Today, on June 17, a briefing was held to present the Crimean Stage: Bağçasaray program, which will be a part of the 20th anniversary Kraina Mrii ethno-festival from June 21 to 23. The event was held at the Ukraine-Ukrinform Media Center.

The briefing was attended by the Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Tamila Tasheva, Deputy Director of the Ukrainian Institute Alim Aliiev, soloist of the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Ismail Kurt-Umer, who contributed to the creation of this year’s Crimean Stage program, as well as musician and founder of the Kraina Mrii ethno-festival Oleh Skrypka. 

The speakers discussed the importance of this year’s Crimean Stage and the issues of supporting, protecting, and popularizing Crimean Tatar culture, as well as the culture of other indigenous peoples of Ukraine, in the context of the Russian occupation of Crimea.

“Crimeans are historically old-timers of the festival. Working with them was always pleasant, comfortable, and natural. It is important to develop cultural relations between the Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar peoples, as society is not yet fully aware of our common values,” said Oleh Skrypka.

The Permanent Representative emphasized that the Crimean Stage program will feature over a hundred participants, and an auction is planned to raise funds for the needs of the Defense Forces of Ukraine. There will also be performances by Crimean artists and bands in various musical genres: Ismail Kurt-Umer, Tania Sha and Shopping Hour GRP, Chayir, Ruslan Bolatov, and Aliie Khadzhabadinova, Usein Bekirov’s quintet, and others.

The Permanent Representative also spoke about the importance of culture and the origins of the Crimean Stage at the festival.

“It is very important to show the cultural connections between Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians. In 2009, we started to organize the Crimean Lawn for the first time as part of Kraina Mrii, and it was significant to bring artists from the peninsula. Now, for the most part, all the participants who live in mainland Ukraine have moved here. It is a deep pain for us that we cannot show the Crimean Tatar culture to the whole of Ukraine directly from the peninsula,” Tamila Tasheva said.

The Permanent Representative also emphasized the importance of the discussion part of the stage, as it will help to reach wider audiences to actualize the topic of Crimea. Ms. Tasheva shared that she would personally participate in the discussion “Crimea and Peace”. Why the De-occupation of Crimea Has No Alternative, which will also discuss how Crimea fits into the global context.

“The Crimean Stage is a response to the colonization policy implemented by the occupying country in Crimea. Today, Crimean Tatar culture and its development are impossible on the peninsula. The administrative and criminal cases opened by the occupation administrations against activists are based on the manifestation of the Crimean Tatar identity” said Alim Aliiev.

Ismail Kurt-Umer noted that demonstrating the diversity of Ukrainian culture is important both for Ukrainian citizens under occupation and for foreign audiences. It helps to destroy Russian narratives and propaganda.

“Every time we have a project like this, especially if the topic of Crimean Tatars is raised, I often get letters from Crimea saying how important it is. I also know how powerful a tool cultural projects can be when we show the diversity and multifaceted culture of Ukraine, and other countries see that Russian propaganda is lying to them,” Ismail Kurt-Umer said.

We invite everyone to visit the Crimean Stage: Bağçasaray from June 21 to 23 and plunge into the culture and magical world of Crimea!