Photo exhibition "Multinational Russia". Photo: Anastasia Timofeeva
From 1 to 3 November, the RGS participated in a series of cultural events organized in Bangkok and Phuket Island in honor of National Unity Day. The photo exhibition «Multinational Russia» and the film about the real winter — all this became part of the festival «The Word about the Russian Heart», which allowed Thai residents to discover the ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity of our country.
The «Multinational Russia» photo exhibition was located at Prince of Songkla University, which is located in Phuket. A business program organized by Rossotrudnichestvo was also held there. Anastasia Timofeeva, Adviser at the Expert Analytics and International Affairs Department of the RGS, told the participants and guests of the festival about the main educational projects of the Society, as well as about the concept of the exhibition itself.
«Thailand is a country with which Russia has long-standing geographical and cultural contacts. Take, for example, the visit of Tsarevich Nikolai Aleksandrovich to Siam at the end of the 19th century,» noted Anastasia Timofeeva. «A hundred years ago, Russian travelers discovered this region, laying the first routes of friendship between our countries. Today, celebrating the 180th anniversary of the Russian Geographical Society, we continue this path, but not with a compass and a map, but through a dialogue of cultures, joint projects, and a common desire to make the world closer and clearer.»
Leonid Kruglov’s documentary «The Great Northern Way» was presented to the guests of the festival. The film shows the travelers' path along the route of the great Russian explorer Semyon Dezhnev — from the Arkhangelsk Region to Chukotka. For the Thai audience, the film was an opportunity to see a real Russian winter: the snowy Arctic deserts and the way of life of people in the northern regions of Russia.
Anastasia Timofeeva presented the commendation of the RGS to Aleksandr Sidorov, representative of Rossotrudnichestvo in Thailand. Photo: participants of the event
«The exhibitions of the Russian Geographical Society in Thailand are not just stories about our history and nature, but a living bond of peoples that strengthens friendship, mutual understanding, and cultural ties,» said Aleksandr Sidorov, representative of Rossotrudnichestvo in Thailand. «In the year of the 180th anniversary of the RGS and the centenary of national diplomacy, it is especially symbolic that we celebrate National Unity Day with our friends in Thailand, showing how geography unites hearts and countries.»
In Bangkok, the capital’s House Samyan cinema hosted a screening of the feature film «Ya delayu shag» (eng. «I’m Taking a Step»), which was organized by Roskino and the Russian Embassy in Thailand. The RGS «Multinational Russia» photo exhibition was located in the lobby of the building. After viewing the film, the organizers held a discussion of it with film critic Marut Sarowat.