Yesterday, a collection of poems titled Homeland’s Sorrows and Joys was presented in Minsk. The collection united works of national poets of two countries – the founder of Palestinian literature Mahmoud Darwish and the Belarusian classic Yanka Kupala. The writer and translator Nikolai Metlitsky translated Arabic verses into Belarusian.
Nikolai Metlitsky, the laureate of the state award of the Republic of Belarus named after Yanka Kupala and the special award of the President of Belarus to workers of culture and art:
"We are looking at different continents of our planet. We are looking at Palestine – a country that is united with Belarus spiritually. This is where the Holy Sepulcher is, and this is where the roots of our faith are, and, therefore, this region is particularly special for us. Also, I believe, the pilgrimage to Palestine that Euphrosyne of Polotsk took is also a great example of this special connection."
Khaled Arikat, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Palestine to Belarus:
"We are developing relations in the field of culture. We are going to present an exhibition here at the Belarusian National Museum. We wanted to take a piece of Palestine, a piece of its culture, and show it to the Belarusian people."
Belarus and Palestine are also working to establish relations in creative spheres of life. In October, a round table will be held where representatives of the two countries will discuss programmes that can be implemented in culture and education.
