Ilsur Metshin: «The desire of children to participate in the Gauhar project is a positive sign for Tatar culture»

A gala concert of the Gauhar Children's Festival took place in the Saidash Cultural Center. It is part of a comprehensive urban program to promote the native language. Creative classes in Tatar are held in kindergartens and schools by professional artists, choreographers and musicians. The children and teenagers performed great results of these activities during the festival. Approximately 500 children participated in the concert – the festival was the largest in its history. The Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin attended the gala concert along with Rkail Zaidullin, Chairman of the Writers' Union of Tatarstan, and the parents of the young artists.

The Gauhar Children’s Festival has been held in Kazan since 2023. It has been rapidly gaining popularity, and this year it gathered a record number of participants. Over 500 children and teenagers from the city, who want to perform and create in their native Tatar language, took on the stage of the Saidash Cultural Center. The festival was organized by the Executive Committee of Kazan with the support of the Commission under the Rais (Head) of Tatarstan for the preservation and development of the Tatar language and other native languages. This Commission is headed by Marat Akhmetov, Deputy Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan, who actively supports the festival.

The young performers started rehearsals for the grand concert in October. For the past four months, they have been studying Tatar dance, art of words, vocal skills, and how to play traditional musical instruments. The classes were conducted in the Tatar language, and for many of the children, it was their first introduction to Tatar culture. A unique aspect of this festival is that these young performers were not taught by school teachers but by professional artists, including choreographers and musicians.

The gala concert lasted almost two hours. The children masterfully read the poems of the classics: Gabdulla Tukai, Hassan Tufan, performed national dances, sang folk and author's Tatar songs.

At the end of the festival, Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, took the stage. He wished the children success and took photographs.

«We didn't just attend another good concert. The sincerity of the children, and their desire to be involved in this great cultural project, is a positive sign for Tatar culture. We see a renewed interest in our national roots. The response from the children and parents to the Gauhar project has been incredible. We simply gave professional artists an opportunity to visit schools and kindergartens, and within a short period of time, we saw the results of this effort. We have nurtured this flower, and now it's our responsibility to protect it further, so that more children can experience the beauty of our national culture», – said Ilsur Metshin.