Cultural and poetic event at the Library named after Magtymguly in Kyiv in honor of the 300th anniversary of the outstanding Turkmen poet and thinker

As part of the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the birth of Magtymguly Fragi, an outstanding Turkmen poet and thinker, the founder of Turkmen classical literature and the Turkmen literary language, on March 4, 2024 the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Ukraine and Library named after Magtymguly in Kyiv held a cultural and poetic event.

The Magtymguly Library, founded in 1969, has been for many years a place of friendship, unity, humanism, respect and veneration for national customs, traditions and spiritual values glorified in the works of the wise Fragi.

“Fount of Wisdom of Magtymguly Fragi” is the motto of the anniversary year in Turkmenistan and the name of today’s cultural and poetic event. One of the central topics of the meeting was the transfer to the fund of the Magtymguly Library Museum in Kyiv of exhibits of decorative and applied arts and book products from the Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan, thanks to which the museum was replenished with unique examples of the intellectual heritage of the Turkmen people and their spiritual traditions, carefully preserved and passed on from generation to generation.

The library gathered the creative intelligentsia, represented by famous poets and prose writers, translators and scientists, who made a significant contribution to the modern study of the phenomenon of Magtymguly Fragi’s personality and creativity. Among them were translator of Fragi’s poems into Ukrainian and researcher of the history of Turkmen literature Olexy Kononenko, researcher of the creative heritage of Magtymguly Yuri Peleshenko, publisher of Turkmen literature in Ukrainian Viktor Zelensky. The event was attended by the leadership of the Svyatoshinsky district state administration in Kyiv, ambassadors of foreign states and diplomats, representatives of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine, heads of national libraries, directors of educational, music and higher educational institutions, journalists etc.

The event program was very eventful. Students and teachers of the institution of general secondary education No. 235 named after. V. Chernovola, Kyiv Children's Art School No. 8, vocal and instrumental ensembles and teachers of Kyiv children's music schools No. 22 and 29 performed vocal compositions based on the words of Magtymguly, Mollanapes and Turkmen and Ukrainian folk songs “Toi Aidymy”, “My Soul”, “I will not part with you”, «The eyes of one beauty», «We won't know right away», «Gozeller» and «Cheremshina». They read poems in Turkmen and Ukrainian languages “By the fresh wind from Gurgen” and “The Share of Turkmenistan”.

Turkmen students delighted the guests with playing the national instrument “dutar” of works “Käkilik” and “Aňsa”, guitar compositions “Bady sabany görsem” and “Bagtyň nury”, set to words from a poem by The National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. The students also read Fragi’s poems in their native language “Bu derdi” and “Atça bolmaz”.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkmenistan to Ukraine Toyly Atayev, the leadership of the Svyatoshinsky district state administration in Kyiv, poets, translators and all speakers noted the high significance of Magtymguly’s works in the context of world culture and literature, the uniqueness of the poet’s talent and his well-deserved authority. Scientists shared their thoughts on the relevance of Fragi's philosophy in the modern world. Y. Peleshenko drew a line between the philosophers of Turkmenistan and Ukraine Magtymguly Fragi and Grygory Skovoroda, who lived at the same time and left to the world an invaluable creative heritage and their wisdom. The poet Olexy Kononenko read his favorite lines about Magtymguly from the poem of the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. The leadership of the Svyatoshinsky district state administration in Kyiv and the cultural department of the administration, the director and staff of the Magtymguly Library expressed gratitude to the Turkmen side for the care and support of the library, which proudly bears the name of the great poet Magtymguly Fragi, in particular for donating exhibits of decorative and applied art of Turkmenistan and valuable literature to the library.

The participants of the event were unanimous in their opinion: Fragi’s works to this day are a storehouse of spiritual wisdom and the basis for educating the younger generation.

During the event, it was announced that a photographic exhibition on the topic of Turkmen history, architecture and culture, the wealth of traditions and customs of the Turkmen people would be opened within the library. The exhibition will run until March 15 this year.

An excursion to the Magtymguly room-museum is the final part of the cultural and poetic event. The museum's exposition is conventionally divided into several sections: dedication to Magtymguly, development of Turkmenistan and Ukrainian-Turkmen relations, cultural heritage of the Turkmen people. Guests of this event were the first to see new unique exhibits and books donated to the museum, including various folk craft items, carpets made by Turkmen needlewomen, national women's jewelry, Turkmen clothing and headdresses, samples of authentic musical instruments “dutar”, “gyzhak”, “gopuz” and “reed pipe”. Images of Magtymguly Fragi are presented on canvas and in sculpture. The documentary fund of the museum was replenished with books by the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and The National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, as well as publications about the history, culture, architecture of Turkmenistan, works about the outstanding poet Magtymguly, his priceless poetic heritage, and, of course, valuable for museum with a collection of poems by the Ukrainian Kobzar Taras Shevchenko in the Turkmen language.