Students and public employees were forced to participate and rehearse choreographed scenes for television filming. Many felt outraged by the impositions and humiliations. The fear of losing the job was stronger than the desire to refuse. The regime wants to give the world the impression of a lively and boisterous people.
Moscow () – Turkmenistan television channels have prepared careful reports on the New Year celebrations in various cities of the country. They show popular demonstrations of jubilation in the streets, but the authorities forced for days students and public employees to rehearse movements for the filming instead of allowing them to work or rest during the holiday. Above all, they were required to be “attractive and well dressed”.
As the official press releases that were distributed in schools and public offices explained, “young people, girls and women must be elegant to participate in the celebrations of the new year, preferably dressed in traditional clothing of the country”. Most of the participants were directed by teachers and operators from the educational sector, they were filmed on their way to their workplace and later when they moved “spontaneously” to the squares where the public festivities were held.
In the city of Turkmenabad the main place of concentration was around the big New Year tree, erected in front of the “White Tent” on the outskirts of the city. Filming began on December 27 and ended on January 1, with daily replays. The journey from the city to the venue required a lot of time and considerable travel expenses, because it was located outside the usual routes of the bus lines. Many had to resort to taxis, which meant 10-20 manats ($3-7) per day, which each participant had to pay out of pocket, and they were also forced to procure suitable clothing at their own expense.
The government forced all schools and kindergartens to send a minimum of five participants. After lengthy checks and cross-checks, the organizers decided on the spot who, especially women, would take part in the filming. In the end, only the most “attractive” managed to appear in documentaries. Many people were shocked by these impositions and humiliations, but the fear of losing their job was stronger than the desire to escape the “obligatory festivities.”
Thus, during the afternoon and night of December 31, happy crowds appeared, strolling around the enormous trees in the main squares of the country. The final round of filming was between 6:00 p.m. on December 31 and 2:00 a.m. on January 1. Many school administrators tried to let their employees enjoy the tranquility of their homes, but the orders from above were unequivocal. Moreover, families and children who would have gladly joined in the festivities around the tree were not allowed near it lest they spoil television documentaries.
In Turkmenabad, at least 100 policemen guarded the celebration square and only allowed them to watch from afar. This custom of holding “official popular festivities” has been repeated for at least a decade, with the selective obligation to attend the most important ceremonies, in which tens of thousands of children and adults and even a representation of the elderly must parade. This happens not only on New Year’s Eve and major civic holidays, but also on the occasion of the inauguration of important government buildings and monuments, new tree planting ceremonies, and the end of the cotton, wheat, or other harvest. other agricultural products that have great social significance.
The clothes, bought with their own money, must be identical for everyone, with special colors for each event, and the hope of being included in the shoot depends not only on physical appearance and the decorations worn, but above all on the ability to smile, clap, dance and move following the corresponding orders, to give the world the impression of a happy and bustling people, who do not feel overwhelmed by the difficulties and threats of the present and projected towards a serene and peaceful future, without worries.
