The subsidies of the Sándor Csoóri program were handed over in the Highlands.
At the ceremony held in the cultural center of a settlement close to Révkomárom, largely inhabited by Hungarians, the chief advisor to the minister spoke about the role of culture and traditions in preserving and shaping the community.
"Our culture is the basis of our self-esteem, it gives us the strength of our arms, the clarity of our thoughts, the endurance of our heart muscles, the diligence to learn an instrument or dance, so that we can feel: we are more than ourselves, we are the bearers of the values of a wonderful culture and nation"
- said Katalin Kardosné Gyurkó, pointing out that the wealth of Hungarians in this field is almost unprecedented in Europe and the world.
He said: the stakes are extremely high in preserving culture and passing it on to future generations, in many places the stake is simply survival. He added: when we look for a vision of the future, we must realize that it has been with us for centuries and preserves what we have in common.
"The folk song and the folk dance are Hungarian unity, a kind of spiritual DNA, spiritual citizenship that cannot be taken away. He who thinks in community finds community, and it is community that is capable of survival and development - lived community life is the key to the future"
Katalin Kardosné Gyurkó declared. He pointed out: the culture that the elders consider important to pass on and the culture that the young are happy to learn is alive, and in this way our cultural treasures can be rejuvenated from generation to generation.
The event was also attended by László Gubík, the newly elected president of the Hungarian Federation of the Uplands, who emphasized in his speech the importance of the work of organizations active in the field of traditional culture transmission, and emphasized the role it plays in community building.
"The cultivation of folk culture and folk memory cannot be overestimated"
- stated László Gubík, pointing out: where folk culture is actively nurtured, it is more likely that the young people living there will remain in their homeland.
He stated: he is grateful to the awardees for their role in maintaining folk culture, but also to the Hungarian government for their help, as it would be much more difficult to nurture folk culture without support.
Within the framework of the Sándor Csoóri program, 59 organizations were awarded in the Felvidék region this year, and together they received approximately HUF 85 million in support. The representatives of ten of the award-winning organizations in the highlands received the certificate of support in Ógyalla on Saturday. The series of awards presented to Felvidék continues on Saturday in three more settlements, Fülek, Zselíz and Nagyida.
The Sándor Csoóri program was founded in 2017 by the Hungarian government in order to support organizations dealing with the preservation and transmission of folk art values and traditions.
The aim of the program is to promote the transfer of knowledge, develop the professional work of the Hungarian folk dance and folk music ensembles and folk song groups, negotiating folk art creative communities, develop their professional work, and strengthen the communities. This year, KIM supported the Sándor Csoóri Program with HUF 2.5 billion, from which this year's 1,776 winning applicants benefited, more than 600 of them in areas beyond the border.
MTI
Featured image: In the image published by the Ministry of Culture and Innovation (KIM), Katalin Kardosné Gyurkó, ministerial adviser of the ministry (b2) in the company of the awardees of the Sándor Csoóri Program in Ógyalla (Hurbanovo) in the highlands, on October 19, 2024. MTI/KIM/Nándor Szabó
