October, 9 saw the opening of the International Socio-Scientific Conference “75 Years of the Roerich Pact”
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The conference started with the grand presentation of the award from the pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage EUROPA NOSTRA to Lyudmila V. Shaposhnikova, Director General of the Museum by name of Nicholas Roerich and Honored Art Worker of the Russian Federation. The award was presented by Alexander zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, the vice-president of the federation.
In his welcoming speech he emphasized that it is a great honor for him to hand the award to Lyudmila Vasilievna in person. He was very glad that the ceremony took place at the International Centre of the Roerichs. “This institution preserves the memory of the Roerich Pact - a document of tremendous cultural value, that not only contributed to the signing of the Hague convention, but also had a great impact on the civil society”. The Pact laid the foundation for creating multiple organizations and private initiatives, for which EUROPA NOSTRA serves as an example.
He added that the members of the jury he headed sincerely admired the long-term activity of Lyudmila V. Shaposhnikova and unanimously acknowledged her the best in the category “Dedicated Service” among the nominees from 26 states. Alexander zu Sayn-Wittgenstein presented her with the award which serves as a symbol for the pan-European House and the honorary diploma.
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Accepting the greetings from the conference participants, Lyudmila V. Shaposhnikova said: “I am very grateful for the high assessment of my service, which I consider to be the assessment of the work done by the whole team of our Museum”.
The morning session was opened by Alexey Postnikov, President of the International Centre of the Roerichs, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, Academician of RAEN, Honored Science Worker of the Russian Federation. He congratulated Lyudmila Shaposhnikova with the award - and all the conference participants with the significant date: the birthday of Nicholas Roerich. Speaking about the main aspects of the artistic and scientific work by this outstanding philosopher and painter, he also noted that the famous words by Fyodor M. Dostoevski: “Beauty will save the world” were significantly deepened by Nicholas Roerich. The latter added: “The understanding of beauty will save the world”, and it is this great idea that lies in the foundation of the Roerich Pact.
Karl von Habsburg-Lothringen, President of the Association of National Committees of the Blue Shield (ANCBS), also made a welcoming speech. Congratulating Lyudmila V. Shaposhnikova, he stressed her outstanding achievements in preserving the elements of the Roerich time's spirit. These elements need to be saved not only for the present, but also for the future. Having looked through the Museum's exhibition, he noted with admiration that what he saw here is the “living cultural heritage which is much more powerful than just buildings or art items. The living power that was given to this heritage for the future sees its revival in this Museum”.
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In his speech, Alexander V. Kibovski, the Head of Rosohrankultura, drew special attention to the fact that the Roerich Pact is not just a declaration, but also a testimony to the moral maturity of the civilization. For the officials at his department, the Roerich Pact is not a plain historical document, but much more a working methodical instruction that supports their position in many complicated situations.
In her speech addressing Lyudmila V. Shaposhnikova, Galina I. Malanicheva, the President of the All-Russian Society for Protecting Historical and Cultural Monuments, expert in the field of the governmental record-keeping of the cultural heritage and the economical-legal security, member of the Council for Culture and the Arts under President of the Russian Federation, said: “You have always been a personal example for the other figures operating in the field of cultural heritage”.
Galina B. Andreeva, the Executive Director of the International Council of Museums in Russia, a member of the presidium of the International Committee for Museums and Collections of Fine Arts (ICFA), also shared her thoughts on the Roerichs' doctrine with the public. She claimed that one of the central ideas in this doctrine is harmony, and this harmony is an organic quality of the world's cultural heritage that unites people.
She informed the conference attendants that the General Conference of the International Museum's Union is soon to be held in Shanghai, with its topic stated as “Museums and social harmony”. The Museum by name of Nicholas Roerich will be one of its main participants on the part of Russia.
Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation has for many years supported the activity of the International Centre of the Roerichs. Vladimir B. Isakov, Vice-president of the Chamber, read the address from Eugene V. Primakov, the Chamber's President, to the guests and participants of the conference. He stressed that “it is pleasant that our compatriot, a famous Russian artist, scientist and public figure, Nicholas Roerich was the first to formulate the postulates of protecting the world's historical and cultural heritage... I sincerely wish successful and productive work to the International Centre of the Roerichs and think that the forum starting today will help consolidate the efforts of the international community, including governmental and non-governmental institutions, as well as private initiatives. This conference is bound to become a significant step towards building secure protection and preservation of culture in the world”.
The conference became multiple greetings from well-known public figures and organizations both from Russia and abroad. The conference participants were congratulated by S. Mironov, Representative for the Council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, by A. Avdeev, Minister of Culture, and several others. In a greeting telegram from A. Kadakin, Ambassador of Russia in India, it was stated that the Roerich Pact's anniversary is also celebrated in the places geographically far from Russia, but spiritually close and dear to Russians, where Nicholas Roerich spent his last years – in the ancient valley of Kullu in the Himalayas. The celebration of the Roerich Pact in the Museum-Estate of the Roerichs, Naggar, was attended by representatives from the Embassy of Russia in India, ambassadors from the CIS countries, high-ranking guests on the part of India, scientists, cultural figures and hundreds of the valley's ordinary inhabitants.
The morning session of the conference was finished by the report “The meta-historical meaning of the Roerich Pact” by Lyudmila V. Shaposhnikova.
The evening session of the conference was opened by Alexander V. Stetsenko, the First Deputy General of the Museum by name of Nicholas Roerich. The topic of his speech was stated as “The Roerichs' heritage needs international protection”.
Speeches were also made by Karl von Habsburg-Lothringen, President of the Association of National Committees of the Blue Shield (ANCBS); Friedrich T. Schipper, General Secretary of the Austrian National Committee of the Blue Shield, Professor of the Wien University; Holger Eichberger, member of the Austrian National Committee of the Blue Shield; Norbert Fürstenhofer, President of the Austrian Society for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage; Shagdarjen Bira, Academician of the Mongolian Scientific Academy, President of the Mongolian Roerich Society; Maria Theresa Dutli, representative of the International Red Cross Committee. All the speeches were united by the motive of the great significance of the Roerich Pact and the importance of preserving the cultural heritage both during peacetime and in the events of armed conflict and natural disasters.
The first day of the conference ended with a screening of a documentary about the Roerich Pact made by director Valery Shatin - “Time to Gather Stones...”.
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