19 May 2004 05:52
Intercultural Exchange Benefits Local Children
Laotian hand-woven cloths and intricate silver bowls, Moldovan wines, Iranian sabers and other products from around
the globe went on sale May 14 and 15 at the Embassies Fair, an event held at the All-Russia Exhibition Center to benefit
Moscow's abandoned and orphaned children.
"We brought our traditional bread called 'repa,' sweets, beer, rice and other national products,"
said Felix Torres, charge d'affaires for Venezuela. "This is a wonderful opportunity for my country to further
cooperation with Russia and help children in need."
The Foreign Ministry hosted 22 countries in this charitable international fair, designed by the All-Russia Exhibition
Center.
"We created the Embassies Fair with the goal of fostering intercultural dialogue and helping out Moscow's
children's organizations," said Anna Franko, head curator for the Culture Pavilion, the wing of the exhibition
center that hosted the event.
People browsed through colorful packets of curry and ginger spices at the Indian booth. Others eyed glittering amber
and jade stones, which were displayed at the Urals stand next door. Everyone took a break to watch spirited dance
numbers, which highlighted the first day of the fair.
Dance numbers by Ritm -- an ensemble representing the Social Hospice for Children and
Igor Tabakov / MTA young girl helping to sell goods at the Laos stall.Teenagers (Sotsialny Priyut Dlya Detei i
Podrostkov), one of nine children's homes that will receive proceeds from the event -- graced the fair's
opening ceremony at the Culture Pavilion. Young kids in purple costumes waited anxiously in the makeshift wings behind
the booths, as older dancers performed the tango and Russian folk dances in the middle of the pavilion.
"We do both folk dancing and modern numbers," said Natalia Lagachyova, Ritm's choreographer. "But
the kids prefer the modern ones."
More than 170 orphans and children taken from alcoholic and unfit parents live and study at Sotsialny Priyut, located
in the Raduzhnaya area of the Moscow region. One of Moscow's largest children's homes, Sotsialny Priyut does
better than most such institutions in Russia. On some occasions, it even raises enough money for trips to the Black Sea
and other excursions for its 3- to 18-year-old inhabitants.
"My favorite times were when we got to perform at Gelendzhik [on the Black Sea]," said Sergei Merkulov, a
17-year-old who's been dancing with Ritm for a year and a half. His friend, Stepan Selevyorstov, who's been
dancing with Ritm for the past four years, added: "Any trips are fun, even when we are just going to Moscow from
Raduzhnaya."
This trip to the All-Russia Exhibition Center and the opportunity to perform at the Embassies Fair was especially
exciting for Selevyorstov, since it fell on his 18th birthday.
More than just a welcome change of pace for the kids, the Embassies Fair raised a much needed 30,320 rubles ($1,060)
for Sotsialny Priyut, according to its vice director, Lyudmila Burova.
"We are so grateful to the embassies of Mongolia, Turkey, Angola and Moldova, who presented us with the money at
the closing ceremony on Saturday," Burova said.
While the money isn't much when divided among 170 children, Sotsialny Priyut plans to use the funds to buy
linens for the children's train ride to the Black Sea and leave the rest for unforeseen vacation emergencies, like
torn beach shoes and sprained ankles.
.TX-..**********************************************
[The Moscow Times] |
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