FEEL SLOVENIA: Ambassador Tomaž Mencin and OUTLOOK project Director General Dariia Kariiakina, held a cultural event
Starting with this event, the OUTLOOK WORLD CULTURE FESTIVAL was launched to run throughout the year. The festival program includes one large-scale gala festival in collaboration with various embassies, and special projects devoted to each specific country.
Train Journey format was selected for acquaintance with Slovenia
The symbolic journey included eight thematic stops revellingdiverse culture of this European state and showing its present-day life.
Like any train trip, it began with a ticket check by a train host, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Slovenia to Ukraine Tomaž Mencin and OUTLOOK project Director General Dariia Kariiakina wished the guests to enjoy their journey.
The travellers were Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassadors and diplomats from 16 countries, representatives of state bodies, professors of universities of Ukraine, public figures, students, media personalities and guests who won invitations on the pages of the organizers' social networks.
In his welcoming speech, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Slovenia to Ukraine Tomaž Mencin stressed the importance of promoting Slovenian culture through such events, necessity to identifyinterrelations between the peoples, and a special role of public diplomacy to achieve it, and thanked the guests for their interest to his country.
OUTLOOK project Director General Dariia Kariiakina welcomed the event visitors who, over six years of the project, have become not only guests but also good friends, and announced the scaling of OWCF activities for better understanding of different countries and their cultural, historical and social backgrounds.
According to good tradition, the orchestra accompanied the train departure. Musicians of the R. Glier Kyiv Municipal Academy of Music represented by Oleksii Hovras (domra), Ivan Shkromyl (domra), Rostyslav Iavorskyi (accordion) and Illia Balaban (double bass) performed Slovenian tunes.
One of the stops was devoted to the lyrics of the founder of Slovenian classical literature, the author of the national anthem of the Republic of Slovenia, France Prešeren. The poet's creative legacywas translated into many languages including Ukrainian. Prešeren's poems Lost Faith and To the Strings were recited by the People's Artist of Ukraine Olexander Kravchenko
The next stop for the guests was the presentation of the short film The Domestic Fly by young Slovenian film director Aaron Horvath, who has already managed to prove his name at international film festivals and received numerous awards.
Photo is taken from the web source fixmedia.si
Photo is taken from the web source fixmedia.si
The event featured the first run of the movie The Domestic Fly in Ukraine, in which the author focused on the problems of aging and the elderly people. Slovenia belongs to the European Union countries with the highest rates of population aging, so in order to draw attention to this social aspect at the event, guests were welcomed to see the exhibition Aging. Society for Everyone, prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, and also to share the warmth of their hearts and write a letter to the House for the Elderly. All translations of greeting letters from Ukraine will be addressed to these institutions.
Public talk with the culinary expert and co-founder of the restaurant 100 Years Back in Future, TV presenter Evgeniy Klopotenko and Ambassador Tomaž Mencinwere next stops of Slovenia journey. The star guest and the diplomat shared their favouritedestinations, holiday itineraries, thoughts about people, attractions and, of course, the cuisine. Evgeniy Klopotenko told abouthisfirst visit to Slovenia, shared ideas for great weekends, and explained whether it is a good idea to go to Slovenia for fishing. He also mentioned the sphere of his professional activity - Slovenian cuisine and explained in which part it is similar to the Ukrainian one. Guests had an opportunity toask speakers about the country.
The tasting stop was prepared with the help of our partner, the five-star InterContinental Kyiv Hotel. One of the best sommeliers of Ukraine, the winner of the 16th All-Ukrainian competition of sommeliers in 2018,Yegor Belovled a professional excursion to the wine regions of Slovenia, recommended which Slovenian wines worth attention of the connoisseurs of this drink, expertlydetailed the bouquet of wines that were offered to the guests for sampling.
Specially invited Slovenian Junior World champion on diatonic accordion, the young musician Danaja Grebenc, enhanced ethnic atmosphere of the evening. Danaja came to event from the city of Dravograd, she has the official status of an artist. Over the last 2 years, she has given more than 70 concerts and participated in world and national events.
The final stop of our train was a master class on the preparation of potitsa, it was held by Danaja Grebenc. The guests saw how to cook sweets traditional for any celebration in Slovenia, could ask the cookabout secrets of baking and filings, as well as taste the famous dessert. The guests received a recipe for cooking potitsa at home.
The event featured themed photo zones, a Post location with greeting cards depicting landscapes of Slovenian must see places - Bled Lake and Predjama Castle, where Mr. Grebenc left kind wishes to guests in Slovenian language, a Lost and Found location, Pharmacy location with a presentation of Slovenian medical water DONAT MG from RogaškaSlatina resort.
It is worth noting that on the arrival of the musician Danaja Grebenc, the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Ukraine also organized her performance in Lviv, and the OUTLOOK project supported themusician’s visit to a creative meeting with colleagues from R.Glier Kyiv Municipal Academy of Music.
Proceeding with cooperation in the field of social projects, securing support of the charitable foundation Lifelover [Zhyteliub] and the Directorate-General for Rendering Services to Diplomatic Missions, another concert was held for members of the aforementioned club, caring for older people.
We would like to thank once again for the contribution to the building of bilateral relations between Ukraine and Slovenia, the partners and sponsors of the event who supported the Feel Slovenia project:
the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Ukraine and personally to the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Slovenia to Ukraine Mr. Tomaž Mencin, and to the personnel and diplomats of the Embassy
Honorary Consulates of the Republic of Slovenia in Zhytomyr ,and personally Honorary Consul Mrs. Maya Martynenko
Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Slovenia in Odessa, and personally the Honorary Consul Mr. VladyslavBurda
Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Slovenia in Kharkiv, and personally the Honorary Consul Mr. Anatolii Bondarenko
Slovenian company KRKA - the leading generic pharmaceutical company in the world (KRKA, d.d., Novo mesto, Slovenia)
Ukrainian representatives of the HELIOS production group - the European group of companies producing paint products, represented by the Cherkasy plant AVRORA
DONAT MG water distributor, the company Smarty Family
The five-star InterContinental Kyiv Hotel, and personally Zholinska Anastasia, PrykhodkoArtem, ShyrikovaKateryna and Belov Yegor
International tour operator Vedi Tour Group
R.Glier Kyiv Municipal Academy of Music, and personallyOleksanderZlotnyk, Anna Smekhova and YuriiChupryna
People's Artist of Ukraine Olexander Kravchenko
Culinary expert, restaurateur, TV presenter Evgeniy Klopotenko
Kyiv City Council, and personally Igor Khatsevych, Oksana Matkovska, and the Kyiv City Council team, whosupported event in this venue
The National Guard of Ukraine
Media Canterof Directorate-General for Rendering Services to Diplomatic Missions,and personally Inna Khomenska
Volunteers Anastasia Skakunova, SyvashOlena, Tatiana Bosenko, YuliaRadionova (Kyiv National Linguistic University, Faculty of Oriental Studies), Karina Semeklit (Kyiv National Linguistic University, Institute of International Relations and Pavlo Oksyutenko)
The Host of the event Volodymyr Bondaruk
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