The programme, called The Centuries Have Entrusted You Your Mother Tongue, a line from the writer Milán Füst, featured dance troupes and musical groups from regions outside of the country with big ethnic Hungarian populations. Actors from each of the regions also recited works by contemporary Hungarian poets.
The event marked the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ferenc Kazinczy, who was the main force behind the regeneration of the Hungarian language in at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century. The extensive Language Reform he initiated resulted in the coining or revival of thousands of works, allowing the Hungarian language to keep up with scientific progress.
"Our situation is ambiguous: we are minorities who live in a place we also call our place of birth," said István Pásztor, who heads the Voivodina Hungarian Association, of the participants at the gala.
József Goldschmied, the Points of the Compass Office programme director, said the organisers aimed to offer a fresh view of Kazinczy with the event. We wanted to show the cooperation between tradition and modernity, not just pure folklore, he added.
Author: Éva Kelemen
