Tajik-bashi?
The other day Vadim reported that President Emomali Rakhmanov voiced his desire to change his last name to “Rakhmon.” Rakhmonov figured that such a move would ingratiate Tajikistan with fellow Persian-speaking countries like Iran and Afghanistan, promote national identity, and distance it from its colonial past.
Name changing is, of course, a personal choice, and yesterday Tajikistan’s president put his money where his mouth is and shall henceforth be referred to as President Emomali Rakhmon.
Then he went a bit further and began passing various decrees, such as:
- All new babies in Tajikistan will no longer be able to use Russian name endings either
-
Certain Soviet and Russian holidays such as “ABC Book Day” are now banned
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Students must now leave their cell phones and cars at homes so as not to distract from their studies,
and be in bed by 9pm sharp.
Hmm. This sort of legislation is starting to remind me a bit of a certain recently deceased dictator. Could it be that the ghost of ‘Bashi lives on?
Let’s hope not; otherwise we might be in for another name change.
on March 28th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
You forgot he also outlawed prom. I’m sure there are creative nicknames we can devise for a not-so-reformed former collective farmer. Right? I mean, Uncle Rakhmon sounds… I dunno, Orwellian.
on March 28th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
well I understand the move to get rid of russki name endings, but banning ABC holiday and school prom? come on!
The guy is getting too old I think or has too much time in his hands.
on March 29th, 2007 at 4:15 am
Orwellian? I think it sounds more like some guy who sells drugs to the friends of his 14 year old girlfriend out of a beat up van behind a Taco Bell.
Anyhow, Bonnie Boyd of the relatively new Great Decisions/Foreign Policy Association weblog on Central Asia had a similar post yesterday.
on March 29th, 2007 at 4:41 am
Heh, “Tajik-bashi” was too obvious to be original. Oh well.
Thanks for the link Nathan; I hadn’t seen that one yet, but it is on my feed now.
on March 29th, 2007 at 7:48 am
Emamali Rahman (or Emomali Rahmon, not wrong Russian-style “Rakhmon”) did right to change his name and get rid of Russian-imposed Slavic endings.
The Russian name-endings were colonialist inheritance.
But this decision seems to be a blow to Russian politicians and Media. Many of the Russian media lashed out at the Tajik president for “discriminative norms/laws” and one even equated removing of Russian name-ending with what it termed “violence/abuse/oppression against Russian-speakers” in Tajikistan. What a nonsensical myth!
Firtsly, President Rahman did not order all Tajikistan’s citizens to change their names, he just observed the Language law that was in force since 1989. He changed his name according to that law so that other people, especially officials follow his example. There is nothing wrong with it, the politics of Tajikistan should have Tajik face, rather than Russian. By the way, until now many bureacrats created obstacles before parents naming their children in traditional way. Many parents paid so much in bribe in order for their children not to have Russian name-endings before. Rahman’s decision will simply ease the procedure of naming, which is the sole right of parents and removes obstacles created by bureacrats to this date.
Secondly, Pres. Rahman’s decision is not compulsory and anyone who wants to keep his/her Russian name-ending, he/she can keep. There is no compulsion.
Thirdly, Traditional Tajik naming only applies to Tajiks and local ethnic groups who had their own traditions of naming, it does not apply to Russian or Russian-speaking people of Tajikistan, who are free in chosing their names and naming their children.
The fact that as if Pres Rahman banned the last bell and farewell parties is also wrong. He did not ban the holidays or parties at all, he banned wrong ways of celebrating or organizing these events.
Nowadays many tajik graduates collect huge money and hire cars and drive around the cities and towns with no order, violating all norms and rules, last year five graduates died in an accident west of Dushanbe, tajik Capital. Such ways of organizing such events could be banned everywhere in the world. Everything has a limit and should be according to laws.
Best wishes,
Faramarz
on March 29th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Man, man, man… I think Bonnie Boyd’s post is hysterical and compeletly blows the thing out of proportions really, eg. “Third, any financial aid from Russia will be put in jeopardy by this directive.” —
as if Putin has nothing better to do or to care about.
“First of all, it creates an anti-Russian feeling in a state which has already lost considerable numbers of its ethnic Russian population through out-migration.”
Bollocks. I think violent racism against Central Asian migrants in Russia (cf. a tiny pre-paste here: http://news.ferghana.ru/photos/2007_02/migrant2.jpg) is far, far worse then anti-Russian xenofobia in Taj and the rest of CA.
on March 29th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
“The Russian name-endings were colonialist inheritance.”
Yes. What is more, has anyone noticed that Russia’s Muslim colonial subjects had to take massive name russification while non-Russian Christian peoples (Georgians, Armenians and Balts in particular) could often keep their own name forms?
Of course, one can argue that is is the first time that a Soviet-shaped head of state is doing that — Türkmenbaşi was a title btw, he did not use dit as a surrogate family name. And that is indeed a remarkable change, for until then, de-russianising names in Taj was st. that was primarily done by intelligenstia or people from (the) opposition (areas).
on March 29th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
Russia, the so-called “strategic partner” of Tajikistan grabbed many strategic projects and facility of Tajikistan in exchange of its debt of 250 million dollars.
Only the Norak Space Observatory which Russia plundered from Tajikistan is worth milliards of dollars. Russian’s humanitarian aid through World Food programme is very new and as Russian says is “posle pozhar…” because simply Tajikistan is no more in need of that.
But llok at the US: Only humanitarian assistance that US allocated through USAID since 1992 is more than 350 million dollars. Compare with Russia.
The same applies to China and Japan, European countries, their assistances and investments are thousand times more than Russian empty promises. Russia promised to invest two millard dollars in Tajikistan’s energy projects, but failed to implement it, because it has no strong position, always changed its position like a fox.
No ally of Russia has ever benefitted from this country: Look at Milosevich of Bosnia, Najibulla of Afghanistan, Shevardnadze of Georgia, all of them have been left to their destiny by their “strategic friend” in the wors time.
Russia is retreating from its engagement in Iranian nuclear programme like a prostitute, voting against Iran finally. What else one can expect from this state which has no firm position in international diplomacy??????
Faramarz
on March 30th, 2007 at 6:57 am
Good news
thanks
on March 30th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
I found this interesting report on the name change as well. Could be worth exploring more.
http://centralasia.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2007/03/27/tajikistanibashi-or-non-strategic-realignment/
on March 31st, 2007 at 1:14 am
And what about those with Uzbek sounding names?
on March 31st, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Cool… Let this type of discussions to be more!!!!
Good web-site! Finally, something new!