ISLAMABAD ( WNAM REPORT): The Embassy of Romania in Pakistan has announced the inaugural edition of the Romanian Culture Days in Pakistan – “Culture Bridges Nations”, a month-long celebration of Romanian heritage, art, and cultural diplomacy. The series of events will be held throughout November 2025 across Islamabad, Karachi, and Peshawar.
The festival will open in Karachi with an early celebration of Romania’s National Day and the inauguration of a photo exhibition marking 61 years of diplomatic relations between Romania and Pakistan. Organized with the support of the Romanian National Archives and the Diplomatic Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, the exhibition offers a visual journey through the key historical milestones of bilateral friendship. Following its debut in Karachi, the exhibition will travel to Islamabad and Peshawar as part of Romania’s National Day celebrations.
Romanian performing arts will take center stage in the cultural programme. On November 4, acclaimed Romanian soprano Georgiana Costea Glugă will perform at the World Culture Festival in Karachi, followed by an opera workshop and Romanian film screenings at the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi on November 5, introducing Pakistani audiences and students to Romania’s vibrant musical and cinematic traditions. Additionally, at the World Culture Festival, Ballet Beyond Borders will present a dance performance celebrating artistic collaboration and cultural exchange, featuring performers from several countries, including Romania.
Reaffirming its commitment to cultural and educational exchange, the Embassy of Romania will donate a collection of Romanian literature, art, photography, and history books to the National Library of Pakistan and the Library of the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) in Islamabad, with the generous support of the Romanian Cultural Institute.
As part of the month-long festivities, NUML University will inaugurate the Romanian Language Lectorate, under the guidance of Professor Dr. Oana Ursache, offering Pakistani students the opportunity to learn the Romanian language and explore Romania’s art, literature, and cinema. Fully funded by the Romanian Language Institute (Institutul Limbii Române – ILR) and the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research, the lectorate marks a new milestone in academic cooperation.
On this occasion, Professor Ursache will deliver a special lecture dedicated to Queen Marie of Romania, commemorating the 150th anniversary of her birth. The lecture will be accompanied by a screening of the documentary “Marie – Heart of Romania”, which highlights the Queen’s enduring diplomatic legacy and remarkable influence in early 20th-century Europe.
Later in the month, on November 15, the award-winning Romanian film “The New Year That Never Came” (Anul Nou care n-a fost, 2024), written and directed by Bogdan Mureșanu, will be screened at the Karachi Film School as part of the European Film Festival. The film, set in the closing days of 1989 Romania, portrays six intertwined lives amid revolution, hope, and the fall of the communist regime.
The Romanian Culture Days in Pakistan are organized by the Embassy of Romania in Islamabad, in collaboration with the Romanian Cultural Institute, the Romanian Language Institute, the Romanian National Archives, the Romanian Lectorate at NUML, the National University of Modern Languages, the Pakistan-Romania Business Council, the Pakistan-Romania Friendship Association, and the Honorary Consulate of Romania in Peshawar.
Through this initiative, the Embassy of Romania reaffirms its dedication to strengthening cultural ties and people-to-people connections between Romania and Pakistan, celebrating over six decades of friendship, mutual respect, and cooperation between the two nations.
