I. Metshin: “We live in a city where culture has a wide palette and rich history”

(KZN.RU, May 6, Alina Berezhnaya). Today, Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, secretary of the Kazan local branch of the United Russia party, took part in the debates of a preliminary vote on the selection of candidates for state and local government bodies. The meeting was held in the regional Executive Committee of the United Russia party at Gorky Street, №12.

Rifat Fattakhov, the director of the Public Fund of the Tatar Culture of the RT named after Rashit Vagapov, and Rkail Zaidullin, the head of the Literary Part of the Nizhnekamsk State Tatar Drama Theater named after T. Minnullin, became opponents of Ilsur Metshin. The theme of the debate was “Culture: the availability of a high-quality cultural product for residents of the republic”.

Ilsur Metshin noted that today, it is important to create conditions under which culture will be available for every resident of the city. “We live in a city where culture has a wide and rich history. For me, as for the Mayor of Kazan, the issue of culture is in the focus of attention. We are fighting for the creation of a city with high culture. It is important to make culture accessible regardless of the social status of a person”, said I. Metshin. He added that thanks to the support of Rustam Minnikhanov, the President of the RT, and the program of an overhaul of cultural centers, the HoC Lenin, the HoC Zheleznodorozhnikov in Yudino and other cultural sites of Kazan were renovated.

The debate was watched by viewers who could ask any of the participants of the verbal duel an interesting question. Answering a question about how the creative work of famous cultural figures, natives of Kazan, is popularized in the capital of the RT. I. Metshin noted that a large number of various festivals devoted to famous cultural figures, which made an invaluable contribution to the development of Tatarstan, are held in the city. In particular, the festival of classical ballet named after R. Nuriev, the International Opera Festival named after F. Chaliapin, the music and literary festival “Aksenov-fest”. “We remember the history well, but we also try to discover new names”, added I. Metshin.

Speaking of young talents, a dispute arose between the participants in the debates. Rkail Zaidullin noted that today musicians less and less compose high-quality music. In his opinion, it is necessary to create a new musical project “Yana Tatar Zhyry” to solve this problem, which would become a platform for the disclosure of beginner talents.

I. Metshin objected, noting that in order to write good music, you don’t have to create new platforms, and the taste of society needs to be shaped. “People come to Kazan and see that this is a multinational republic with a rich history and high culture. We must carry this culture to the masses so that it educates us. Turning on the TV, Kazan citizens want to see a quality product on the screens aimed at cultural education”, explained the Mayor.

Participants were also interested in the development of libraries. “Today’s young people are reading e-books, will there be libraries in Kazan that are meant for the current generation?” the audience asked a question.

I. Metshin noted that today interest in books among modern youth is being revived, which means that it is necessary to create conditions that could hold this interest. Thus, the Mayor reminded that by the summer, a new library will appear in Kazan on Klara Tsetkin Street, №11. The design plan provides the possibility of transforming interiors for different needs: lectures, creative meetings, co-working zones, and etc. “A book will be the main thing in the library, but the format will be completely different. It will be possible to come to the library with a child, it will be interesting for pensioners, and young people will even be able to arrange dates there”, said the Mayor of Kazan.

The debate between the participants in the primaries will last until May 15. The regional Executive Committee of United Russia will organize 150 debates in total. The preliminary voting will take place on May 26, which will determine the participants of the forthcoming parliamentary elections.