Staff Reporter
MOSCOW, Sept. 1 — Four young talents from Tanzania participated in the XV International musical tour as part of the “Nuclear Kids” project. “Nuclear Kids” (or “NucKids”) is an annual international creative initiative designed for the children of employees from Russian nuclear industry enterprises and foreign partners of Rosatom, a global leader in nuclear technologies. This project’s primary objectives include fostering new traditions of cultural interaction among the children of nuclear industry professionals and creating opportunities for these gifted youngsters to express their creativity.
The exciting adventure began on July 8, 2023, at the “Yunost” health resort in the Republic of Belarus, near Minsk. A distinctive feature of this project is that, under the guidance of professional mentors, young artists spend three weeks creating a musical performance that they later showcase in Russian cities and abroad. Over the project’s 15-year history, it has united 900 children from 25 countries into one close-knit community, affectionately referred to by the kids themselves as “NucKids.”
In 2023, these young talents were tasked with the challenge of staging a professional musical in just three weeks. They successfully presented four performances in Ostrovets (Belarus), three performances in Nizhny Novgorod (Russia), four performances in Obninsk (Russia), and four performances in Moscow (Russia). Symbolically, during the 15th-anniversary season, the musical was performed 15 times. Additionally, the participants prepared and hosted the Gala Concert titled “The Best Songs of NucKids,” featuring over 30 live songs performed by both the project’s seniors and this year’s participants.
Five countries, including Bangladesh, Hungary, the Republic of Belarus, Tanzania, and the Russian Federation, actively participated in this project. Each international participant embraced a role in the performance, with Tanzanian children even learning and performing rap in Russian for the audience.
Beyond rehearsals and performance preparations, the children enjoyed a guided tour of Minsk, a visit to a water park, and various other activities during their time in Belarus.
The “Nuclear Kids” project holds significant social importance as it offers children from different cities and countries the opportunity to not only explore various parts of the world free of charge but also collaborate with experienced teachers and forge relationships with peers who share similar interests and ideas. Becoming a “Nuclear Kids” participant requires successfully navigating a selection process. Annually, the organizing committee receives over 1000 applications, making the competition intense, with approximately 8 to 10 candidates vying for each available spot. Consequently, around 80 children, including the offspring of Rosatom’s foreign partners, participate in the project every year.
The “Nuclear Kids” initiative is part of a broader effort to cultivate new traditions of cultural interaction among the younger generation. In November 2022, the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia hosted the international Youth Forum “Russia-Africa: Nuclear Education for Sustainable Development,” with the support of Rosatom. This forum featured various sections, including “Nuclear Medicine,” where the potential of Russian nuclear education was discussed with participants from African countries, including Tanzania.
Such events, like the Youth Forum and “Nuclear Kids” project, serve as valuable social platforms for exchanging ideas and talents between African countries and Russia. Over the years, these projects have fostered enduring relationships with numerous state and local authorities, as well as state and public organizations.
