President Stevo Pendarovski addressed today the international scientific conference “Macedonian Literary Archive: From Manuscript to Digital Culture”, held in “Kurshumli-An”, organized by the Institute of Macedonian Literature at the “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” University in Skopje.
“The work of Koneski and the other founders of the modern Macedonian literary language, unfortunately, is often the target of orchestrated attacks and irrational denials. It is an attack on our linguistic and cultural identity to which we cannot and must not remain silent observers. The facts and the scientific verification at the international level are in our favor, leaving no room for improvisations and political interpretations”, President Pendarovski said in his address.
The integral text of the address of President Pendarovski is below.
Respected participants in the International Scientific Conference “Macedonian Literary Archive: From Manuscript to Digital Culture”,
Dear friends,
I am honored to have the opportunity to address this extremely important international conference which coincides with two important anniversaries – 40 years of existence of the Institute of Literature at the “Ss Cyril and Methodius” University, as well as 100 years since the birth of the founder of contemporary Macedonian philology, linguistics, literature and culture, Blaze Koneski.
To take care of the literary cultural heritage, to cultivate the memory of the continuity of thought shaped through literary forms and records, means to archive every socio-cultural specificity of a national mile, but, above all, it means to have a special attitude towards your own roots.
It has long been clear that cultures, their ambiguity and stratification are reflected in the narratives of literary writings that remain relevant for all time. The richness of cultural identities can best be seen through the multitude of literary articulations in the world, and through those articulations the development of linguistic richness and heritage is reflected.
That is why we must not even think of stopping with the responsible archiving, but also with the constant scientific, creative and critical thinking of the contexts in which the literary cultural heritage is created. If that process stops, the idea of creation as a cultural and social process immanent to people will definitely stop.
The program of this scientific gathering confirms that we should not be afraid of the possible endangerment of the literary-linguistic cultural heritage – its protection was and will be considered at the highest scientific level, and, with the modern tools of the digital age we live in, it will be inscribed in the software and hardware of the present, of course, in the name of the future.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In the year in which we celebrate the birth of Blaze Koneski, the knowledge should be present that we had for our contemporary a person who is unique in his word, in his thought, with his professional, creative and scientific capacity, but, no less important, and with his human integrity. Koneski is a synergy of the ancient and the modern, the peak of which can be seen the huge treasury of our modern, but also inherited cultural wealth. I am honored to be the patron of a series of events with which we try to at least partially repay Koneski for everything he has done for our culture, literature and language. For the roadmaps of modernity that he has established and which we have a duty to upgrade. In manuscript, printed or digitized, Koneski’s heritage, but also in general, our entire cultural and literary heritage must not remain an archive that only researchers will be interested in: it should be communicated in an appropriate way to each of our citizens, especially the younger generations, shaping them and emancipating their worldview.
Dear All,
The work of Koneski and the other founders of the modern Macedonian literary language, unfortunately, is often the target of orchestrated attacks and irrational denials. It is an attack on our linguistic and cultural identity to which we cannot and must not remain silent observers. The facts and the scientific verification at the international level are in our favor, leaving no room for improvisations and political interpretations.
Such international conferences are the best way to return the focus to literary historians, theorists, linguists, philologists, and all those who understand and know, as opposed to arbitrary interpretations. As I have already mentioned, the conference offers an extensive program, which includes promotion of a very special edition, the monograph “Ethical and Axiological Aspects of Literature and Culture of the 20th and 21st century”.
I would not like to take any of your time, which should be used for motivating scientific and polemical dialogue. I would just like to thank you for your commitment to literature and culture and wish you successful work in the coming two days.
Thank you.
