By Vestnik Kavkaza
The president of the social organization of veterans' support “Officers’ Club”, Igor Kotov, told about the “Family relic. We remember. We are proud. We continue it” project ahead of National Unity Day. The project includes several exhibitions, meetings and concerts. It will take place from 1 to 30 November in the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War. All arrangements are aimed at developing the all-Russian data base of family relics, which will enable us to preserve history for future generations and commemorate great ancestors.
“The project is not new, three years old. Together with the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War, our official museum began operating in July 2010. Like any real project, our “Family Relic” project appeared due to independent demands and real problems,” Kotov says.
He sees three problems.
The first is that in the 20th century at least two hard strikes on family and historic roots were launched – after 1917, when the clergy, Cossacks, the nobles, and contacts with them became forbidden; and in 1930-1940s when the struggle against public enemies took place. You know about the results – people hushed up their family roots.
The second problem: today the phenomenon of family is very weak, and the educational role of family is devalued, we can feel this.
And the third problem is that young people poorly know the history of their motherland, immunity against historically-alien values is low; emigrating views are growing. Young people see no opportunities to satisfy their demands. They are frustrated; they cannot develop a life strategy.
“Idols of modern young people include no scientists, doctors, teachers, engineers. When a person sees no family roots, doesn’t think about ancestors, he or she will be gone with the weakest breeze. Here is VCIOM’s public opinion poll in summer 2012: Representatives of the youngest group (18-24-year-olds) think about emigration most of all – 39%; 29% are the most educated respondents,” Kotov says.
“The goal of our project is to encourage the process of self-identification of young people, improve family values and traditions, the connection between generations, the moral and patriotic education of the youth, establishing a pan-national data base of family relics, a repository of family relics. When the stories and relics come through the souls and hearts of young people, they won’t disappear. They are given to museums or kept carefully in families and their pictures or texts are published on relikvija,ru. We should not have people who don’t know their roots. It is impossible to solve accumulated problems with a single step. We don’t build barriers in our project or invite everybody who is interested in the topic,” Kotov states. “I have never met a person who would say “I have nothing to present.” Everybody gets some hints, everybody has something to keep. The central element of the forum which we organized last year (it was a pilot project, now we are stepping up to a higher level, and the press conference confirms this) is the exhibition of family relics. This is the backbone of our project. What is very important is that children give relics to the exhibition through school museums. The national idea provokes heavy discussions, but I think within the framework of the project, when efforts by non-governmental organizations, schools, museums and ordinary citizens who appreciate these things are explained, the idea of “Remember who we are, where we come from; are proud of our ancestors, the history of our country, its spiritual and technical culture, keep its traditions” is a very powerful component of the national idea.”
