ArmeniaՀայաստան

Lilit Pipoyan is an Armenian folk singer, who was born in Yerevan in 1955. She is famous for interpreting traditional Armenian folk music and giving it a modern 'spin'.

She has recorded three CDs and has performed around the world in places as far apart as Armenia, Switzerland, Syria and the United States.

Gulo is a traditional Armenian song about 'lost love’

YouTube video

New York Times article

Azerbaijan Azərbaycan

Azim Azimzade was a very famous Azeri painter during the Soviet period.

Born into a working-class factory in Absheron region, many of his paintings, for example Wedding of the Poor People portray the difficulties of life for ordinary people in Azerbaijan.

His painting Jumping over the Bonfire (1937) - illustrates an age-old Azeri tradition. Azerbaijan is often called the 'Land of Fire' and fire plays an important role in national rituals, many of which originated in ancient Zoarastrian beliefs.

Wikipedia article and gallery

Georgia საქართველო

Shota Rustaveli is Georgia's most famous poet. He lived in the 12th century and wrote Georgia's most famous epic poem, - translated as ვეფხისტყაოსანი

The Knight in the Panther's Skin

The poem deals mostly with feelings of love and courage and has been translated into more than 50 languages. Read some excerpts from the opening quatrains:

Shota Rustaveli on Wikipedia

The Knight in the Panther’s Skin (in English)

Moldova

The Moldovan national dance ensemble ‘Joc’ was famous throughout the Soviet Union and is well-known in all of the eTwinning Plus countries. Founded in 1945, the ensemble is still going strong, keeping alive traditional Moldovan dances, many of which are fast-paced and extremely colourful

YouTube video of the ‘Joc’ ensemble

Joc’s younger generation train for a production

Ukraine

Like many people around the world, Ukrainians are big fans of football. Although the Ukrainian national poet is also called Shevchenko, the Ukrainian footballer, Andriy Shevchenko is, perhaps, more well-known across the world. With neighbouring Poland, they co-hosted the UEFA championship Euro 2012. Although it was football tournament, Euro 2012 gave Ukraine a chance to share its culture with the world

See Shevchenko in action on YouTube

Україна

Promotional video from the ‘Switch on Ukraine’ campaign

Tunisia

Tunisian cuisine is a real mixture of different influences from the Mediterranean region. It features lots of olive oil, spices, tomatoes and lamb. Perhaps their most famous national dish is Lablabi لبالبي – a thick soup made with chickpeas and garlic.

How to make Lablabi – YouTube video

ونس

Link to Lablabi recipe, if you want to try this at home!