President Klaus Iohannis, PM Victor Ponta, other officials, cultural personalities and regular Romanians all over the country, from the Republic of Moldova and the Diaspora paid homage to national poet Mihai Eminescu, on the occasion of the anniversary of 165 years since his birth and on National Culture Day.
“We celebrate today 165 years since Mihai Eminescu’s birth. Instead of any discourse, perhaps the most appropriate tribute would be for us to re-read a line of his poetry, prose or journalist work,” says Klaus Iohannis in a video posted on his Facebook account.
President Iohannis: Thnk you, Eminescu!
The president recalls what Eminescu was writing in 1881 in the Timpul (Time) newspaper.
In April 1881, in an article of Timpul, Eminescu wrote: “To be a good Romanian is not a merit, nor a quality or a special monopoly, but it is a duty of any citizen of this state.”
“Thank you, Eminescu!” says the head of state.
Yesterday in a solemn session dedicated to the National Culture Day, an event hosted in the Grand Hall of the Romanian Academy, The president expressed, as forwarded by presidential advisor Sergiu Nistor, his genuine appreciation, respect and gratitude to people who, by their day by day creation and, sometimes, by working around the clock, add values to Romania’s creative patrimony and cultural identity”, the president of Romania declared.
Iohannis also invited all Romanians to adopt “a national project of re-discovery of identity and granting national consensus”. “Looking forward to the years 2018 / 2019, we should work together for the recovery of the place we deserve in Europe and for reaffirming values, the identity, dignity and unity in diversity of culture and cultural patrimony”, the Head of the State confessed.
Victor Ponta: ‘I am very proud of our cultural values’
PM Victor Ponta thanked on his turn “to our cultural values that helped us build our identity and hold our head up high”. “Today, on the occasion of the National Culture Day and marking 165 years since the birth of Mihai Eminescu, I want us to remember our mission in a European Romania – to support and promote all forms of cultural expression as our passport for the future,” the prime minister posted on Facebook.
Ponta declared himself “a staunch supporter of tolerance, freedom of speech and cultural diversity” and also “very proud of our cultural values”.
“Eminescu, Brancusi, Enescu, Ionescu and all the great Romanian intellectuals, artists and creators are the real unifiers of this country, who helped us build our identity and keep our head high in the world. Today we thank them and are celebrating the Romanian Culture!,” added the Prime Minister
Prime Minister Victor Ponta declared yesterday at the event hosted in the Grand Hall of the Romanian Academy, that the year 2015 is an auspicious time for the signing of a political agreement on the drafting of medium- and long-term strategy for culture. “I wish to congratulate the Romanian Academy for organizing this event, the National Culture Day, the day of our National Poet [Mihai Eminescu], and for your permanent work to fulfill your fundamental role of supporting the culture, the education and the research over the 150 years of existence of this fundamental institution,” the Prime Minister said in his address.
Ponta also underlined the need for a political pact on culture.
“I think this is a fundamental goal, reachable with the support and involvement of those present today here, under the dome of the National Academy,” he asserted.
‘Throughout history, it was not possible anytime and for anybody to initiate such agreements and to build strategies. I think the year 2015 is such a moment, such an opportunity. And I wish to ask all those of you who lived their lives for culture, for education, for the preservation of national values to use this moment to impose on those who, inevitably and temporarily, represent the political power an agreement, a medium- and long-term strategy,” the Prime Minister said.
Bogdan Aurescu: “In 2015 the works of Constantin Brancusi and George Enescu will be promoted”
Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu called the Romanian emigration to preserve the national cultural values and the symbol of national aspirations, poet Mihai Eminescu. “On the National Culture Day, I wish to call Romanians – both in the country and abroad – to preserve and cultivate within the future generations the values of the Romanian culture and the symbol of national principles and aspirations embodied by Mihai Eminescu”, told Aurescu in a press release according to Agerpres.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) also hailed the celebration; it appreciated that the birthday of the National Poet was “a moment of symbolic significance and an occasion to consider the Romanian cultural and identity representativeness, the better and adequate knowledge of the Romanian cultural values worldwide.”
MAE reminds that the National Culture Day is marked every year through events hosted by the Romanian diplomatic and consular missions and cultural institutes abroad.
“Each year, the events dedicated to the celebration of the National Culture Day by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, through the diplomatic and consular missions and the Romanian cultural institutes abroad are a part of a wider agenda of public and cultural diplomacy; among its landmarks are anniversaries of reference Romanian names in the universal cultural heritage. In 2014, homage was paid to Constantin Brancoveanu and Dimitrie Cantemir, and in 2015 the works of Constantin Brancusi and George Enescu will be promoted,” the document mentions.
Klaus Iohannis: “Romania’s National Museum of History is the keeper of the historical treasure”
President Klaus Iohannis, who attended the event “Romania’s National Museum of History: A New Beginning”, dedicated to the National Culture Day, expressed his concern for the state of the museum headquarters, which, according to experts, would not make it through a major earthquake.
The Head of the State declared that he, as President of Romania, would like to celebrate the Culture Day for the first time, and would do it not just symbolically, by a visit to Romania’s National Museum of History which represents, besides the National Bank of Romania, the destination located in Central Bucharest that signifies, in the highest way possible, the cultural and historical firmness of the Romanian state.
“Romania’s National Museum of History is the keeper of the historical treasure and of fundamental documents of the country,” the President declared, pointing out that, during his visit to the Museum, he had seen the original copies of the Declaration of Union in Alba Iulia, dated on December 1, 1918, and of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Romania, in 1923.
“These documents are keystones of the modern Roman state, preserved in the deposits of Romania’s National Museum of History. Unfortunately, similarly to other documents, these may only be exhibited rarely, difficultly and partially to wide audiences”, Iohannis declared, mentioning that “for 15 years, Romania’s National Museum of History only lives off permanent exhibitions”.
“I am worried by the fact that this symbol of history and culture is in danger, specialists tell us that the Museum would not make it through a major earthquake in a satisfactory state and that it does not grant a preservation and presentation of patrimony at the level they is supposed to be preserved. Actually, the state of Romania’s National Museum of History is defining for many of our nation’s cultural values, that are taken care of mostly by devoted persons with limited abilities than by institutions”, the head of the state mentioned.
According to Klaus Iohannis, “it is not enough merely to declare freedom of creation and unlimited access to culture as fundamental, constitutional rights”, and the President added that “without being based on support mechanisms of creation, without constant and predictable programs of financing patrimony protection, avoiding biased political decisions, we only remain in the sphere of propaganda”.
“These things must change. I am glad to discover that this change has great chances to start here. Due to the initiative of its management and the will of the Parliament, Romania’s National Museum of History will be provided funds in 2015 that allow the start of drafting the institute’s modernisation and the restoration of the building. I will supervise closely the efforts of the management, so that the year 2015 would represent a new beginning for Romania’s National Museum of History, so that it would become functional for the occasion of the Centenary of Modern Romania, on December 1, 2018”, President Iohannis also declared during the event.
