Marat Akhmetov: "The 'Saiyar' festival helps to develop traditions and preserve the native language."

      Today in Kazan, at the Lenin Cultural and Leisure Complex, the award ceremony for the winners and prize-winners of the XIII Republican Festival of Children's and Youth Theaters "Sayar" took place. The winners and participants of the competition were greeted by the acting Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan, the head of the Commission under the President of the Republic of Tatarstan on the preservation and development of the Tatar language and the native languages of the peoples living in Tatarstan, Marat Akhmetov. Addressing the festival participants and their mentors, Marat Akhmetov reminded that today marks the 140th anniversary of the birth of the Tatar actor, director, and one of the founders of the Tatar national theater, Gabdulla Kariyev, and noted that his legacy is currently carefully preserved and continued by thousands of young talents. "The 'Sayar' festival is a unique project that becomes more and more large-scale every year: only this year, more than a thousand theater groups participated in it. And if we multiply this number by ten (since there are at least 10 actors in each theater group), it turns out that the coverage is even higher - already ten thousand children are mastering stage skills in their native language," noted Marat Akhmetov. "We fully understand what a challenging task this is - for both the students and their mentors." Marat Akhmetov presented the Grand Prix - the main prize of the festival - to the winners: the theater groups of kindergarten No. 62 "Tiräk" (Lower Maktama village, Almetyevsk district) and the gymnasium of the city of Menzelinsk. The festival is organized by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Tatarstan with the support of the Commission under the President of the Republic of Tatarstan on the preservation and development of the Tatar language and the native languages of the peoples of Tatarstan. The co-organizer of the festival is the editorial office of the magazine "Säxnä" (JSC "Tatmedia"). This year, the festival is being held for the 13th time. Since 2016, it has been conducted as part of the state program for the preservation, study, and development of state languages and other languages in the Republic of Tatarstan. The school stage of the competition took place in January. The municipal stage was held in February, covering about 1,000 creative groups. The remote republican stage took place in March, with 530 groups from 45 municipal entities of Tatarstan participating. Performances were presented in Tatar, Chuvash, Udmurt, and Mari languages. Based on the results of the remote stage, 100 of the best groups were selected to participate in the live round. The jury evaluated the children's performances in five zones: Almetyevsk, Naberezhnye Chelny, Buinsk, the village of Bolshaya Atnya, and Kazan. The festival included several age categories and nominations: preschool educational organizations; students of general educational organizations (grades 1-4, 5-8, 9-11). In a conversation with journalists from republican media, Marat Akhmetov emphasized that the festival helps children master stage skills. Thanks to collaborative creativity, participants become bolder and kinder, learn to work in a team, and feel like one big family. According to him, even if many of the children do not connect their lives with the professional stage, they will undoubtedly remain devoted spectators of Tatar theater. "Thanks to such projects, we preserve our traditions and native language. It is important to note that many amateur theaters from republican schools and kindergartens participate in the festival, including groups that perform in Chuvash, Udmurt, and Mari languages. It is gratifying to realize that by supporting the development of Tatar theater, we are simultaneously caring for the culture of all the peoples living in our republic," concluded Marat Akhmetov. The event was attended by State Council deputies Ayrat Zaripov, Kamil Nugaev, and Renat Valiullin.

      More news about the event:

      Young theater enthusiasts from Menzelinsk won the Grand Prix of the republican festival "Säyar"

      On May 20, the award ceremony for the winners of the XIII republican festival of children's and youth theaters "Säyar" took place in Kazan. 16:09 20.05.2026 Menzelya - Menzelinsk

      Marat Akhmetov: "The 'Sayar' festival helps develop traditions and preserve the native language"

      Today in Kazan, at the Lenin Cultural and Leisure Complex, the award ceremony for the winners and prize-winners of the XIII Republican Festival of Children's and Youth Theaters "Sayar" took place. 15:21 20.05.2026 State Council - Kazan

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