New Delhi,
September, 2022.
The Creative Business Forum
‘Sociocultural Development of Northern Regions’ was held as part of the 7th
Eastern Economic Forum. The forum was organized by the Innosocium Foundation,
the social platform of the Roscongress Foundation, with the support of the
Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and the Arctic and was part
of the plan of events of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023,
which are being organized by the Roscongress Foundation.
The business programme of the
Creative Business Forum was dedicated to the sociocultural development of the
northern regions and focused on promising areas of creative industries and the
development of the social sector in the northern territories. The session participants
discussed the specifics of developing northern cities, industrial Arctic
design, the traditions of Indigenous peoples, tourism, the impact of technology
on the life in the North, the regional film and animation industry, national
cuisine, and the creation of local art residences and art hubs. The sessions
focused on social aspects of supporting youth and Indigenous peoples.
“The Creative Business Forum’s
actual effectiveness as an important tool for developing creative industries
directly affects the creation of a strategy for promoting creative entrepreneurship,
especially in the changing economic and geopolitical environment. Developing social
communication in this special sector of the economy helps to increase social
inclusion, establish business contacts, and strengthen the reputation of
creative industries as a recognized driver of the modern economy,” said Anton
Kobyakov, Adviser to the Russian President and Executive Secretary of the
EEF2022 Organizing Committee.
The official EEF business programme
included the following sessions: ‘North–South: Using Ethnocultural Heritage as
a Resource for Sustainable Development’, ‘The Creative Potential of the North.
How to Attract Young People in the Arctic Region?’, and ‘Social Agenda of the
Regions: New Global Crossroads’. The Creative Business Forum sessions held
outside of the business programme took place at the ‘Far East Street’
exhibition in the House of Indigenous Peoples pavilion – a new platform
dedicated to the culture of the Indigenous peoples of the North: ‘Russian
Arctic Style: From the Epos to the Product’, ‘Taming Cold: Special Aspects of
Developing Northern Cities’, ‘Tourism or a Challenge: What Attracts People to
the Arctic?’, ‘From the Museum to a Creative Cluster: How Public Spaces Shape a
Creative Life’, ‘Film Industry and Animation of the North and East: New Markets
and Technologies’, and ‘Gastronomy of the Arctic, Siberia, and the Far East:
How to Surprise a Picky Guest?’.
“The forum showcased the current
opportunities that the creative industries have to develop Russia’s northern
territories. We had a chance to discuss future plans for developing this area
and scaling up best practices so that people’s creative potential is used as an
effective resource for economic growth,” said Yelena Marinina, Deputy CEO of
the Roscongress Foundation and Director of the Innosocium Foundation.
The ‘Soul of Russia. The North’
Youth Multimedia and Discussion Campus was organized as part of the Creative
Business Forum, with the support of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher
Education and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District – Yugra. The campus had a
youth press centre, presented various multimedia projects and an interactive
map, and hosted master classes on making amulets, national dolls, wood and bone
carving, and the processing of leather and birch bark. Public talks with
representatives of the creative sector were held in the discussion zone.
“The Arctic Council is constantly
focusing on problems involving the development of creative industries. The Association
of Indigenous Peoples of the North makes a special contribution to this work.
Based on Russia’s initiative, several projects are being developed that aim to
preserve and develop the cultural heritage of Indigenous peoples as well as
maintain their traditional crafts and way of life. These include the idea of
the Digital Museums project, which is seeks to bring museum complexes
together into a single exposition that would enable the general public learn
about the cultural heritage of the Indigenous peoples of the North,” said
Nikolay Korchunov, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials.
The forum’s programme also included
the pilot ‘Soul of Russia. The North’ Audiovisual Culture Festival at which EEF
participants took in the modern cultural achievements of northern regions and
learned about centuries-old traditions and the epos of the Indigenous peoples
of the North as interpreted by young and prominent artists: reggae and rap with
melodies of the Even people performed by Kit Jah and MOSKILA, as well as ethno
rock by VanyakanIkekan. Evenki DJ Gudeykon and Even singer PyotrKeymetinovalso performed
on the stage of the ‘Far East Street’ exhibition. In addition, the Creative
Business Forum showcased Ksenia Chilingarova’s iconic Arctic Explorer outerwear
brand and collections of popular young designers from Yugra and Yakutia. At the
festival’s finale, Siberian natives from the Indigenous peoples of Chulym, Keto,
and Selkup performed modern musical genres featuring their traditions of throat
singing and playing on drums made from elk skin.
The forum’s business and cultural
programme was organized with the support of the government of the Khanty-Mansi
Autonomous District.
“Our understanding of the economic
potential of creative industries was strongly influenced by the Spirit of Fire
International Festival of Film Debuts, which eventually became the main platform
for the development of the film industry in Yugra. We were the first region to
adopt our own law on the development of creative industries and have drafted a
development strategy until 2030. We plan on this sector occupying a 2.7% share in
the gross regional product, and our gross product is very expensive, since it’s
oil and gas. The creative industries sector is becoming a full-fledged sector of
the economy. Even though not all the activities in it are structured, it creates
opportunities for people who are talented individually. Our job is to create
conditions for such people to feel as competitive as possible,” Yugra Governor
Natalya Komarova said.
One of the
main priorities of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023 is
to develop human capital in the region, including the Indigenous peoples of the
North. Russia devotes special attention to maintaining the sustainability and
viability of the peoples of the North, promoting measures to adapt them to
climate change, improving people’s well-being, health, education, and quality
of life, and ensuring sustainable socioeconomic development throughout the
region. The Russian side has initiated projects to digitalize the cultural and
linguistic heritage of the Indigenous peoples of the North, develop renewable
energy sources, create an international Arctic research station that runs on
carbon-free energy, and ensure biosecurity in the Arctic. In addition, Russia
is preparing draft proposals on the traditional medicine of Indigenous peoples
and the development of creative industries in the Arctic, and is working on an
initiative to create Digital Museums of the Arctic.