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N. Komarov: Moscow's House of Nationalities as a Ground for International Cooperation
Written by Nikolai Komarov, Director of the Moscow House of Nationalities
Friday, October 12, 2012
Address to the Conference on "Europe and Russia - Partners in a Globalized World"
UN Headquarters, Vienna, Austria
October 12-13, 2012
The Russian Federation is one of the largest multinational states, encompassing people of 193 nationalities who speak 171 languages. Our cultural, linguistic, and national diversity is one of the main factors that guarantee the integrity of our state.
Due to historical circumstances as well as the fact that the population of Moscow includes people of more than 166 ethnic groups, the Moscow House of Nationalities was established in 1998. This was the first public institution established for interaction with the national communities of the Russian Federation.
In Russia there are now 13 Houses of Friendship, 4 Houses of Nationalities, and 32 National Cultural Centers. These structures carry out an important substantial mission - to be agents of the state policy in the sphere of interethnic relations in the regions. These Houses of Friendship and Houses of Nationalities play very important roles because they can unite representatives of different ethnic groups and create structures for carrying out national policy.
Main activities
For the past 14 years, the House of Nationalities has been a unique center in Moscow for bringing together people of different nationalities and different cultures; it promotes harmonious international relations among people living in the capital while preserving the ethnic and linguistic diversity of the population.
Our House is a multifaceted body that serves as a resource center for the ethnic and cultural development of Muscovites of different nationalities. Eighty-one national public organizations representing 47 nationalities are now accredited in our House of Nationalities.
Our work focuses on the fact that in Moscow there are no isolated ethnic communities; they all are Muscovites of different nationalities. During the years of its existence, the House has accumulated unique experiences of cultural interaction. Every year we initiate and conduct more than 600 events, which have been attended by more than 40,000 people.
Priorities
We consider working with young people one of the main and most promising directions of our activity. This is due to young people’s involvement in public administration, in which the knowledge of the history and culture of our state is required. The main projects of the House will focus on this issue.
Creative approaches that involve multinational youth in our activities guarantee their success. The youthful enthusiasm and natural desire for communication, along with the historical experience of the older generation, can and should provide the creative driving force for mutual penetration of cultures and further unification as we seek solutions to the complex problems facing our country.
We initiate and conduct parties, festivals, and competitions that promote the development of inter-ethnic tolerance; these involve parents and youth of ethnic grassroots associations. Also, we continue projects that have already become traditional and popular with the youth in the capital, such as Moscow in the National Music around the World, World without Corners, Lessons of Friendship, and many others.
The 2012-13 schedule of the Moscow House of Nationalities in implementing state policy in the sphere of inter-ethnic relations along with well-known and popular activities includes new projects, including two festivals, Multicolored Russia and On a High Wave, and educational and instructive programs about the Peoples of Russia and the Ethnic History of Russia.
We proceed from the fact that national public organizations should in no case cultivate unsociability and isolation.
The concept of our activities is to help young people of different nationalities get to know each other and be imbued with mutual interest, respect, and trust. So today we work in close contact with more than 20 youth grassroots national associations and student organizations.
An important area of our activities is the practice of conducting round-table discussions and academic-practical seminars on the issues of traditional culture, inter-ethnic relations, ethnic and cultural education, migration and migration policy, as well as various youth programs.
In addition, I should emphasize that the House of Nationalities is engaged in publishing the works of national authors and in preparing albums and reference books containing results of scholarly studies.
In our century of information technologies, mass media is of paramount importance. The reality is such that sometimes the interpretation and coverage of events are more important than the events themselves. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to attract a wide audience and have information channels that are active and effective. Therefore, we use advanced means of communication, the Internet and, in particular, our Internet site, www.mdn.ru.
On a quarterly basis, we publish an almanac called Vestnik of the Moscow House of Nationalities. The colorful edition timely and accurately reflects information about the ongoing events.
Currently, we are using the resources of the monthly issues of StoLICHNOST, a joint publication with the popular Russian weekly Arguments and the Facts. On the pages of the newspaper we discuss urgent problems, set up dialogues with young people, and involve Muscovites in the ethno-cultural life of the city.
In cooperation with the mass media, we receive the active support of the press club, whose members include the chief editors of Moscow-based national publications.
In order to extend the experience of the Moscow Government in the sphere of interethnic relations and to promote stable and harmonious interethnic relations in the regions of Russia, the First Inter-Regional Meeting of Houses of Friendship and Houses of Nationalities was held on September 30, 2010 in the Moscow House of Nationalities. Among the guests were delegates from 16 regions of Russia and 19 regional Houses of Nationalities and Houses of Friendship. The participants in the meeting emphasized that positive solutions to urgent issues of state policies about inter-ethnic relations are impossible without involving civil society institutions.
The Moscow House of Nationalities has a high reputation, and the opinions of its experts are widely respected; grassroots organizations, public authorities, and state bodies often turn to us for assistance and support. We are open for cooperation and are willing to expand our contacts.