Gomel hosts exhibition of books presented to Belarus’ President by foreign leaders
An exhibition of books presented to President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko by the heads of other states is held as part of the Unity Marathon in Gomel
More than two dozen unique editions are on show at Gomel’s F. Skaryna State University. “Each of these books is an exhibit with its own history, even because it was in the hands of our President and a foreign leader,” Irina Vasilkovich, an employee of the National Library of Belarus, noted. “All publications are gift editions, accompanied by autographs or inscriptions, and therefore also have bibliophilic value. These are not only examples of the supreme book publishing quality: they are reliable sources of information. After all, when a book devoted to a certain country is presented, it tells readers about all the best in this country.”
The 1825 edition occupies a place of honour in the exhibition. This collection of 16th-18th century documents gives extensive insights into the life of settlements in the eastern Belarusian lands of that time. The Koran on a gilded stand, presented to Aleksandr Lukashenko by Turkish President Recep Erdogan, captures the eye as well. In turn, the works of Chinese leader Xi Jinping devoted to public administration issues are presented in Russian and Belarusian.
Excursions are organised once in an hour. Hundreds of students have visited the exhibition already, and the flow of visitors is not decreasing.
As noted by Maria Yezhova, a student of the Philology Faculty, she admires colourful gift editions, and the book about hockey presented to the Belarusian President by Vladimir Putin attracted her attention. “It is great and very symbolic that we have the opportunity to get acquainted with these books as part of the Unity Marathon. I believe that we, Belarusians as a whole, should be united and closer to each other – especially in our challengeable times and against the background of the events that are raging around our country. I perceive the marathon's motto – The Time Has Chosen Us – as a kind of commitment for the current generation. We must be united in order to preserve peace and stability in our native Belarus,” the student said.
