Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Marat Gatin: Culture Is Bridge of Communication between Peoples


Sat 04 Dec 2021 | 06:00 PM
Pasant Elzaitony

Marat Gatin, director of the Russian Cultural Centers in Egypt, asserted that culture is one of the most important bridges of communication between two peoples.

Gatin made his statement during an initiative, held by El Madar channel, in the presence of Sherif Gad, director of the cultural activities in the center.

The initiative, organized by Saeed Yassin, comes within the framework of the Year of Humanitarian Cooperation between Egypt and Russia, initiated by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

[caption id="attachment_294575" align="aligncenter" width="1434"]Saeed Yassin Saeed Yassin[/caption]

Gatin affirmed that the current period is the appropriate time to launch multi-sided cooperation between Egypt and Russia as both presidents have the same thought in mind. He also mentioned that the influence is mutual on both sides.

“When I met different communities in Egypt, I found them familiar with the great Russian writers such as Pushkin and others, and when I was talking to the Russians, I discovered that they know Egyptian writers such as Naguib Mahfouz and Taha Hussein,” he said.

[caption id="attachment_294573" align="aligncenter" width="1251"]Sherif Gad Sherif Gad[/caption]

Regarding tourism in Egypt, Gatin noted that trips started in the middle of summer from Russia to Egypt, adding that about 60 flights per week arrive in Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada. He stressed the Russians’ love for Egypt and its nature, especially the Red Sea region, in addition to archeological sites like Luxor, Mount Sinai, Saint Catherine's Monastery, and many more.

On his part, Gad expressed his sadness that Russian cinema holds a weak position in Egypt although many of these films are screened in all countries over the world and participated in international festivals and even won prizes.

In the same vein, Gad emphasized that the Egyptian audience has impeccable taste and they deserve to watch these films, which revolve around the Russian culture and its people.

Also, he welcomed Gatin’s decision to screen Russian films at the center, urging Egyptian television to adopt the same approach, especially with the growing interest of Egyptian youth in learning the Russian language to get job opportunities in light of the return of Russian tourism to Egypt.

Finally, he highlighted there are great orientalists who translated Egyptian literature into Russian, like Valeria Kirpchenko, who helped the Russian people learn about Egyptian culture.

Contributed by Omnia Ahmed