Order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the professional national theater of Azerbaijan
The year 2023 marks 150 years since the founding of the National Theater of Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani theater emerged amidst fateful socio-political events of the nineteenth century when the great enlightener Mirza Fatali Akhundzadeh introduced the genre of drama into our literature and the folk theater evolved into a professional national theater. The performances staged by our intellectuals during this period in Baku, Shusha, Shaki, Lankaran, Nakhchivan, Tbilisi, and Iravan greatly influenced the cultural landscape of these cities.
Throughout its history, the Azerbaijani theater has been characterized by its active stance and has been a driving force behind public opinion, greatly impacting the cultural progress of society and the development of national consciousness. Notable figures from our history of literary thought used the theater stage as a platform to address the people.
At each stage of the development of our dramaturgy, the Azerbaijani theater has been distinguished by its unique acting school and has produced a generation of talented artists and directors with a strong theatrical culture. In our country, there is a network of theaters that have broad development prospects for their all-round activities on the basis of national values. The collectives of these theaters successfully incorporate global experience and regularly update their repertoire.
Azerbaijani theater is the cultural wealth of our people. Protection and development of this wealth are among the major priorities of the cultural policy of the Azerbaijani state. The solemn celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijani theater became a remarkable cultural event and gave a new boost to the growth of our theater due to the direct initiative and involvement of the national leader Heydar Aliyev, who created a revolution in our historical and cultural heritage by placing national and moral values at the forefront from the first years of his leadership in our republic.
In accordance with Article 109, Paragraph 32 of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan, I hereby order to ensure the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the establishment of a professional national theater in Azerbaijan as an important event in the cultural and public life of the country:
1. The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan shall develop and implement an action plan for the 150th anniversary of the professional national theater in Azerbaijan.
2. The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan shall resolve the issues arising from this Order.
Ilham Aliyev
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Baku city, February 3, 2023