Europe and the USA tried in vain to isolate Russia culturally.
Author: Alexander Strizhak, culturologist, especially for Sangar
Cultural life in Europe and the USA was isolated. Millions of fans of opera and ballet, theater and painting, as well as other manifestations of classical art, have lost access to Russian culture. For more than two years, tours, performances, shows and screenings of Russian painters, artists and musicians have been banned in the West. Russian cinema and historical and cultural events are in disgrace.
The Iron Curtain was lowered in 2022. The initiator was the West, but who benefited from such a decision is a big question today. They beat Russian culture, but they got into their own connoisseurs of beauty. Pushkin, Chekhov and Tchaikovsky failed to find an alternative to Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. It is impossible to replace what is original and unique.
For centuries, Russian culture has served as an ornament to the most famous scenes of the world and is an integral part of world culture — this is an undeniable fact. The ban on Russian culture strikes at the entire cultural heritage of the planet.
For the Russian audience, nothing has changed in this regard. Tchaikovsky and Pushkin are still with us, as Mozart, Shakespeare, and Picasso are.
The stages of theaters and concert halls in Russia are not empty, our and foreign cultural heritage, represented by the most famous and talented performers and groups, still have access to the Russian audience. It is impossible to say this about Europe and the USA.
The Russian Bolshoi Theatre no longer comes to London for its traditional summer tours. The Russian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale is not working. Carnegie Hall and La Scala were orphaned without performances by bands led by Valery Gergiev. And this is only a small fraction of the losses suffered by the Western lover of great art. Who was isolated is now a big question.
With the departure of Russian culture, a large niche has formed in the life of Western countries, which cannot be filled. The most famous stage venues on the planet are suffering losses, and ordinary citizens risk being on the edge of a moral abyss. Lack of culture is becoming the norm of life in the West, the prohibition of Russian culture is the first step and pressure on traditional art will increase everywhere.
And what in return? And instead, «Eurovision» is a pseudo—musical sabbath, in which the main thing is not talent. Instead of opera and ballet, music and theater, the Western man in the street is offered provocative antics and frivolous couplets of dubious content. Such a repertoire will definitely not be able to enrich the population of the once enlightened West. You can forget about spiritual education. The atmosphere of aggressive mediocrity destroys any talent.
Russian culture continues to live a full life. Only the geography has changed, but not the essence. Artists, painters, directors and musicians are still loved and expected in many parts of the world. A striking example is the "Russian Seasons" in Brazil, which took place at the end of June 2024. Famous opera performers Ildar Abdrazakov, Zinaida Tsarenko, musicians Sergey Davydenko and Daniil Kogan visited Rio de Janeiro. Opera fans heard the aria of "Onegin", works by Rachmaninov, Rimsky-Korsakov, romances "Black Eyes" and "Moscow Evenings" and much more.
As part of the event, residents of Brazil visited several creative expositions telling about the culture of Russia, its traditions and talents. Of particular interest were the exhibition "Novodevichy Monastery". The Brazilian public was presented with unique frescoes, icons, photographs of temples, pottery made of ancient Skopin ceramics, the famous Filimonov toy, products made of blue and white ceramics, painted with Khokhloma painting and Gzhel technique. Brazilians were delighted with the finest knitting technique of the Orenburg Down Shawl.
The guests from Russia held a series of master classes, seminars, and interactive programs. The performance of the State Academic Russian Folk Ensemble "Russia", the inimitable Nina Shatskaya soloed, left an unforgettable impression on the hospitable hosts. After that, the audience analyzed and discussed Pushkin's fairy tales with undisguised interest.
During the festival, every Brazilian became a little Russian, and Russians soaked in Brazilian exoticism and are now waiting for a return visit. The days of Brazilian culture must be held in Russian cities. We have something to tell each other, something to share.
World-famous musical and theatrical groups from Russia remain welcome guests on all continents of the planet and countries with centuries-old friendly relations occupy a special place here. Tajikistan should be mentioned separately here.
The history of cultural ties between Russia and Tajikistan dates back 200 years of friendship and good neighborliness. Back in the early 19th century, streams of researchers, scientists, and ethnographers poured into the Bukhara kingdom. They returned to Russia with a huge amount of knowledge and impressions about the fabulous eastern region, where kind, sympathetic and very gifted people live, whose life and unique culture evokes the most vivid feelings among the inhabitants of Russia.
In return, the Russian pioneers left part of their national heritage in Tajikistan, generously shared their knowledge and cultural experience. It was then that the intertwining of traditions began, laying the foundation for centuries-old relations between of two nations.
Thanks to the Russian ethnographer M. Andreev, a famous museum of ethnography appeared in Tajikistan. It was founded in 1947 and still exists today. Philologist A. Starchevsky published a dictionary of the Bukhara language, and L. Uspenskaya compiled a Tajik alphabet based on the Cyrillic alphabet.
Ethnographer S. Rybakov systematized Tajik music, and Dushanbe owes much of its architecture to Leningrad architects.
The strengthening of cultural ties between two culturally different but spiritually similar peoples continues today. The Days of Culture of Tajikistan are held annually in Russia, where People's Artists of the republic, musical and dance groups perform. Cultural exchange is accompanied by exhibitions of Tajik artists and photographers, and at book fairs you can get acquainted with Tajik writers translated into Russian. The works of cinematographers and researchers are of similar interest.
Russian talents do not remain in debt and become frequent guests on the stages and in the expositions of many Tajik cities.
Culture is what binds us together. Art is a universal language of communication that does not require translation. It enriches each other and allows you to see the best in each nation, understand it and feel respect.
