On 17 October 2024 in the cosy café “KUNAK” (which means “guest” in Bashkir) in the centre of the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan – Ufa – an informal meeting with members of the Eurasian Creative Guild, participants of the IV International Festival of Poetry and Art “Voices of Friends” (Burabai, Kazakhstan) took place. In a cosy and relaxed atmosphere, the participants got to know each other and had a pleasant conversation about literary creativity.
Members of the guild:
People’s Writer of Bashkortostan, satirist Marsel Salimov, poet, playwright, translator Lilia Sakmar (Lilia Kaipova) and screenwriter, children’s writer Sarvar Surina, who had just returned from the ETG Festival in Burabai (Kazakhstan), shared their impressions of the forum and their creative successes and plans.
Everyone was very pleased to hear from Marsel Salimov himself about the publication of his book of satirical poems and parables in 22 languages of the world by Hertfordshire Press. His book, published in London, is called ‘Across the globe with a smile’ (‘Donya buylap yylmayyip’).
You too can actively participate in the competitions of the Eurasian Creative Guild and win a grant that will allow you, like me, to publish your collection in English, – Marsel Shainurovich fascinated all the participants.
Lilia Sakmar enthusiastically told about the IV International Festival of Poetry and Art “Voices of Friends”, about the participants of the forum who came from different countries and continents, about the conditions of the competitions announced by ETG for 2024-2025.
All the activities of the Eurasian Creative Guild are aimed at friendship and cooperation, maintaining peace in the world. I liked the relaxed atmosphere of the festival, the kindness and attentiveness, the responsiveness, the equal treatment of all participants on the part of the organisers. Only thanks to the festival I was able to meet amazing personalities, publishers, poets, writers and journalists, such as Marat Akhmedjanov, the vice-president of ETG and publisher, Maria Muchinskaya from Belarus, Elena Makarova, Komil Sindorov from Uzbekistan, Ingrid Kim from Korea, Saltanat Khamzieva, Nurlan Toksanov, Raushan Nukenova, Marina Alyasova from Kazakhstan, Pauline Gable, Gunnady Gorov from Israel, Marina Strekalovskaya from Ukraine, Olga Shpakovich from St. Petersburg and many others. Petersburg and many others. And how many ideas and texts for translation into Bashkir I brought back from the festival! Thanks to this festival, my poetic, dramaturgical and translational work has acquired a sense of service to the peoples of the world. It is possible to gather only writers and poets in a separate place, but… if writers and film directors, book illustrators, artists, musicians and composers get together, I am sure that new interesting films, colourful books, masterful paintings, songs will be created, which can bring literature closer to the people more quickly. This is the noble goal of the organisers of such interesting events of the Eurasian Creative Guild, – said Lilia Sakmar in her speech.
And Sarvar Surina, a TV journalist, screenwriter and children’s author, shared her impressions of the film festival, which was held under the auspices of ETH Zurich. I liked the fact that this festival was attended by many young people who are passionate about cinema. I came back full of ideas to create new literary works. I have met some very interesting writers. I am full of the desire to translate their works and books. I was enchanted by the beautiful nature of Burabai and its natural monuments. And also, it seems to me, this meeting is a continuation of the festival,’ she added in her speech.
No one was left without attention at this meeting. All the participants presented their creative work to the audience. In addition to the local artists, the presence of a guest from Turkey made this meeting memorable for many. Uzzhan Yunusovich Perska came from the city of Bursa, currently teaches at the Bashkir State University, translates into Turkish and is fluent in Russian. I am delighted to have been invited. I would very much like to join the ranks of the Guild members. I am interested in the prospects of publishing translated books in English’ – said Uzzhan Yunusovich. Firdausa Khazipova and Lucia Kamaeva, members of the Guild in different years, shared their pleasant impressions of various ETG events.
The Bashkir poet Naila Khambalieva travelled specially for the event from a faraway town in Bashkortostan, the town of Uchaly, where the conventional border between Asia ends and Europe begins. There is even a special Stella there. This coincidence was symbolic, because the Eurasian Creative Guild serves to create an atmosphere of friendship and interpenetration of literature, culture and art of these two continents. Nailia acquainted us with new books, read soulful poems. And Zulfiya Gareeva delighted everyone with an artistic reading of her poems. Inverk Saburov Saburov’s heartfelt poems left no one indifferent. Irina Bakke, poet and translator, organiser of meetings and events dedicated to the Crimea, read several poems by L. Sakmar in her translation. It was nice to meet an experienced journalist, the publicist Igor Vaisman and the young director of the International Fund named after Mazhit Gafuri, great-grandson of the first national poet of Bashkortostan Mirsait Khalitovich Gafuri.
What a pleasant and useful meeting took place in Ufa (Republic of Bashkortostan), in the café “Kunak”. Learning information on the Internet is a good thing, but meeting creative personalities (and those who took part in the meeting are all unique individuals) and learning something new first hand is extremely useful and pleasant. It is live communication that helps to develop creativity in all its manifestations. Many people expressed a desire to become members of the Guild, to take part in competitions and other events organised by the community. We wish all the participants of the meeting good creativity and look forward to the works of Bashkir writers and poets on the international stage!
Liliya Kaipova, Ufa.
