Gábor Tallai, the program director of the coordinating body, the Public Endowment for the Research on Eastern and Central European History and Society said: the sixtieth anniversary is “an excellent opportunity to have a truly stunning commemoration after the failures ten years ago” and they are expecting a vast amount of participants and contributors.

He also mentioned that a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement had been signed with MTVA (Media Services and Support Trust Fund) and with Magyar Posta (Hungarian Post) and they are planning to do so with the Budapesti Közlekedési Központ (Centre for Budapest Transport), with MÁV (the Hungarian Railway), MOL (Hungarian Oil and Gas Public Limited Company) and OTP (National Savings Bank).

Our aim is that by the end of this year there should be no Hungarian citizen left who had not heard about this wonderful story – asserted Gábor Tallai.

He also emphasized that a quarter-century after the fall of communism we have a chance to reflect on and respond to our own past and we have a lot to do regarding 1956. He illustrated his point by the fact that up to now people know very little about the heroes who had been fighting in the street. He added that until now more than a thousand tenders had arrived in response to the call of the Memorial Committee for 1956.

As Tamás Kádár, the CEO of Sziget Cultural Management put it, most of their events are mainly visited by young people in their twenties, those who should and are worth to explain what had happened sixty years ago. However, they also want to present the account of 1956 to the foreign visitors as well, in a way that it is interesting and easy to absorb even for the younger generations.

Gábor Koltay, the director of Esztrád theatre said the following about a play which presents an array of the most beautiful moments of Hungarian history, which is to be performed twice in Heroes square: the Hungarian history will be performed on the “most beautiful open-air stage in the country” in 21 3-6 minute scenes starting with the conquest of the Carpathian Basin.

As he said, at certain points of the performance there will be nearly five hundred people on stage with 18 singers, 10 actors and 120 members of the dance company. In answer to a question he revealed that following the two performances in the middle of June they intend to keep on performing with a reduced staff both in the country and abroad as well.      

János Szentmártoni, the President of the Hungarian Writers' Association reported that one of their plans is to create a virtual memorial room on the internet to the participation of writers and poets in 1956. Furthermore, they are planning flash mobs as well as an exhibition planned for the fence of the building, which was the headquarters of the Association sixty years ago.

He also emphasized that they have announced a call for tenders for young artists and from the incoming works and exhibition will be held in October at the official 1956 celebration of the Writers' Association.

(Source: MTI)