CIOFF President: "All countries will see hospitality of Bashkortostan and its residents"

UFA, 24 September 2018. /Bashinform News Agency, Ksenia Kalinina/ translated by Tatiana Aksyutina/. The World Congress of the International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Art - CIOFF was completed in Ufa. The closing ceremony was held in the House of the State Assembly - Kurultay RB on September 23.

CIOFF President Philippe Bossan thanked the leadership of the republic for organizing and holding the congress at a high level.

"It was one of the best congresses in the history of CIOFF. I am grateful to the Head of the Republic, the Government of Russia and Bashkortostan. You did a great job, everything was perfect. We are looking forward to the World Folklore Festival-2020. In two years all countries will see the hospitality of Bashkortostan and its inhabitants", Mr. Bossan said.

"Send invitations to Ufa all over the world", Philip Bossan addressed the leaders of the CIOFF national sections.

Director of the State Russian House of Folk Art named after V.D. Polenov Tamara Purtova stressed the importance of the work done.

"Two weeks passed quickly because they were full of active work. People gathered here who are united by one idea - the preservation of folklore, folk culture, its development, and popularization. This activity unites peoples and continents, strengthens friendship, love, peace and mutual understanding among all peoples. In two years I'll see you again. I would like to hope that this Folklore Festival will be the most colorful, bright, peaceful and memorable in the history of CIOFF", she said.

Minister of Culture of the Republic of Bashkortostan Amina Shafikova thanked CIOFF for the opportunity to exchange experience between countries on preserving cultural heritage. She noted the tremendous work that members of the CIOFF Council were carrying out.

The next CIOFF World Congress will be held in October 2019 in Santiago, the capital of Chile. As part of the solemn closing of the Congress in Ufa, the flag of the CIOFF Congress was handed over to the delegation of Chile, the press service of the Congress Bureau of Bashkortostan reported.

The representative of the Latin American and Caribbean Islands in the CIOFF Council, Victor Fierro, thanked for the honor and told a little about his country. He marked that as part of the Congress in Santiago, the Festival of Folklore of Chile will be held, and invited the creative teams of Bashkortostan to take part in it, as well as to present our republic as a venue for the Folklore Festival-2020.

The 48th World Congress of CIOFF took place on the eve of the 6th World Folklore-2020. The forum lasted 11 days. It was attended by 200 representatives of the Executive Committee and the national sections of the CIOFF from 54 countries.