The Association of Local Governments ‘EU Strategy for the Danube Region’ in creative partnership with the Museum of Books and Printing of Ukraine (Kyiv) and the Hrushevsky Odesa Regional Universal Scientific Library presented the exhibition ‘RENAŞTERE’ in Odesa for the first time on the occasion of the 130th anniversary of the birth of the classic of Moldovan literature, Alexei Mateevici.
Alexei Mateevich was a Moldovan poet, publicist, and scholar. The fame of the leading figure of the Moldovan national revival was brought to Mateevici by the poem ‘Limba noastră’ (‘Our Language’), which was first performed a hundred years ago, in the summer of 1917, during the congress of Moldovan teachers in Bessarabia. In 1994, the poem ‘Limba noastră’ became the national anthem of the Republic of Moldova.
The event in honour of the memory of the sincere patriot of his people was attended by a large number of distinguished guests, including Bishop Pavlo Yuristyy of Odesa and Balta (OCU), Archpriest Roman Kanyuka (OCU) and a delegation from the Republic of Moldova, led by Ioan Vesti, the mayor of Zaim village, where the writer was born, and Ioan Gheine, director of the O. Matievich Memorial Museum.
The exhibition featured first editions of Oleksiy Mateevych’s famous works from the collections of the Museum of Books and Printing of Ukraine (Kyiv), family photographs, documents, and the poet’s personal belongings.
The foreign friends were very impressed by the high level of preparation of the exhibition, the warm welcome and attention to the classic of Moldovan literature. As a sign of respect, Mr Ioan Vesti presented the library director with a gift edition of the anthem of the Republic of Moldova, translated into five languages, including Ukrainian, a selection of the most famous works by O. Mateevici and a painted portrait of the writer.
One of the priorities of the Association of Local Governments ‘EU Strategy for the Danube Region’ is to strengthen cross-border ties by preserving the cultural heritage of the Danube Region. Such events are a good example of this.