Our cultural culture

The institutions of Russian culture in Moldova are far from flourishing.

There are two unions of the Russian people: the Russian community of the Republic of Moldova and the Congress of Russian communities of the Republic of Moldova. The first is headed by the former secretary of the district committee of the CPSU - Lyudmila Laschenova, the second is a historian originally from Western Ukraine Valery Klimenko. “Professional Russians,” as they are called by those who get nothing but trouble for having a Russian mark on their passport, are fighting among themselves for the meager grants given by the Russian government to foreign “compatriots.” If we compare them with the cash flows that Moldova’s western neighbor pours into the organizations of the “Bessarabian Romanians,” one may get the impression that of the two states competing for influence in the region, Romania is the “great power.”

However, over two decades, the Congress of Russian Communities of Valery Klimenko invested about 80 thousand dollars in the publication of several dozen books: prose, poetry, literary criticism, scientific publications - with a total volume of 600 printed sheets [i] . Among them, I would highlight the reference publication “ Russian Literature of Moldova in Persons and Personalities : (XIX-early XXI centuries) ” [ii] .

Many publications of the Congress of Russian Communities were published on the recommendation of the Association of Russian Writers of the Republic of Moldova (ARP RM), which is headed by the poet Olesya Rudyagina. The Association consists of about fifty authors. The ARP RM sees its mission in “ protecting the honor and dignity, creative and human rights of Russian writers, preserving and promoting the achievements of great Russian literature on the land of Moldova ” [iii] .

ARP RM publishes the magazine " Russian Field " (the editor-in-chief is the same Olesya Rudyagina, 8 issues were published in 2010-2012, the average volume of an issue is 20 a.l.), where members of the Association are published. The magazine also introduces the work of Russian authors, representatives of the Russian diaspora, and publishes translations of national writers of the former Soviet republics.

There is also a “competing company” - the magazine “ Our Generation ” (published since 2009, 12 issues per year, average issue size 10 a.l.). Its editor, Georgy Kayurov, managed to enlist the support of the International Community of Writers' Unions, the Union of Writers of Russia, and the Moscow City Organization of the Union of Writers of Russia [iv] . The cultural interventions of the former metropolis could only be welcomed if not for the depressing level of the project. Pearls from the publications of this magazine, first of all, from the works of Kayurov himself: “ Having looked contemptuously at his companion, Nadenka’s mood deteriorated again ,” “ A childish expression gave him a rounded face ,” - they amuse readers to tears. It is not the parodic “Andreiplatonian” style that distinguishes the editor’s parting words to novice authors: “ There is enough space for everyone in literature, but it is not an unlimited space. For a novice author to count on this is a mistaken opinion and even harmful for a talented author. Literary space is limited by the number of readers. If you do not educate reader through good literature, then graphomania will consume him as an individual, as a society as a whole. Then there will be a collapse of talented literature and a collapse of the writer " [v] .

The publication is not complete without a bit of good-natured anti-Semitism. For the sake of rhyme, an author from the Moldavian city of Balti not only declares the venerable elder Rasputin a man of God, but also, in fact, includes Vladimir Vladimirovich, revered by Moldavian Russophones, in the ranks of the “occupier-Jewish comrades”:

"The wind tears the shirt on the chest,

All of Russia is in conflagrations of leaves,

Occupiers-Jews-comrades

Russian leaders are flogged on the scaffold.

And the people, having forgotten about God,

Having drowned Rasputin in the ice hole,

Now votes for Putin

There's a road ahead to nowhere..." [vi]

Russian writers of Moldova also have their own literary competition of short prose - " White Blackamoor " (since 2008). The inspirer and organizer is the writer Oleg Krasnov, who ensures the publication of a collection of stories from the competition participants. For aspiring authors, the ARP RM holds a competition of poetry, short prose and poetic translation " Runway ". The winners are awarded with publication in the Russian Field magazine.

The paper press in Russian was successfully published in Chisinau in the nineties and zero years. Unlike Romanian-language publications, which had strong financial support from the neighboring state, Russian newspapers and magazines, both local and Moscow brands with Moldovan applications, were self-sustaining. At the same time, they dominated the local press market. This fact inspired confidence in the favorable prospects for Russian culture in Moldova. In recent years, the Internet has been actively crowding out paper. In addition to the “budget” - openly or covertly party publications - today several local newspapers in Russian, as well as Komsomolskaya Pravda and Argumenty i Fakty, are still floundering on the market waves. For obvious reasons, both budget-party and free-market publications only “touch on” cultural issues.

Popular Russian-language Internet resources (ava.md, enews.md, omg.md) are too politicized. Culture is illuminated on them in such a residual way that it is almost invisible. We can note only one literally “local” project http://locals.md , which is annotated as “ a daily online magazine about events in Chisinau and Moldova. News of cinema, fashion, music, art .” Exquisite design and not entirely banal content distinguish this selfless initiative of enthusiasts. Unfortunately, locals are not particularly popular with the local population.

There are no local “Russian” radio and television channels in Moldova. But on some Moscow channels rebroadcast in the republic, and even some “Romanian” channels, there are local inclusions in Russian, mainly news broadcasts and cooking shows. The programs of the official M1 channel about the life of ethnic minorities are devoted to cultural topics. This may seem surprising, but on the “pro-Romanian” channel Publika there are programs about history and culture in the language of the “occupiers”.

Academic science in Russian is represented almost exclusively by the Sector of National Minorities of the Institute of Cultural Heritage of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova . In other academic departments, Russian speakers are systematically squeezed out.

In state universities, except for the “Gaguz” Comrat and “Bulgarian” Taraclia universities, where teaching is conducted only in Russian and the languages ​​of the mentioned ethnic minorities, the number of Russian groups and, accordingly, the number of Russian-speaking teachers is constantly decreasing. Almost all private universities have Russian groups and, therefore, professors capable of reading Russian. At the Slavic University, the Modern Humanitarian Institute, and the Higher Anthropological School (VAS), teaching is conducted only in Russian. It is necessary to note the VAS, where very highly qualified scientists are gathered, many of whom attended the school of the St. Petersburg Institute of the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences and defended their dissertations there.

Russian theatrical life is also present. From the time of the “Soviet occupation” the Moldovan state inherited the Drama Theater named after A.P. Chekhov. Thanks to funding from the state budget, it still exists under the leadership of Maestruîn Arta by Constantin Haret [vii] . Here the life of the Russian repertory theater continues, quite actively visited by the public.

A notable phenomenon in the artistic life of Chisinau is the Youth Theater from Rose Street, created 35 years ago by the enthusiasm of director Yuri Kharmelin. Enviable energy allowed the director to form, on the basis of an initially amateur theater, the Theater Lyceum (since 1995) and the theater department at the Slavic University (since 2005). Since 2009, the theater has been the organizer of the International Festival of Chamber Theaters and Small Form Theaters " Moldfest. Rampa. Ru ". Thanks to the efforts of Yuri Kharmelin, hundreds of children became familiar not only with the theatrical art, but also with the dramatic heights of Russian literature [viii] .

The Russian Library is financed by the state. M.V. Lomonosov, where meetings with writers and other cultural events in Russian are also held. The " M-ART " Gallery of the Association of Russian Artists of Moldova is located in the same library.

Two museums of Russian cultural heritage have not yet been closed. One of them is dedicated to the stay of “our everything” in Chisinau, the other is dedicated to the Chisinau-born architect A.V. Shchusev (Kazansky railway station, Lenin mausoleum, Komsomolskaya metro station). Both houses are in disrepair. Moreover, the house-museum of A.S. Pushkin is being destroyed as a result of the construction of a multi-storey building five meters from the historical monument [ix] .

We can mention two or three art cafes, where from time to time they play music and read poetry in Russian.

I think that this is the extent of the “Russian” cultural institutions on the territory of Moldova. Their short list, together with the absence of Russian literary novelties in rare bookstores in Chisinau, indicates a declining demand for culture among the Russian-speaking public.

We must pay tribute to the dedication of the organizers and leaders of these “centers of culture,” who are practically deprived of the support of their “historical homeland” and are in every possible way persecuted by the Moldovan authorities and the pro-Romanian “public.” Their desire to preserve Russian culture on its ancestral territory in itself deserves respect.

Poverty perhaps stimulates heroic individuals to great creative achievements. But this rule does not apply to poor institutions. It should be recognized that almost everything created within the organizations of “compatriots” is at the level of the “second league” of the cultural metropolis. This is especially offensive because Russian culture itself, to be honest, is more famous for the achievements of the past and today is hardly in the first world division.

[i]Publishing activity // Congress of Russian Communities. 2012. July 30. URL: http://krorm.ru/deyatelnost/35-izdatelskaya-deyatelnost.html

[ii]Russian literature of Moldova in persons and personalities: (XIX-early XXI centuries): Biobibliographical dictionary-reference book / author-comp. K. B. Shishkan, S. G. Pynzaru, S. P. Prokop. - Chisinau: Inessa, 2003. - 624 p. — Name index: p. 612—614

[iii]Association of Russian Writers of the Republic of Moldova: yesterday and today // General literary newspaper. 2010. May. No. 5(6.) URL:http://olgazeta.ru/index.php?mact=CGBlog,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=94&cntnt01detailtemplate=detail_slider&cntnt01returnid=128

[iv]Our generation. Literary and artistic magazine. URL:http://www.nashepokolenie.com/

[v] See: Krasnov O. I look sadly at our generation // Information and political portal AVA.MD. 2011. February 24. URL:http://ava.md/projects/russian-in-moldova/010494-pechal-no-ya-glyazhu-na-nashe-pokolen-e.html

[vi]See Sundeev V. Magazine “Our Generation” against the Jews and Putin // Information and political portal AVA.MD. 2011. December 27. URL: http://ava.md/projects/russian-in-moldova/014047-zhurnal-nashe-pokolenie-protiv-zhidov-i-putina.html

[vii]State Russian Drama Theater named after. A.P. Chekhov URL: http://chehov.md/

[viii] State Youth Theater from Rose Street. URL: http://www.teatr.md/

[ix] Yaroshenko A. Pushkin in Kotlovan. The house-museum of the great poet is being destroyed in Chisinau // Rossiyskaya Gazeta. 2001. June 3. URL:http://www.rg.ru/2011/06/03/muzey.html

Two museums of Russian cultural heritage have not yet been closed. One of them is dedicated to your stay in Chisinau