From May, 21 to 23 northern regions of Karelia hosted the third training seminar for employees of ethnocultural centers participating in the international project of ECHO (Network of Ethno-Cultural and Heritage Organizations)supported with the Karelia European Neighbourhood Partnership Instrument (ENPI) regional program of cross-border cooperation between Russia and EU and implemented by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Karelia, Center of national cultures and folk arts of the Republic of Karelia and the Juminkeko Foundation (Finland).
20 employees of ethnocultural centers, lecturers and experts representing establishments of culture and science of the Republic of Karelia and Finland have taken part in the seminar.
The first day of the seminar took place in Haikola, native village of Karelian writer Ortjo Stepanov. Public figure of Kalevala region Valentina Saburova has told participants of the seminar about use of Karelian language in the region, having mentioned problems concerning studying language in comprehensive schools, and about the experience of Kalevala region in organization of a kindergarten using thelanguage nest system in its work.
Head of the Juminkeko Foundation and Director of ECHO project Markku Nieminen covered the topic of Karelian folklore. Research officer of the archive of audio recordings of the Institute of Language, Literature and History of Karelian Research Center of the Russian Academy of Science Valentina Mironova, PhD. in Philology, has told how to record folklore materials from local residents, and has accompanied her lecture with a master-class and practical studies for employees of ethnocenters.
Pekka Huttu-Hiltunen, Director of the Rune-Song Academy of Kuhmo, has told about features of rune-singing in the region of the White sea coast, and has also taught participants some practical isses of rune-singing.
The joint lecture delivetred by Markku Nieminen and Ortjo Stepanov's son Mikhail was devoted to Karelian literature, and was accompanied by excursion on the village Haikola during which Mikhail Stepanov has told about life and work of his father.
Organizer of Sommelo Folk Music Festival well-known both in Finland and in Russia Kaisa Ohtonen has shared her experience and knowledge necessary for organization of cultural-mass actions.
On the second day of the seminar its participants enjoyed the fact-finding trip to villages of Panozero of Kem region and Voinitsa of Kalevala region, as well as acquaintance to the house of Swedish engineer Moberg in the settlement of Kalevala where it is planned to establish the ethnocultural center of Kalevalatalo.
The third day of the seminar was organized in the Voknavolok Village Center of Kostomuksha urban district. Participants of the seminar had an opportunity to design activity of the ethnocultural center as the center of literature and rune-singing. Experts invited to the seminar have shared their experience of using Karelian-Finnish epos Kalevala. Natalia Golubovskaya, head of the Folk Puppet Theatre Čičiliušku, on the example of Kalevala Dogs performance has told how puppet or drama amateur theatre can use the fat soil of the epos Kalevala in its repertoire. Officers of the National library of the Republic of Karelia Elena Sotkonen and Nikolay Heikinen have told participants of the seminar about projects of the library based on the plot of the epos Kalevala and Karelian folk culture. Deputy chief of the department of cultural policy of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Karelia Varvara Lebedeva has presented some projects of the National Museum of the Republic of Karelia also based on the epos Kalevala.
The seminar concluded with performances of the theatre in Karelian language and folklore ensemble of the village of Voknavolok.
The next IVth training seminar within the scope of ECHO project will take place in the beginning of September,2013 intowns of Belomorsk and Kem, and will be devoted to the subject of ethnocultural centers as information and methodical centre.
Portal Official Karekia
Alina Chuburova, ECHO project coordinator