Public Institution THE CENTRE OF FOLKLORE AND ETHNOGRAPHY OF ETHNIC MINORITIES IN LITHUANIA

Public Institution THE CENTRE OF FOLKLORE AND ETHNOGRAPHY OF ETHNIC MINORITIES IN LITHUANIA
Stiklių g. 6, LT-01131 Vilnius
Phone: (+370) 614 21516
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
www.ltmfc.lt
Director: Irena Zacharova

Public Institution The Centre of Folklore and Ethnography of Ethnic Minorities in Lithuania is a non-profit organisation established in accordance with the Law on Public Institutions of the Republic of Lithuania on 22 September 2006. It operates in the fields of culture and education and provides services to members of the public in order to preserve the cultural and ethnic identity of Lithuania's national minorities as they integrate into the country's social life. It is a professional cultural and educational institution that provides quality services to the residents of the country of all nationalities and social strata, participates at the highest level in the cultural life of Lithuania's national minorities, introduces the citizens of our country to the traditions and customs of various nations, promotes tolerance and trust among the public, develops cultural education, and introduces the multi-ethnic culture of our country to people from many different ethnic groups and social strata abroad. 
The primary goal of the organisation is to cherish and preserve the traditional cultural heritage of Lithuania's national minorities, to shape the image of a multicultural and tolerant Republic of Lithuania. 

Activities contributing to the objective:
•    Organisation of an ongoing process of education in traditional culture: non-formal education, youth and adult education, organisation of a folklore school for national minorities.
•    Collection, research, archiving and digitisation of the cultural heritage of national minorities: organising folklore expeditions to places populated by Lithuania's national minorities; archiving and digitising the accumulated material; providing interactive information on cultural content, enhancing its dissemination and use for education, research and other purposes relevant to recipients of services. Promoting the accessibility and more effective use and integration of the Centre's musical folklore into the overall context of the cultural heritage of memory institutions.
•    Promotion and dissemination of the traditional culture of national minorities: participation in the implementation of 2020-2022 programme of Representing the history of national minorities in Lithuania; preparation and presentation of concert programmes of Lithuanian folklore groups representing the culture of national minorities in Lithuania and foreign countries, as well as in cultural programmes of national importance; organisation of the international folklore festival Pokrovskiye Kolokola of national importance, the programme Dialogue of Cultures, republican and international competitions, art exhibitions, workshops; dissemination of information about the events of the traditional culture of national minorities in the mass media. 
•    Methodological activities: organisation of refresher seminars on traditional culture, scientific conferences, round table discussions, master classes for children, youth and teachers of national minorities, preparation of traditional culture teaching materials and programmes, organisation of an annual summer folklore school; providing information on folklore and ethnography, using the Centre's accumulated and permanently replenished collections (library, video library, library), and placing it on the Centre's website; advising national minority arts groups on preparations for state-organised events and traditional calendar festivals; organising meetings with Lithuanian cultural and public figures. 
•    Publishing activities: Publication of materials representing the traditional culture of Lithuania's national minorities, audio-visual CDs, collections, tools for the study of traditional folk culture.
•    Awarding categories based on artistic level, activity and achievements to national minority amateur art groups.
•    Organisation and provision of pedagogical practice with a folklore ensemble (under the cooperation agreement with the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre).