The apocalypse arrived in Uzbekistan a long time ago and all measures being taken by the government confirm it, Shoot Me open society experts believe.

Last week, the Uzbek Culture and Sport Ministry held a conference for art directors of all local theatres to make recommendations to call Father Frost Star Magician and Snow Maiden Star Fairy during the forthcoming New Year celebrations.

This novelty and the Apocalypse Day were discussed by photographer Umida Ahmedova, film critic Oleg Karpov and author Rifat Gumerov.

"While the entire progressive humankind is meeting the apocalypse, what measures are we taking to enter it with decency? Because the apocalypse does not happen every day - the last time it happened was thousands of years ago," Karpov said.

"Yes, you know it seems to me that our government has made good preparations – Western conceptualist-supervisors should learn from our Culture and Sport Ministry bureaucrats," Ahmedova said ironically. "Just imagine on the day of the apocalypse we will not have Snow Maiden but some Star Fairy and some Star Magician instead Father Frost."

"We stopped consuming gas before that," Karpov added.



“Can you imagine how beautiful it is?” Ahmedova added. “Some supervising professors of western art are puzzling over what to make up while our guys from the culture ministry have already made an invention. Now children will call out `Star Magician’ when calling Father Frost!”

“And how will this sound in Uzbek?” Karpov asked.

“If literally `Yulduzli sehrgar’,” Umida answered.

“Last year, by the way, a Father Frost was slaughtered in Dushanbe,” Gumerov recalled.

“Yes, he was. Is this why we annulled Father Frost so that he is knifed here too?” Karpov asked. “Well, this is usual, for instance, if something is exploded in Moscow, they will block the airport here and post extra policemen on the underground to scare people.”

“The fact is that everything that is done in our country is done not `because’ or `for something’, but because of the lack of brains,” Gumerov said. “To create an appearance of some work not only for the New Year but for Independence Day and Nowruz, it does not matter. For example, you recall that the culture ministry decreed that rap music must glorify the motherland.”

“But, by the way, note that current preparations for the holiday is far more intensive than, say, for Nowruz,” Karpov continued. “Well, it is a clear thing that gas and electricity have been cut off which is normal...”

“Where were they cut off? But in Samarkand they were turned back on,” Ahmedova interfered.

“Ok, they are turned back on, well, it means they were switched off somewhere else. This is a conservation law,” Karpov noted.

“But the fact that they were resumed is not an indicator. A relative of mine from Samarkand have visited me and said half of the city is freezing. According to him, he went to a bazaar and saw every second person coughing and everyone looked depressed and worried. Naturally, this is because it is cold,” Gumerov said.

“But then those suffering an apocalypse will receive rewards on 22 [December] for the best video, the best music video, at the M&TVA Awards Ceremony from Googoosha. The prize is titled `For My Best Project’ because all of the projects there belong to Googoosha – the best music video, the best collections and so on,” Karpov said ironically again. “Generally, if we sum up today’s topic...”

“Nonsense, madhouse and schizophrenia,” Gumerov laughed.

“Nonsense – all these are ours... In fact, Uzbeks have been closer to an apocalypse than anyone else. We started preparing for it long ago, recent events in Uzbekistan prove the preparation for an apocalypse,” Karpov said. “This is why we do not give a hang for it whether an apocalypse will take place or not because we have already faced one long time ago and I do not think that they will manage to change us by something new...”

For more details about the apocalypse that has hit Uzbekistan, watch a new issue of the joint video programme by the Shoot Me open society and Uznews.net.

You can also watch this programme on YouTube.

Uznews.net