WAC event feed
Development through Culture: Mussa Ekzekov at the St. Petersburg Ethnoforum
From May 20 to 22, the St. Petersburg Ethnoforum, a major scientific and practical event dedicated to the Year of Unity of the Peoples of the Russian Federation, was held in Russia's northern capital.
The Ethnoforum was organized by the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the St. Petersburg Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Particular attention was drawn to the speech by Mussa Ekzekov, philanthropist, Chairman of the Supreme Council of the WAC, and President of the "Alashara" Association, who shared his experience of implementing ethnoprojects in remote communities.
"It was a great honor for me to share the experience of the team working on the preservation and development of the Abaza people. The participants demonstrated through their own example that culture is a living force that helps people grow, unites them, and changes their attitudes toward family, their native village, their people and country," noted Mussa Ekzekov.
In his speech, he described how ethnic projects can become a genuine tool for territorial development - when residents themselves participate in creating programs, propose ideas, and take responsibility for the results, they develop a sense of ownership.
Information was presented on the results of "Alashara's" work in Karachay-Cherkessia - sports, educational, cultural, youth, and language projects implemented. It was emphasized that behind all the figures and events lies the most important thing - people who believed in themselves and became active participants in a common cause.
"I am confident that our method is applicable in any part of Russia, in any territory. We are demonstrating this in St. Petersburg, realizing cultural and social projects in the Grand Canyon development area. This method has been successfully implemented for many years by the World Abaza Congress," Musa Ekzekov emphasized.
Concluding his speech, he thanked the organizers of the St. Petersburg Ethnoforum and personally Academician Andrey Ivanovich Rudskoy, Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Chairman of the St. Petersburg Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Andrey Golovnev, Director of the Kunstkamera, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
During the forum's opening ceremony, a signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding "On Cooperation between the St. Petersburg Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Sciences of Abkhazia" took place.
The Ethnoforum attracted a large audience - cultural workers, scholars, politicians, businesspeople, leaders and activists of ethnic communities, artists, and traditional craftsmen. Numerous events were held during the forum, focusing on the most important topics: people, traditions, values, and the future of Russia.
