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22nd April Spring Friendship Art Festival Opens

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK

    Pyongyang, April 10 (KCNA) -- The 22nd April Spring Friendship Art Festival was opened with splendor at the April 25 House of Culture here today. The festival has brought together government cultural delegations from different countries, prominent figures related to culture, winners of international and national concours, art groups, acrobatic troupes and famous actors and actresses from over 40 countries and overseas Korean artistes.
    Government cultural delegations and delegates and artistes of different countries, overseas Korean artistes and delegations and delegates from various countries who came here to participate in the 7th Aesthetic Symposium on the Present Times and National Art entered the hall where the opening ceremony of the festival was to begin.
    Present at the ceremony were Pak Pong Ju, premier of the DPRK Cabinet, Yang Hyong Sop, vice-president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, Kim Jung Rin, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, Kim Jong Ho, chairman of the organizing committee of the festival, Ryang Man Gil, chairman of the Pyongyang City People's Committee, and other officials concerned, working people and artistes in the city.
    Kim Jong Ho in an opening address expressed belief that the festival would achieve a spectacular success thanks to the participants' sincere efforts, high artistry and noble spirit of cooperation.
    The flag of the festival was hoisted amid the playing of the Korean song "The Country Shines."
    Pak Pong Ju in a congratulatory speech said that the festival adds significance to the Day of the Sun, the greatest national holiday of the Korean people, thus greatly pleasing and encouraging the Korean people in their efforts to build a great prosperous powerful socialist nation and achieve the independent reunification of the country, holding President Kim Il Sung in high esteem as the eternal sun of the nation generation after generation under the wise leadership of Kim Jong Il. Recalling that the international justice and impartiality are being infringed and sovereignty and dignity of countries and nations violated due to the high-handed and arbitrary practices of unilateral forces and their moves for aggression and war, the Premier said: Under this situation the progressive persons of literature and art should achieve the independent development of national art through the bonds of friendship, solidarity, exchange and cooperation and enrich the huge flower garden of human literature and art so as to positively contribute to realizing the desire and hope of humankind to live independently in a free and peaceful world.
    The DPRK government will as ever successfully develop its national literature and art by projecting the popular masses as true creators and enjoyers of literature and art and powerfully arousing the creative enthusiasm and ingenuity of the persons of literature and art and steadily develop the cultural exchange and cooperation with different countries of the world in the noble idea of independence, peace and friendship.
    The floor was taken by Zhao Weisui, vice-minister of Culture of China who is heading the Chinese government cultural delegation, the head of the chamber music band of the Moscow Conservatory Named after Tchaikovsky of Russia and the head of the Egyptian dance troupe.
    An art performance was given at the opening ceremony.
    Prior to the opening ceremony, an art march of the participants in the festival was made.