Dorel Cosma, president of the International Folklore Union (IGF), has received the Honorary Citizen title from Ungheni municipality. The distinction was awarded during the Municipality Days, according to a post by the municipality.
Cosma is the second honorary citizen of Ungheni designated in 2026, after Nicolae Baltag, director of the Apă-Canal Ungheni water utility.
35 years since the first meeting
Dorel Cosma’s connection to Ungheni began in 1991, at the first edition of the “Nunta Zamfirei” International Folklore Festival in Bistrița. The Republic of Moldova was represented by the “Strugurașul” Ensemble from the Palace of Culture in Ungheni.
In a text published on bistritaculturala.ro on the occasion of receiving the distinction, Cosma writes that France, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria and the Republic of Moldova participated in that first edition alongside Romania. Among the “Strugurașul” dancers was Tudor Babin, now a choreographer at the Palace of Culture in Ungheni.
From festival to twinning
Three and a half decades of cultural collaboration led to the official twinning of Bistrița and Ungheni. Cosma credits the revival of ties to mayor Vitalie Vrabie and Palace of Culture director Silvia Zagoreanu, whom he calls “the right people for this endeavour.”
The International Folklore Union, led by Cosma, has opened a representative office in Ungheni. The IGF folklore caravan passed through the district in May 2026, on its way to the International Festival in Izmit (Turkey), where the “Joc” Ensemble from the Palace of Culture represented the Republic of Moldova.
What is IGF
The International Folklore Union is an international organisation headquartered in Bistrița that coordinates folklore festivals worldwide. Dorel Cosma also founded the “Nunta Zamfirei” Festival, which reached its 36th edition in 2026.