A literary and musical event dedicated to the 200th birthday of Taras Shevchenko was held in S. Beysembayev Scientific Library of S. Toraighyrov PSU. UNESCO included the 200th birthday of this famous Ukrainian poet in the list of commemorative dates.

The program of the event included summing up the results of the recitation contest “Don't Forget to Remember Me with a Kind and Quiet Word” and a book exhibition “Eternally Bound by Friendship”.

The winners of the contest are Zhamilya Zhumakhan (Agr-202) and Aygerim Balagazinova (Phil(K)-101).

PSU students gave musical performances with banduras (and got an encore from the audience several times), sang songs in Ukrainian, and demonstrated pictures painted by the poet. As we know, Taras Shevchenko was not only a brilliant poet, but also a talanted artist.

Yelena Likhanova, a member of S. Beysembayev Scientific Library of Pavlodar State University, noted that Taras Shevchenko spent 10 years of his life in Kazakhstan. 'Over the years of his exile in Kazakhstan, he wrote many poems, prose works, and about 20 narratives. Here he painted about 450 pictures, 350 of them were devoted to Kazakhstan. The contribution to rapprochement of cultures of Ukraine and Kazakhstan made by Taras Shevchenko is immense', said Yelena Likhanova.

Mikhail Paripsa, the Chairman of the Ukrainian Cultural Center named after T.G. Shevchenko, was a guest of honor at this event. He shared his vision of Taras Shevchenko's works and recited several poems. Professor of the Department of Philosophy and Culturology Stepan Nevmerzhitskiy emphasized the national importance of Taras Shevchenko's legacy for the Ukrainian people. This author expressed the most progressive ideas of his time, cherished thoughts and aspirations of his people. 'Each nation has its genius: Abay in Kazakhstan, Confucius in China, Pushkin in Russia, and Taras Shevchenko in Ukraine. He has become a true symbol of the national spirit, the national idea', said Stepan Nevmerzhitskiy.