PRESS RELEASE For immediate release |
Tallinn, 22 July 2005
Tallinn, 07 July 2005
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Information Centre of
Finno-Ugric Peoples phone/fax: +372 644 9270 e-mail: suri@suri.ee |
http://www.suri.ee/press/Eng2006/p060418eng.html |
Ensemble Shokshanka performs in Estonia at the Day of Erzya Language
Estonian-Mordovian Culture Society and Fenno-Ugria Society invited to Estonia
folklore ensemble Shokshanka from the Tengushevo district of the Republic of
Mordovia (Russian Federation) to celebrate the Day of Erzya Language.
Arrival of Shokshanka is a remarkable event for Estonian cultural life. This
ensemble is interesting, because its members, pupils and teachers, represent
a separate ethno-linguistic group, which lives in two villages of the Republic
of Mordovia.
It will be recalled that besides Erzya and Moksha – two bigger language groups
of the Mordva people, there are three smaller ethno-linguistic groups distinguished:
Karatay, Teryukhan and Shoksha. If Karatays, Teryukhans are assimilated amongst
Tatars, than Shokshas continue to live and speak their language.
Shokshanka will perform tomorrow, 19th April, in the Tallinn Music House at
the Erzya Evening, where members of Kannelkond and Tantsuklubi will participate
also. Another Erzya Evening will take place on 21st April in Tartu Writers'
House, where in addition to Shokshanka Finnish group Kärhämä
will perform, ethnographic movies will be shown and national food served.
Shokshanka will give concerts in several Tallinn and Tartu schools and in Tallinn
University.
Guests of the Day of Erzya Language are invited by the Finno-Ugric Support Group
of the Estonian Parliament Riigikogu to the reception in the building of the
parliament.
The Estonian-Mordovian Culture Society will present the third issue of journal
"Kudo" at public events. There are about ten articles in this issue
in Estonian, Erzya and Moksha that consider first of all international Finno-Ugric
contacts.
Valentina Mishanina, head of the Drama Department of Mordovian State National
Drama Theatre is also invited to the Day of Erzya Language. She will give course
of lectures on the issues of contemporary Mordovian literature at Tartu University.
The Day of Erzya Language is celebrated from April, 16th 1993 on initiative
of the Foundation for Survival of Erzya Language. This date was chosen because
of the birthday of Erzya linguist Anatoly Ryabov (b. 1894). Idea of this day
is to draw attention to the situation with Erzya language, to popularise Erzya
language. According to figures of the last All-Russian population censes, Erzya
language disappears more quickly than other Finno-Ugric languages in Russia.
The Day of Erzya Language is celebrated for the ninth time in Estonia.