From the 16th to 17th of April the RCSC took part at a major international charity event which was organized by the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During the two day period around 40 accredited embassies, non-government organizations, universities, educational and publishing companies, tourism firms as well as other parties participated at the “International Bazaar” which took place at the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations; the various embassies took the opportunity to showcase their culture, history, traditions, and daily-life practices of their nations. A charity fundraiser took place during the bazaar, where a percentage of the profits will be donated to orphanages and children homes, hospitals for the poor, as well as for other purposes. The patron of the event was the wife of the minister of foreign affairs.

The Russian Centre for Science and Culture with the participation of the Embassy of the Russian Federation organized a kiosk with which to graphically exhibit information about the cultural and spiritual heritage of Russia, its history, arts and contemporary life. A large plasma screen was also deployed to provide a multimedia presentation of our country, which was accompanied by Russian classical and folk music. Our embassy was among the few selected to give a cultural showcase during the grand opening ceremony of the event: a graduate from the Moscow State Conservatory named after P.I. Tchaikovsky, Kenneth Teh, performed works by P.I. Tchaikovsky and S.A. Rachmaninov to a very enthusiastic audience.

Many works of folk art by Russian craftsmen were on display at the kiosk, where some of the exhibits and specially prepared CDs by the RCSC were put on sale. Among the featured themes was the 50th anniversary of the first manned flight to space by our great compatriot Y.A. Gagarin. Visitors to the event were presented with rare-edition souvenir postcards printed with illustrations of Earth’s first cosmonaut. Needless to say, the Russian exhibition enjoyed much popularity among the visitors, both Malaysians and foreigners.

On the opening day of the “International Bazaar” the wife of the minister of foreign affairs Datin Sri Siti Rubiah Datuk Abdul Samad paid a visit to our kiosk. She is no stranger to Russia, having visited Moscow just last year. Her interest was particularly piqued by the Russian crafts on display. The ambassador of the Russian Federation L.G. Vorob’eva presented a token gift to Datin Sri Siti Rubiah – a colorfully painted matryoshka – which she accepted with heartfelt thanks.