Bad news from the "Finno-Ugric World"

[Johanna Laakso]

Dear Uralists,

in the last few weeks, the "ugrimugri" (Tartu), "ural-lista" (Helsinki) and
Mafun lists have made many of us concerned about the future of Finno-Ugric
cultural activities in Russia.

Not only has the museum of Votian culture in Luuditsa been destroyed by
fire. On September 12th, a fire (probably started in a bar downstairs)
destroyed the studio of the Karelian folk-music group "Myllärit" in
Petrozavodsk, causing substantial damage not only to the ensemble but to the
cultural life of the city as well. On October 6th, the famous woodwork
school in the village of Vir-Tavla, Mordovia, was burned - it is suspected
that the fire had something to do with local conflicts between the Orthodox
church and the ethnic religion. Although there is probably no connection
between these three incidents, voices have already been raised against this
"dangerous trend".

A further message from Laid Shemier, Mari El (below, in Russian), tells us
about the plans of the Mari government to abolish the Mari national theatre
(by uniting it with the Russian-language one). There is also continuous
pressure against Mari cultural and publishing activities and the Finno-Ugric
newspaper Kudo+Kodu.

I am well aware that most of us do not feel very attracted by political
activism - especially in the still rather insecure and strange political
circumstances of today's Russia - but prefer to stick to our main area of
competence, that is, (academic) instruction and research of languages (and
cultures). Besides, as we all know, Finno-Ugristics has, in Soviet times,
probably profited from *not* getting involved in political schisms. I also
think that cultural-political questions are not really what this list is for
- there are other discussion lists, such as those mentioned above, for those
purposes.

However, it might be useful for all of us to spend a few minutes
contemplating our role in relation with what is happening with the speakers
of the languages we are working with. A discussion on a more general level -
that is, whether there really is anything we can or should do - is welcome
also on this list.

With best democratic wishes from university-demonstration-ridden Vienna

Johanna
--
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Johanna Laakso
Institut für Finno-Ugristik der Universität Wien
Universitätscampus, Spitalg. 2-4 Hof 7, A-1090 Wien
Tel. +43 1 4277 43009 | Fax +43 1 4277 9430
johanna.laakso at univie.ac.at | http://mailbox.univie.ac.at/Johanna.Laakso/

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Von: "Laid Shemier" <kudokodu at mari-el.ru>
Antworten an: ugrimugri at lists.ut.ee
Datum: Thu, 11 Oct 2001 22:16:45 +0400
An: ugrimugri ???????? <ugrimugri at lists.ut.ee>
Betreff: [ugrimugri:1356] ugroza nad nacional`nym teatrom


    Tere, terve...

    Posylaju vam pis`mo hudozhestvenogo rukovoditelja Marijskogo
Nacional`nogo teatra imeni M.Shketana Basli Pekteeva po ego pros`be.
    Ono vazvano tem, chto teper` hotjat unichtozhit` marijskij teatr imeni
Shketana.
Sejchas v pravitel`stve gotovitsja postanovlenije na eto.
    Marijskaja obshestvennost` rascenivajet eto kak prjamoje posjagatel`stvo
na marijskuju kul`turu.
Eto - akcija, napravlennaja protiv celogo naroda. Pervyj etap - iz dvuh
teatrov sdelat` odin, kotoryj budet nazyvat`sja "Marijskim teatrom", bez
vsjakih istorij. Eto delajetsja dlja togo, chtoby eshe raz "dokazat`", chto
mari - bessil`ny, dazhe ne mogut sashishat`sja...
     My eto rascenivajem kak popytku iskusstvenno destabilisirovat`
obstanovku v Mari El. Esli chto-to budet plohoje - v etom vinovna
segodn`ashnaja vlast`.
    Za 2001 god stalo ochen` mnogo faktov, gde mari stali diskriminirovat`:
    - vyselili Sojus pisatelej iz zanimajemogo pomeshenija
    - unichtohili nacional`nyj otdel v Ministerstve obrazovanija respubliki
- skoro mnogije marijskije uchitelja ostnutsja bezrabotnymi
    - uvolili glavnogo redaktora Marijskogo knizhnogo izdatel`stva
Al`bertinu Ivanovu-Aptullinu - ono pod riskom zakrytija
    - nacional`nyje gazety "Marij El" i "Kugarnja" doveli do bankrotstva -
chtoby oni buli polnostju "ruchnymi"
    - Sojuz hudozhnikov Mari El pod ugrozoj zakrytija...

    Vot tak mozhno rascenivat` dejatel`nost` novogo prezidenta Leonida
Markelova i ego komandy.

    Ne znaju, kak vasha storona reagirujet ili prosto eto ostanetsja
nezamechennoj - eto vasha reakcija. No my schitajem, chto ob etom dolzhen
znat` ves` finno-ugorskij mir. Da ne tol`ko.


mail-to: kudokodu at mari-el.ru
Web: kudokodu.mari-el.ru