The Information Channel Felist.Com -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Issue 25 13.09.02 Chechen culture Fine Arts The Union of Painters of the Chechen Republic The Union of Painters of the Chechen Republics is one of the oldest in Russia. Its history began as far back as 1943, where the Chechen-Ingush Affiliation of the Union of Painters of the Russian Federation was established. In the years of deportation the activities of the Union were suspended, and it resumed its work in late 1950s, when displays began to be organized strictly according to the principle of the regional origin of the painters. The North Caucasus began part of what was referred to as The Soviet South, and so did the Union of Painters of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. At the very first zonal displays the artists who helped found their organization, showed their works. Those included painters Filip Sachko, Valentin Mordovin, Shamil Shamuzaev, Khamzat Dadaev, Dadan Idrisov, Amandi Asukhanov, Said-Emin Elmirzaev, sculptors Aleksandr Safronov and Ivan Bekichev, as well as Ilyas Dutev, a small plastic artist. For 11 years in the 1960s and 70s the talented graphic artist Khamut Akhmedov was head of the organization. Akhmedov took part in many exhibitions, both zonal and at the republics level. Those were the years when the painters from this region won a place of authority at the zonal exhibitions of Russias south in painting, sculpture, and decorative and applied arts and in the folk arts. In 1980s and 90s young talent joined the ranks of Chechen painters, including the brothers Lechi and Sultan Abaev, Ruslan Khaskhanov, Khasan Sediev and others. Currently the membership of the Union is 46 people. Works of the Chechen painters were presented at the All-Russia Artistic Exhibition To Your Name, which took place in December of 2000. Presented at the display were works by 10 Chechen painters. A major event in the activities of the Union of the Chechen Painters was the exhibition of painting, graphics, works of decorative ad applied arts which took place in the halls of the Russian Fine Arts Academy in May to June of 2002. More than 100 works by Chechen artists were presented there. A major role in the organization and implementation of the display was played by the Chechen Painters Unions Chairman Vakhit Osmanovich Umarsultanov. A talented painter and a public figure he has been at the elm of the Union in the past troubled years, finding time for his creative work too. (more... http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=eng§ion=cpaintingeng&row=1) Famous Chechens Scientists Pediatrician Said-Khasan Bataev Said-Khasan Bataev is chief surgeon of the Filatov Childrens Hospital in Moscow, a laureate of the 2000 National Prize for achievements in science and technology and the author of 63 scientific works on kids surgery.Bataev became familiar with the job of medical practitioner from his childhood, when his mother, a nurse, and his sisters one a childrens haematologist and the other pediatrician told him everything about it. Born in Grozny Said-Khasan Bataev graduated from a Medical Institute in Makhachkala. For a year, since 1992, he worked at a childrens surgical hospital in Grozny. He then studied at the Russian Medical Institute in Moscow, where he defended a Candidates thesis on scarred burns of the throat among children. He worked on the problem in cooperation with his tutors prominent surgeons Stepanov and Khitrov. Bataev offered a specific kind of surgery to help young patients. He continued research on throat and gullet burns when he underwent training in Britain under the supervision of prominent British surgeon Lewis Spits. Said-Khasan Bataev had to interrupt his research for a year to work in Chechnya, where he performed his duty as a surgeon and helped deliver humanitarian aid to districts across the republic in the course of military operations there. He is currently working on a doctoral thesis and is doing research work within an academic group led by Academician Yuri Isakov at the Academy of Medical Sciences. He has succeeded in combining scientific work with medical practice. Just as in Grozny he continues to render medical assistance to children of all nationalities in Moscow. (more about famous chechens... http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=§ion=famouseng) Chechen cuisine Grain dishes Chepalgash - pancakes (serves 1) Dough: wheat flour - 100 g , yogurt - 100 g , baking soda - 0.2 g , salt - 0.5 g Filling: cottage cheese - 75 g , egg - a quarter , salt - 0.5 g , butter- 20 g To make dough, combine flour with warm yogurt, add salt and baking soda, blend thoroughly. Mix cottage cheese with egg and salt. Cut batter into pieces of 200 to 230 grams each. Roll out until they are 0.3 centimeters thick. Place filling in center of each piece of dough, roll over and press to seal and roll out until they are 1 to 1.5 cm thick. Bake in ungreased griddle turning them over at regular intervals. When ready, brush both sides with hot water to make chepalgash soft and to remove burnt flour. Brush with butter, put pancakes one on top of another. To serve, cut each chepalgash into 4 to 8 pieces and sprinkle these with melted butter. Potatoes may be used instead of cottage cheese for filling. Pumpkin Khingalash (serves 1) Dough: wheat flour - 120 g yogurt - 100 g baking soda - 0.2 g salt - 0.5 g Filling: pumpkin - 128 g (more ... http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=eng§ion=kitcheneng&row=4) Chechen diary 13 September 2002 Chechen policemen take part in operations carried out by the army The functions of the fight against bandits and criminals will be shortly handed over to the Chechen Interior Ministry that will be set up on the 1st of October. This was announced by head of the Russian Interior Ministrys Chechen department Colonel Said-Selim Peshkhoev in an interview with the St. Petersburg-based military, political, scientific and technical journal Zashita i Bezopasnoct. He said that Chechen police had already involved in operations carried out by the Russian forces in Chechnya. Russian Interior Ministrys institutes in various cities in the country train police force for Chechnya. According to Colonel Peshkhoev, this year 326 places in police training institutes have been reserved for the Chechen servicemen who will be admitted without examination but after interviews. There are training centres in Chechnya too. These centres are functioning in Grozny and Argun and Shelkovsky, Urus-Martan, Nozhai-Yurt and Gudermes districts. The number of policemen has increased by 3 000 since January. Police stations are being set up in each and every city, town and village and divisional inspectors have started to work. The road patrol service maintains order in highways. About 3 000 policemen from various Russian regions will work in Chechnya under contracts in October. The term of the contract is from two to three years. (more from Chechen diary http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=§ion=diaryeng) 12 September 2002 President Putin says Russia will take adequate measures to resist a terrorist threat Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent messages to the UN Secretary General, leaders of the UN Security Councils permanent member-states and of governments of the OCSE countries, about Russias stand in view with the current situation in the area near the Russian-Georgian border. ITAR-TASS news agency has released the messages, received from by the Presidents news center. According to the messages, the successful antiterrorist operation in Chechnya made Chechen rebels remain on Georgias territory where the local authorities turn a blind eye on their action allowing them to gain military, finance and other kinds of aid from outside the country. In the mean time, since 1999 Russia has repeatedly offered Georgia to launch close cooperation between the two countries special and border guard services to set up a solid shield against rebels and provide necessary assistance to check actions by non-Georgian terrorist groups against neighboring regions of Russia. The proposals received no constructive responses. The anti-criminal operation of Georgias military in the Pankisi gorge has yielded no concrete results, and even could not have yielded any regarding how it had been prepared and carried out. Chechen militants and international terrorists who had been warned about the upcoming operation just changed the site of their deployment. There is good reason to say that Tbilisi has failed to comply with antiterrorist resolution 1373 of the UN Security Council, binding for all nations. In this regard, Russia can rely on UN resolution 1368 adopted in response to the September 11th barbarian attacks in America last year, and enjoy its right of individual or collective self-defence in line with the UN Charter. This would in no way undermine sovereignty or territorial integrity of the country or change its regime. But if Georgias leadership takes no concrete steps to eliminate terrorists, continuing to invade Russias territory, Russia will take retaliatory measures to resist a terrorist threat in strict accordance with international law. At a meeting with Russias top military in the Black sea resort of Sochi on September 11th, President Putin instructed the Defence Minister and the heads of the Federal Security Service and Border Guard Service to elaborate measures for protecting Russias border and draw up suggestions on further special operations against terrorist groups in case of new attempts to break through Russias territory from Georgia. (more from Chechen diary http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=§ion=diaryeng) 11 September 2002 A joint working group of the State Duma and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe visits Chechnya The co-chairman of the working group of the Lower House of the Russian parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe lord Jadd has said that the situation in Chechnya has significantly improved. He made this statement after the group ended its tour in the North Caucasus. He plans to make a report on the visit to the autumn session of the PACE. He noted that production had been restored and pointed to the success in the agrarian sector. He described the return home of the Chechen refugees as especially encouraging. He said that all people with whom he discussed had been happy that they could return home. These people said that they wished to stay in Chechnya. Lord Jadd assured that he would note this fact in his report to the PACE political commission. Earlier, at a meeting with lord Jadd in Grozny Chechen Prime Minister Stanislav Ilyasov said that the republic had created 120 000 jobs in the past two years and would give jobs to another 30 000 shortly. He said that tens of thousands of refugees had returned to the republic from the neighbouring regions in this past summer. The co-chairman of the group, the deputy head of the international affairs committee of the Lower House of the Russian parliament, Leonid Slutsky emphasized that Chechen groups determined to establish peace were consolidating. He said that much more work had to be done to rebuild the economy and restore social area. But at the same time he said that the current speed of the work had inspired hope. He emphasized that Russia had been able to normalize the humanitarian situation in the past ten years. (more from Chechen diary http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=§ion=diaryeng) 11 September 2002 An emergency medical aid centre in Grozny The emergency medical aid centre has been repaired in Grozny. This is the only such centre in Chechnya. The building was repaired in European style. And this cost 40 million rubles. Rostov and Stavropol regions and North Ocetia and the Czech humanitarian organization People in Trouble helped the centre to get medical equipment and medicine. It has four new ambulances and a group of well-qualified doctors and nurses. The centre cannot give emergency medical aid round the clock since there is no telephone communication system 03 yet in Grozny. It is not safe to respond to night calls. The authorities plan to guarantee safety to the staff of the centre shortly and a special police unit will be set up for this purpose. (more from Chechen diary http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=§ion=diaryeng) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chechen history From conflict to stability (continuation) 11. A nationwide campaign to render assistance to Chechen refugees will set an example of reconciliation through compassion and concrete help. 12. Chechen children and teenagers should get financial and psychological assistance both in Chechnya and beyond its borders. Such help would mean genial and equal treatment, schooling equipment, enrolment to Suvorov schools etc. 13. Joint civil initiatives from Chechen, North Caucasian and national public movements with the participation of people of various professions doctors, cultural workers, agronomists, engineers and scientists will help a lot in the reconstruction of the republic. 14-17. All sections of society should undergo social therapy for return to peaceful life and all people of Chechnya should regain confidence that its them, not external forces, that should and can resolve their own problems. The syndrome of post-war apathy will be easily overcome with the first successes of restoration. The role of clans (in many cases semi-mythical) and priests (largely self-proclaimed) in the restoration of social order should not be idealized. Influential Chechen politicians, scientists, businessmen and cultural figures have to unite to bring peace to Chechnya. Such unification should come on behalf of Chechen community and take place on the international scene too. A structure that is most common to Chechen mentality is a State Council of the Chechen Republic. 18. Education is of tremendous importance in creating a society of non-violence. Restoration of pre-school and school education is particularly important and important for institutes of higher education are faculties graduates of which are vital for the republics economic and social sphere. Preparatory courses organized on a mass scale will enable the young to fill in their knowledge gaps and receive professional training. After the courses the young people could be sent to continue their education in other regions, which would make the situation on the jobs market less tense and diminish the number of potential militants. 19. Prohibition law for servicemen is proposed for the period of their service in Chechnya. 20. Convincing information is required about inquiries into terrorist acts, crimes against civilians, trials and tribunals. 21. Russian politicians, journalists and public activists, who openly call for granting independence to Chechnya, have to face moral pressure. Calls of this kind lead to further bloodshed, are immoral towards most of Chechen people and demoralize the army. 22. Large-scale measures have to be taken on the international scene to defend the policy of the Russian government and clarify the situation in Chechnya. 23. News media should tell more about the life and work of Chechens in Chechnya and outside as part of Russian fellow citizenship, stop portraying Chechens as proud savages and show how Chechens normalize the life in the republic and fight the rebels. A special emphasis should be given to the business activity of Chechens living elsewhere in Russia and support for such business on the part of authorities of every level. The opinion of scientists, who spoke in the course of the conference Chechnya: From Conflict to Accord, and the conferences recommendations were included in the government program to rebuild the Chechen republic and are taken into consideration in the work of government bodies, including in Chechnya. (in detail... http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=eng§ion=historyeng&row=5) Copyright CHECHNYA FREE.RU http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=eng -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: http://felist.com/member/unsub?grp=news.media.chechnyafree http://felist.com/ mailto:ask@felist.com