Media event “Cultural heritage as a bridge between Italy and Uzbekistan”
On February 23, in the conference hall of the "Sevimli" telemedia complex, a media event titled "Cultural Heritage as a Bridge between Italy and Uzbekistan" was held.
The event featured the presentation of the new book-album "The Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the Collections of Italy." The event was organized by the World Society for the Study, Preservation, and Popularization of the Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan (WOSCU) and the Embassy of the Italian Republic in Uzbekistan.
The book-album "The Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the Collections of Italy" is the result of several years of research and collaboration of the World Society with scientific institutions of the Italian Republic. The invited guest of the event was Francesca Fiorentino, an art historian, curator of the volume, and independent researcher from Italy.
A delegation led by the Chairman of the Board of the World Society for the Study, Preservation, and Popularization of the Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan, Dr. Firdavs Abdulkhalikov, made several research trips to the Italian Republic, where artifacts and historical items of our country's cultural heritage, stored in Italian museums, were studied. Along with the publication of the book, a documentary film "The Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the Collections of Italy" was prepared.
"The most important direction of relations between Uzbekistan and Italy is cultural-humanitarian ties, as Italy was the birthplace of the Renaissance era in Europe, and Uzbekistan, Mawarannahr, is the home of the first and second stages of the Eastern Renaissance period. There is a statement by the great Hegel: 'The Renaissance begins in the East.' Today's event, conducted by the World Society, is yet another manifestation of mutual cultural relations. The work carried out in studying and preserving our cultural heritage, widely spread around the world, initiated by the World Society organized in France, deserves high praise. The books published by the World Society are written by outstanding scholars and orientalists of the world. These books can be considered a unique scientific work, conveying to the modern reader our cultural heritage of the first and second stages of the Eastern Renaissance. More than 20 scholars, passionate about the cultural heritage of Uzbekistan, participated in the publication of the book-album 'The Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the Collections of Italy'" - noted Akmal Saidov, the First Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Chairman of the Editorial Board of the project "The Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the World Collections."
"Today, cooperation between Italy and Uzbekistan is expanding in various spheres. Diplomatic relations between the two countries are developing day by day. In June last year, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited Italy, and in November, President of Italy Sergio Mattarella visited Tashkent, Samarkand, and Khiva. These visits open new pages in mutual cooperation between the two countries. This is an important step for historical, cultural, economic, mutual political relations. Uzbekistan has a very rich cultural heritage. We have always been fascinated by many objects of Uzbekistan's history stored in Italy. I can say with satisfaction that next year, in collaboration with the World Society, a new book-album will be created," noted Agostino Pinna, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Italian Republic in the Republic of Uzbekistan.
At the event, a special ceremony was held to present certificates for receiving book-albums from the series "The Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the World Collections" published by the World Society, as well as the book-album series "Architectural Epigraphy of Uzbekistan." The book-albums were presented to representatives of diplomatic missions, embassies, and international organizations in Uzbekistan.
"The issues of studying and preserving the cultural heritage of Uzbekistan have been raised to the level of state policy in the New Uzbekistan. The country has opened up to the world, resulting in the implementation of numerous cultural and scientific projects in cooperation with foreign countries. A reliable platform has been created, forming a global community of scholars researching the history and culture of Uzbekistan. Our relations have entered a new stage of development in the study and implementation of cinematography, modern media, rich cultural heritage, and history of our country. All these achievements are the result of the great attention paid by the head of our state, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, to the sphere of culture and spirituality," noted Dr. Firdavs Abdukhalikov, Chairman of the Board of the World Society.
At the event, joint projects resulting from the collaboration between Italian and Uzbek cinematographers were also presented. Among them are the film projects "The Revelations of Marco Polo" and "Hodja Nasreddin".
"In 2022, our television company V&Co produced a documentary about Marco Polo, about his amazing journey from Italy to Asia through the territory of Uzbekistan. It was our first experience of an international project in collaboration with the Cinema Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Associazione Circles Squared (Italy), whose president is Dr. James M. Bradburn, director of the Pinacoteca di Brera. This experience inspired us to create a new project about Hodja Nasreddin together with the Cinema Agency of Uzbekistan. It will be a very unusual film featuring actors and puppets from the Italian puppet theater Carlo Colla & Figli, Milan's oldest puppet troupe," said Alena Mikhailova, producer at V&CO television company.
"Cultural heritage has immense significance in the history of humanity. Unfortunately, in many cases, this heritage is neglected. In some countries, effective efforts are not made to preserve historical manuscripts, study or preserve architectural monuments, and historical heritage disappears. Unfortunately, these projects do not receive sufficient funding. These works are considered secondary in importance. The work carried out by Uzbekistan in studying and popularizing cultural heritage deserves special recognition. And the work done by WOSCU is very valuable. I highly appreciate the responsibility that WOSCU has taken upon itself, the projects it implements, and such significant work as the publication of priceless books about Uzbek cultural heritage and the organization of exhibitions. On behalf of UNESCO, I express deep gratitude to the World Society," said Sara Noshadi, UNESCO representative in Uzbekistan.
The general sponsor of the project "The Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the World Collections" is the oil service company Eriell Group.
For reference: The World Society for the Study, Preservation, and Popularization of the Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan (WOSCU) was founded in 2018 at the initiative of more than 300 orientalists from around the world, officially registered in Paris in 2019, and also opened its representative office in Tashkent in 2023. Today, WOSCU unites over 450 scholars and annually, with the support of state, public, and international organizations, as well as socially responsible businesses, publishes book-albums in the series "The Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the World Collections," and also conducts cultural and media events.