Earlier we reported that the director of the French Institute in Turkmenistan, Roman Gouverné, completed his mission and left for France. His departure is perceived by many with sadness, because those who are passionate about art and/or the French language knew him well, were friends with him, communicated with him, and created joint projects.

Roman Gouverné has headed the Institute since the end of 2020. The beginning of his mission coincided with the COVID-19 period.

“Due to the global pandemic, it was difficult even to fly: through charter flights, I managed to get here almost without delays and take up my post on time,” remembers Roman.

It was not easy, but enthusiasm and ardent love for what he did overcame all obstacles. Since January 2021, the Institute has moved to a more spacious building, everything has been updated - from classrooms to teaching equipment. In a short period, the French Institute in Ashgabat has become a model in Central Asia for the quality of its work.

"I hear this from my colleagues many times, that our Institute is an example for others in the region. I won't hide that this makes me very happy and shows that our multifaceted work has borne fruit," says Gouverné.

During his work in Turkmenistan, he managed to unite artists, musicians, hand makers, and collectors in the art sphere. Under his leadership, various painting exhibitions, crafts fairs, screenings of feature and documentary films, and chess tournaments were held at the French Institute. He is the initiator, inspiration, and organizer of international projects created at the junction of European and Eastern cultures, which Turkmenportal has written about on numerous occasions.

Roman is especially proud of the fact that he managed to implement contemporary art projects in Turkmenistan for the first time. This includes the first Video Installation exhibition in 2022, the first performance of contemporary dance and digital art Myselves, and the first musical dialogue "Baroque-Bakhshi". Moreover, this year the RITUALS performance was a success, which for the first time managed to combine contemporary digital art with the traditional national culture of the Turkmen people.

All these undertakings, of course, took place in collaboration with numerous partners, but their inspiration was Roman, who is a pioneer in this direction.

"RITUALS was created in collaboration with Turkmen colleagues, with great respect for the culture and traditions of the people. It seems that digital art and the ritual dance kushtdepti are not the same, but it turns out that they are compatible! This amazing dialogue of cultures on stage has become a symbol of deep national roots and a new spirit of the times," says Roman.

The effective cooperation of the French Institute with the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan has also yielded fruitful results – a network of educational institutions teaching French has been created in the country. Francophonie Week is now held jointly at the national level. According to the Ministry, there are currently 22 000 people studying French in the country, and the dynamics of demand for language learning is steadily growing.

"In recent years, the need to learn French has grown greatly here," says R. Gouverné. "Thanks to the Francophonie competitions, the motivation to learn it is growing. We have introduced international standards of language proficiency, thanks to which DELF/DALF exams are held in the country."

With sadness in his eyes, Roman said goodbye to his Turkmen friends, but with unfailing optimism in his voice he spoke of a new meeting: “We will definitely meet. In Turkmenistan or maybe even in Paris!”

In his home country, he will begin working at the French Ministry of Culture, where he will oversee financial matters for the Archaeology Department, which employs 2000 people.

"But it won't be as interesting as working in Ashgabat at the French Institute!" Roman assured us.

For our part, we wish Roman Gouverné and his creative family health, prosperity, success in all endeavors and many new friends!

Maral HYDYROVA