One of the best known groups of Tuva, the children’s folklore ensemble “Oktay”, will perform at the Center of Russian Culture on Sunday, October 25.

“In the 20 years of the existence of the ensemble, this is actually our first “solo” performance, - says the founder and leader of the ensemble, Nadezhda Ponomareva. – We performed in various joint concerts. Or else we were “diluted” by other teams and performers. This program will be fully and completely “Oktay”.”

These days, the State National Ensemble of Song and Dance, “Sayany”, - one of the best known groups of the republic – celebrates its 40^th anniversary of its founding. The anniversary celebrations start on October 21 in Tuvan State Philharmony with the new program “In the Cradle of Sayans and Tandy”.

On October 20, Mariya Mongush, who is the leading specialist of the information-analytic department of the “Aldan Maadyr” National Tuvan Museum, announced to Tayga.info that some of the relics found during restoration of a broinze Buddha statue at the National Museum have been identified.
“The clerics Bayir-ool Shyyrap and Aganak Khertek announced at a press-conference that 17 objects and 23 fragments of relics which were found in the head of the Buddha statue belonged to great Buddhist teachers and prophets.

One of the most beautiful and spectacular types of sport – artistic gymnastics – is being first introduced to Tuva.

Children’s admissions to to groups of this type of sport are now being held at the sports-complex “Subedei”.

“Honestly, we did not expect that so many will be interested in practicing artistic gymnastics”, admits the director of the republican children’s and youth sports school, Tolban Samdan.

The master of this sport, Alena Udod, prize-winning champion of Krasnoyarsk in artistic gymnastics, came to Kyzyl to teach the little athletes.

On the invitation of the Kamby-Lama of Republic Tuva, the worthy Geshe-Lharamba Yonten Damcho, the abbot of the Drepung Gomang monastery, where currently Tuvan, Buryatian and Kalmyk monks are studying, came to Tuva.

In the morning, there was a joint prayer ceremony with Tuvan monks in the “Tsechenling” khuree, where the Worthy Yonten Damcho greeted the citizens of the republic and thanked them for the invitation.

The first motor vehicle accident in Tuva, black and red caviar by the kilogram, Chinese shops, the Harley motorcycle of the first director of the museum, the Kyzyl flood of 1945, first theatrical premieres, battle with the swamps for hot water supply for the Tuvan capital, - you can read about all that, and much more, in the memoirs of the Honored citizen of Kyzyl, Anatolii Aleksandrovich Matyushov. (1926-2006).

— Valentina Yurievna, you presented the sum of your understanding of Tuvan musical culture in your book “Musical culture of Tuva in the XXth Century”, which was published in Moscow in 2007.

At first, you used to approach your subject with western education,, with western theory – you asked questions that you were taught to ask, measured by methods and instruments with which you were equipped during your studies.

Later, as you write, you started to comprehend that it is impossible to understand or document this culture by foreign means.

Tell us, please, for those that did no read your book, how did this change come about? What happened?

— That is a very interesting question. I think that my case is an interesting example for analysis of the methods of scientific study and evolution of the researcher herself, as at a certain moment, the material itself pushes her into movement.

It can be very easy, or very complicated, to write about talented, creative, multifaceted people.

It is possible to write a long biography, a rich characterization. But this can make the task more complicated: how to pick the main, the most important things, how to keep from drowning in epithets, titles, and accomplishments.

Famous Tuvan-Austrian singer Sainkho spent this summer in her native country. She managed to relax at the “Cheder” spa, and also received a Honorary Letter for active participation in the social life of the spa.

On August 20, she participated in the daily program of the famous rocker Albert Kuvezhin, on the radio “Golos Azii” (Voice of Asia).
“On this trip, I simply relaxed, took care of myself, my health, and looked at Tuva, - said the singer. – The republic is coming to life, everything is boiling with life, there is a lot of building, renovations. Buildings and roads are getting a make-over. It is great!”

For the 70^th Anniversary of the start of the second World War, TV channel Rossiya will show a program about one of little-known allies of the Soviet Union in this war – Tuvan National Republic (now Republic Tuva). For four days, a film team of the federat channel, headed by famous leader Sergei Brilev, worked in Tuva. During this time, he worked with the materials of the Central State Archive of Tuva, interviewed the head of the republic, Sholban Kara-ool, examined noteworthy historical sites, and visited the sheepherding station of the front fighter Vera Bailak.