National Culture Day at the Romanian Academy
On Friday, 15 January 2016, at the Romanian Academy, homage was paid to the national poet Mihai Eminescu (1850–1889), through a solemn session dedicated to the National Culture Day on the theme “National Identity”. The president of Romania, Klaus Werner Iohannis, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, and several members of the Government, as well as other officials and people of culture attended the festivity opened by the president of the Academy, Academician Ionel-Valentin Vlad.
His Beatitude delivered a speech entitled The Romanian Orthodox Church and the national conscience of the Romanian people in which he appreciated that given the present context of globalization and secularisation, Romania needs to keep its identity and promote its symbols and spiritual values. Below, we render a fragment:
“Only better knowing the national identity and dignity helps a people develop and last in history, having a dignified and creative dialogue with other peoples. The diminishing or weakening of the national identity caused by the impact of aggressive globalisation, motivated by immediate efficiency and economic success, is not beneficial either at local or at universal level. There are countries integrated in all the structures of the European Union for decades or founding countries of the globalist project which are aware of the importance of the preservation or reinvention of their own national identity. The degradation of national identity must be stopped through the cultivation of national culture, faith and people’s traditions within the global cooperation, through the support and promotion of the symbols and cultural projects affirming the national identity. In this sense, it is essential to rediscover the indispensable elements of the Romanian identity in order to transmit the world a positive message on Romania and on the spirit and ethos of the Romanian people”, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, member of honour of the Romanian Academy said.
The President of Romania, Mr Klaus Werner Iohannis considers that Romania cannot have performing culture unless it invests in education. The year 2016 may be a special one from the perspective of re-establishing society on values like work, talent, honesty, performance and integrity. In his opinion, all premises and opportunities are met to generate an institutional commitment designed to promote contemporary creation and convey the cultural patrimony to the new generations.
“We have a fragile cultural infrastructure, which we did not take care of in due time and allowed the act of culture to manifest itself in improper spaces, with less and less personnel, unmotivated, and in inadequate conditions, according to the principle “it works so too”. It is high time we changed such a state of things which does not do honour to the Romanian culture. This fact requires, first of all, willingness to promote and sustain culture, in all its forms of manifestation, a long term view focused also on human and material resources, a strategy marked both through responsible decision and through continuity and cohesion of the system as a whole. At the same time, we cannot have remarkable culture unless we invest in education”.
The President of Romania has also spoken in the speech delivered on the occasion of the National Culture Day about the cultural diversity of Romania which he sees as an inestimable resource for the lasting development of communities.
Other lectures were delivered by: Academician Dan Berindei, president of honour of Historical Sciences and Archaeology Section, Emil Constantinescu, former President of Romania, Academician Eugen Simion, president of Philology and Literature Section, Univ. Prof Dr Vlad Alexandrescu, Minister for Culture, Univ. Prof Dr Adrian Curaj, Minister for National Education and Scientific Research, Academician Ioan Aurel Pop, Rector of Babeş-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Academician Răzvan Theodorescu, President of Art, Architecture and Audio-visual Section, Academician Nicolae Breban, Philology and Literature Section, Academician Alexandru Zub, Historical Sciences and Archaeology Section, Univ. Prof Dr Mihai Cimpoi (Republic of Moldova), Honour Member of the Romanian Academy.
