Russian cultural festival

On November 16, 2019, a Russian cultural festival was held at Nyange Resort & Marina on the shores of Lake Victoria between Kampala and Entebbe. The event was organized by the Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots in Uganda with the support of the Russian Embassy in Uganda and – for the first time – with the assistance of the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Ethiopia, which helped to arrange a trip of a Russian folk group to Uganda to participate in the festival concert. The celebration was sponsored by Russian businessmen, including PayWay, a company founded in Uganda by Russian citizens, as well as the international air carrier Ethiopian Airlines.

Ambassador Alexander Polyakov in his opening remarks noted the importance of holding such events because our compatriots, who live in Uganda, are often exposed to the difficulties in introducing to the greatest achievements of the Russian culture. He also welcomed the guests, including a considerable number of local citizens, and expressed the hope that such festivals would become a good tradition, arouse interest in the Russian language and our country and help to strengthen bilateral cultural ties.

Director of the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Addis Ababa, Alexander Tsykunov, who also participated in the event, expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome and highly appreciated the efforts of the hosts to hold such a wonderful festival. He added that he would gladly support such initiatives in the future.

The festival program included a fair, a photo exhibition, a charity lottery, competitions, dances and songs. The highlight of the evening was the performance of a special guest from Russia – folk ensemble Vertograd. Its members Yury Stupak (balalaika), Stanislav Malyshev (button accordion) and Alexey Parfenov (vocal) performed Russian folk songs and rousing dance tunes. The event was widely covered by the local media; colourful reports were published in leading Ugandan newspapers.