkoy, Special President's Representative for International and Cultural Cooperation.

According to Dmitry Medvedev, such challenges include "promoting the Russian language, efforts to prevent the perversion of history, and fostering Russia's standing worldwide."

"The Russian World is not just a reminiscence of the past, it is rather a dream of the future of people belonging to a great culture who react strongly to injustice, who keep the ideas of honour and devotion close to their hearts, and who are consistently aspiring to freedom," Vyacheslav Nikonov, the executive director of the Russkiy Mir Foundation, said at the opening ceremony.

Across Russia one can easily find the hulking footprint of western culture, which in the majority of cases can be translated to mean “American culture.”

The ubiquitous presence of McDonald’s, Microsoft Windows and Ford Motor Company, for example, combined with the powerful influence of Hollywood, Walt Disney and Bruce Willis, has a subtle way of distorting, some believe, the Russian identity, more popularly described as the inimitable “Russian soul.”

Out of the hostile environment of this existential threat, whether real or imagined, was born the Russian World Foundation (RWF), which is now hosting its third assembly in Moscow.

The Day of National Unity sees nationalists march in Russian cities on November 4, a Russian public holiday.

Uniting Russian people – that was the goal of the State Duma when it added the Day of Unity to the official calendar three years ago.

It reminds Russians of the period in history when in 1612, Russia overcame an unbelievable, catastrophic split in society.

...During Soviet times, the main autumn holiday was November 7, which marked the anniversary of the Bolshevik revolution.

....“Our current administration doesn't like the November 7 date, it reminds people of our Soviet past, that we are systematically rejecting,” Fursov says.