One Year In The Paradise Island” Reflections of Maria L.Popova,Head of the Russian Cultural Center

Maria L. Popova, Director of the Russian House in Colombo and First Secretary of the Russian Embassy in Sri Lanka, speaks to Lanka Woman about Culture and Arts, Sri Lanka Russia diplomatic ties since 1957 including education, economics, tourism and the similarities of the two peoples despite the differences in appearance and language. 

Words - Indika Madapatha Sellahewa 

Madam Popova, could you please enlighten us about yourself and how you came to be in the diplomatic field?

In general, I come from a diplomatic background; since childhood I lived and studied abroad, first with my parents, later with my husband. Therefore, the international environment is very close to my heart. So, you may say that I carried on the family tradition. My grandmother was an honored teacher of the Russian language and literature, and she introduced me to love these subjects. In her memory, promoting the Russian language is a great honor for me. I’m also a graduate of the Moscow State Institute of Foreign Relations, I speak two foreign languages, so it goes without saying that the combination of all these factors was the direct path to cultural diplomacy.
Before becoming part of the worldwide Russian House team, I worked for a large media holding called the Moscow Media, consisting of two TV channels and three radio stations, one of which is the city’s main station Moscow FM. During those years I’ve worked in various areas -  as an editor, a news producer for the English-speaking radio station Capital FM, and a news presenter and interpreter for the TV channel Moscow-24, and finally, an executive producer of the Radio Department. It was an invaluable experience, and all these skills are helping me a lot in my current work. 

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