“I bought a ticket to the club, and on the back it says “Anti-Caucasus”

PublicPost spoke with teenage actors about xenophobia, attitudes towards Caucasians and friendship between peoples. Zhenya Mikheeva, Sonya Nasedkina and Akhmad Zubairaev play in the play "Manyunya" based on the novel by Narine Abgaryan - about the friendship of Armenian and Russian families. The play was shown at the children's theater festival "Prologue-Spring".

Zhenya Mikheeva (16 years old), Sonya Nasedkina (13 years old)

— Tell us about your heroines.

Zhenya, 16 years old : These are girls from an Armenian family who are glad that they had such a rich and kind childhood.

Sonya, 13 years old : They also communicate with the Jewish family, with children, and communicate well, and adults - they already understand the difference between nations.

- Do you understand this difference?

Zhenya : Of course, now you can feel it everywhere. When I was very little, I didn’t feel this, I started noticing it in probably the seventh grade. At school, not as much as on the street, you can feel some kind of confrontation between Russians and people of other nations who come to Moscow. But it seems to me that disrespect comes from both sides.

On the Internet and even on TV, this confrontation is aggravated - in the news or, for example, in comedies about “Caucasians” they are constantly ridiculed. I don't think they're happy about it.

In our class there is a boy Ahmed, a Chechen, he plays in our play. And we very rarely have conflicts on this topic. But I remember how suddenly, out of the blue, the girls began to accuse Ahmed of all the sins associated with his people. I wanted to intervene. Although I was not on anyone’s side, I told the girls that Akhmed was not responsible for all of Chechnya. The next day they approached him and apologized.

Social networks constantly repost on the topic of attacks by Caucasians on Russians. There is simply anti-Caucasian propaganda on VKontakte. For example, they post a photo of a Russian girl and a Caucasian man and the caption: “If you are together, that means you...” And then the word is bad. And so many people commented that they liked it! Thousands!

By the way, I remember once buying a ticket to a club, and on the back it was written “Anti-Caucasus”. This means that Caucasians were not allowed into the party. It’s clear why the organizers of such events do this: they are afraid that someone will drink and a conflict will break out, there will be a fight, and then they will have problems. But they limit people’s rights!

Sonya : In our class there are different children, of different nationalities, and suddenly, also out of the blue, they start calling non-Russians names. But serious problems like this have never happened before. Maybe he's still young. Our wipers are Tajiks. Some guys mock them and call them names. I'm afraid to make comments because they are older.

— How do you define the concept of “Russian”? Does this mean anything to you?

Zhenya : I live in Russia, I am a native speaker of a certain culture and language... If we come to Europe, some people treat us the same way as many Russians treat Caucasians. We do not deviate from our habits and beliefs and behave as we are used to. And they don’t really like us there. The right thing to do is not to stand out and adapt to the rules of life of those people who live in the country where we have arrived. This is also very difficult for Russians to do.

Sonya : I live in the Olympic Village, and nearby there is a harsh area that is divided into Russians and non-Russians... It’s called “Ochakovo”. It’s very scary there, there are fights all the time... And the kids say things like that about their schools! There, conflicts very often occur on the basis of nationality.

Zhenya : There’s a Korean studying at our school, so he doesn’t have any problems at all. They told me that they once came to visit him, where there was a dog, and they told him: “Um, look, food”... He was upset, they apologized to him and did not touch upon this topic again. This is the maximum of the problems he encountered. Koreans are so small, puny, they are not afraid, but Caucasians have a negative attitude because they are afraid of them.

-Are you afraid?

Zhenya : When a Caucasian man walks behind me and starts clicking and asking to get to know each other, I’m scared. But of course, I’m not afraid to communicate with Ahmed. And when I walk down the street with him, it’s even less scary.

Sonya : When I return from training and someone follows me, everything shakes, but when a Caucasian walks and especially if he clicks, it’s completely scary.

Zhenya : It’s actually scary when fully grown men come up and introduce themselves. Those who are thirty often try to get acquainted. And if this is also a Caucasian, then it becomes completely scary, and any girl would be scared. I probably also have stereotypes. But I don’t meet people on the streets at all, it seems to me that it’s dangerous. True, there are exceptions. But seriously, I don’t know what’s stopping us all from living calmly, in peace.

Sonya : Don’t you know where this all came from? This enmity?

- You better tell me.

Sonya : It seems to me that if there was no Internet, there would be less aggression. They write such frightening things there... And so many different groups are created “against Caucasians” or something like that. I registered on social networks at the age of ten. Back then there were no bad bands, there were some funny ones, but now wherever you look, there’s swearing everywhere, there’s some bad word everywhere...

Zhenya : I’ve been on social networks since the fifth grade. Indeed, Sonya is right, there has become much more aggression there.

Sonya : Well, it used to be like it used to be: you go there, “priffs, like deliffs,” and leave about twenty minutes later. And now I sit there for hours, I have the Internet on both my phone and the Internet on my iPad... It’s bad that there’s so much technology!

But I’m thinking - how can this hostility between nations be overcome? There are, for example, events when people get together and blow bubbles. We also need to get everyone together and arrange some kind of reconciliation, some kind of huge dinner for the whole city.

Zhenya : Sonya, dinner won’t work out, because everyone has a different idea about dinner: what you can eat, what you can’t, and how you should eat it, and at what table... For example, from our performance you can understand that living in the world - It’s wonderful that all nations are equal. So what - a person will watch our performance and say: “Yes, you can’t act badly!”? You didn’t know about this before, or what? Art lasts for several hours. Then the person continues to behave as he always has. This means that events will most likely not help here either.

But I would write it down directly in the school rules - it is forbidden to call people names based on their nationality... I would introduce such a clear rule. Maybe they could introduce more serious punishment for those who incite ethnic hatred.

Sonya : It won't help! Everyone knows that robbery is punishable, but still they rob everywhere!

Zhenya : We need to hold international festivals, we need to constantly organize something on the streets - which will reconcile everyone who is now at enmity. Attract people with something bright and beautiful, but you definitely need several police cars, because no one knows what will happen.

Sonya : In other countries, there is generally no such hostility... I come there and don’t feel the same aggression that is here. They are more open to communication. A friend of mine lives in Spain and says that they are all friends. It is so sad that hostility towards other nationalities is so strong in Russia.

Zhenya : I was on vacation in Turkey. There were guys there, Englishmen, who treat Russians well, and there were several Englishmen who did not want to be friends with Russians. They were sure that Russians were rude and so on. They also got this stereotype from somewhere. And they simply did not communicate with us. This is also a way out. Just don't touch, don't touch each other.

Akhmed Zubairaev, 17 years old

— Do you feel more Chechen or Russian?

Chechen, and one hundred percent, since I preserve my traditions and culture.

- How do you do this?

My family and I celebrate our holidays and go to the mosque. And differences with classmates are manifested in behavior, even in vocabulary... For example, I communicate with girls in one way, and with adults in another. I must show respect and honor to adults, of course, regardless of what nationality they are. I can’t talk to girls as freely as my Russian peers. In general, I communicate normally with my classmates, I just feel a certain constraint in my soul. There is something embedded in the subconscious that binds you from the inside.

In our traditions, the girl is elevated to some kind of exalted degree. Even an old man must yield to a girl on public transport so that no one touches her, no one touches her. And there is an ancient tradition that exists to this day: if there is a battle going on, even if bloodlines are fighting (and this is the most terrible enmity), and someone’s weapon is knocked out, the girl who is watching the fight can take off her scarf and throw it on land. Then the fight stops. Or if two people fight and one of them falls, and a girl stands in front of him and he grabs her leg, then he immediately finds himself under her protection. And the battle starts. That is, we respect girls so much that they can even save lives - in any battle. And even in such a fight as blood, and this is quite serious.

— Do you encounter manifestations of xenophobia - in the classroom, on the street, do you notice its manifestations on TV?

When I was in first grade, I had a lot of problems. Every day they tried to beat me, but they could not do it: different physical training. My classmates tried to poison me three times. Either because I didn’t look like them, or because other boys were showing off, with expensive phones, and I didn’t want to show off anything like that. The first time they put poisonous powder in my water - my classmate’s parents worked as doctors, and he stole this powder from them. The second time - in judo. I had this habit of chewing my belt (laughs). And they infused it with something for me. And the third time, I brought bottled water with me, and my classmates told me that while I was away, they poured something into it for me. I looked and the bottle was already foaming. Well, children - they don’t understand what they are doing, they don’t understand what it means to take a life. And I didn’t understand then. Then there were no more such cases. Another time, another school.

To be honest, I still don't like big companies. I hardly communicate with guys, but with girls it’s just... semi-communication.

— Why don’t you communicate much in class?

Well, not much is working out yet. Maybe it seems strange to me to communicate with the same people every day. No, of course, we sometimes walk after school and talk, but I don’t have friendly relations with anyone.

And, you know, every time I find myself in some unfamiliar company, everyone is very surprised that I am a Chechen. Such an image of a Chechen has been created in the media that people, looking at me, are amazed that I am a normal, ordinary person.

They say: Chechens are bad, Dagestanis are bad. I often hear this, but it’s nonsense! They tell stories when Caucasians very actively pester girls, grope them, excuse the expression. Sometimes they even beat me. But everyone needs to understand that these people have nothing to do with the peoples of the Caucasus or their culture.

On the one hand, of course, we also give rise to the conflict between us and the indigenous population. But on the other hand, this problem is getting a lot of attention.

Here go to YouTube. “A grandson beat up a veteran’s grandfather to sell his medals” - 10 thousand views, “A mother killed her children, fearing the end of the world” - 50 thousand views. And for example, “Rasul Mirzaev hit,” as it is written there, “an innocent person” - there are more than a million views and a lot of nasty comments. Does this mean that someone benefits from this, and someone expands the effect of such news?

For example, in the 19th century there were Caucasian wars. The Caucasus suffered from Russia, but tell me, do Caucasians hate Russians? I was not so long ago in my native village, there is no such hatred there. True, I communicated more with children, but that’s why I like communicating with them because the past doesn’t matter to them.

And adult Chechens also do not hate Russians. The events of the late nineties in Chechnya, as I understand it, are perceived as follows: the terrorists were driven out, and peaceful life began, and Kadyrov is friends with Putin, and everything is fine with us.

— Didn’t your parents tell you about the military conflict of the nineties?

They don't tell, and I don't ask. I was born in 1996, and in 1998 one of the campaigns already began. And when a bomb crashed near our house, we left for Ingushetia. And in 2003 they left for Moscow because their parents decided to start a business here. We had a house in Ingushetia and Chechnya, now we only have one left in Chechnya.

The main task of my parents was to protect their family. We are four children, grandparents, a huge family. In Moscow now it’s just me and my brothers. Grandmother and sister are in Chechnya, and grandfather is already dead.

— Do you generally feel comfortable in Moscow?

I communicate in circles where there is no ethnic hatred. I play football, and when I come to the field there are Chechens, Dagestanis, Russians, Turks, Armenians, Jews, Uzbeks. We don't have any problems. By the way, my best friends are Armenians.

— But were there situations in which it became obvious to you and others that you had different cultural traditions than most of the children in the class?

Such situations arise every day. This concerns behavior, moral principles, speech, and, most importantly, honor. For a Chechen, honor is more important than life. This is the basis. I don’t want to offend anyone, but it seems to me that for Russians this is not the case - it’s just a different culture.

- How are you going to live further? Do you cast your lot in with Moscow or will you go to Chechnya?

I have no idea what my fate will be. Of course, I’m a little tired: school - home, school - home... I’m thinking of joining the army. But this is too different a life... I don’t know.

— What is your favorite quote from the Koran?

There are many important passages for me, but there are words there that fit our conversation: “Treat people of other religions better than your own. Because after death you will have the opportunity to apologize to your own, but not to strangers.” This is not an exact quote, but that is the meaning. I understand that against the backdrop of what everyone on the Internet is quoting - “kill the infidel” and so on, this sounds unexpected. But there are many translations of the Koran, and there are some that are completely wild. And it infuriates me that people believe that the Koran commands killing.

And when, for example, some terrorist says that he is declaring jihad. He just wants to thwart his evil - and declares jihad. But there are many types of jihad, for example, fighting with oneself is also jihad.