On May 22, the grand opening of the VIII International Student Forum "Dialogue of Cultures" took place at Penza State University. The event started with the traditional parade of flags of the participating countries of the forum.

Representatives from about 50 countries of the world in bright national costumes came on the stage. The event was attended by representatives of the executive and legislative authorities of the Penza Region and the city of Penza. The honorary guests of the forum were Pierre-Michel Werber, French producer and composer, and Michael Lelong, the finalist of the project “Voice. France».

The forum was organized by the Penza State University, the Center of Culture of PSU, the Government of the Penza Region and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Penza Region. This year the forum was dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Penza Region - the territory of conflict-free cross-cultural communication.

“Penza State University is not only the largest university in our region, but it is also the most multinational. And it is very nice that it is here, within the walls of the university, that not mere communication begins, but multicultural communication, an exchange of best ideas takes place”, said V.V. Kosmachev, Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of the Penza Region, supporting the idea of the forum.

“We hope that this traditional festival of student friendship will live for a long time, like the friendship that is growing stronger among us, among our countries. Within the walls of the university, your most memorable time passes - studentship, when you not only become professionals, but also determine important milestones in your life, important people - your friends. I wish prosperity to your forum”, said I.V. Krasnov, Deputy Head of Penza, welcoming the participants.

Yu.V. Eremenko, Vice-rector for educational and social work of PSU, noted the importance of establishing friendly relations between students, and also congratulated all the participants and guests on the beginning of a multinational holiday.

The forum programme consisted of a whole complex of scientific, educational, sporting, cultural and aesthetic events.

On May 19, within the framework of the forum sports program, students took part in competitions in bumper ball, weight lifting, pull-ups, arm wrestling, flatball, table football, chess, streetball, football, and in an athletics and ethnic relay.

On May 20, the educational programme of the forum was held - a conference in the form of role-playing game “UN Model: indigenous languages in the context of sustainable development and building peace on earth” took place at PSU.

On May 22, the following thematic platforms started their work: “Contemporary Youth Creativity”, “Dialogue of Cultures in Virtual Reality”, an art platform, an exhibition “On the Sura Region with Love” and ethnic houses (Russian, Mordovian, Tatar, Chuvash, Armenian, German, Arabic, African, Turkmen, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Indian and Chinese), uniting representatives of 50 countries on a regional basis, citizens of which live in the Penza region or chose our city for higher education. The event ended with an ethnic disco.

Photos: Vkontakte group of PSU Film and Photo Studio