Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko presented two Through Art to Peace and Understanding special awards during the opening ceremony of the International Arts Festival Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk on 16 July, BelTA has learned.
For the first time in the history of the Slavianski Bazaar festival, the award was presented to two prominent cultural figures. One of the winners was Aleksandr Zatsepin, Hero of Labor of the Russian Federation, People’s Artist of Russia, who celebrated his 100th birthday this year. He earned nationwide recognition for the music he wrote for a number of iconic Soviet films, including Leonid Gaidai’s comedies. The second winner was Belarusian composer and People’s Artist of Belarus Leonid Zakhlevny, who wrote the anthem of the International Arts Festival Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk.
