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To Chechen children.

Paint it to Live in

As a childrens verse goes, What does it take to build a house? Just paint one to live in it. This was precisely the theme of a play game in Serlo kindergarten in Kurchaloi region. It all began with a contest named The Youth and Cultural Initiative, held in the Southern Federal District. 12 projects won the contest, including one by Malika Okunchayeva, deputy chief of the Chechen division of the Russian Childrens Fund. She suggested holding a painting contest in all preschool childrens centers in the Republic on the theme How I Wish to See My Kindergarten. And as different from the usual contests held in the republic, in this case the winning design was to go into project-making in the construction of a childrens playground in one of Chechnyas kindergartens. Children from forty kindergartens in the republic sent in their designs and the final appraisal became quite an occasion. The authors of designs from various districts were brought to Grozny, where children of the capitals kindergarten number 54 gave them an excellent winter fairy play. The best works were found to be those from the children of Kurchaloi, Naur, Shali and Grozny rural regions. It was decided that all that the children dreamed of and put on paper, would be implemented at Serlo kindergarten. As was planned originally, the military was involved in the construction. Malika Okunchayeva explained this was done expressly to eradicate a sense of fear in childrens hearts at the sight of a man in uniform. At the time a detachment of special police troops from Ryazan was deployed in the Kurchaloi region. The police troops responded enthusiastically to the idea of building a play ground for 100 children. During their work, the policemen made friends with the youngsters. The kindergarten now features a photo display of Ryazan officers holding Kurchaloi children in their arms. The Ryazan policemen were since replaced by special police units from Khabarovsk. The servicemen have taken over the job from their predecessors. At New Years eve they personally got to know the kindergarten children and brought them a beautiful Christmas tree, taking special care over that kindergarten. (More...)

Issue 352
03.03.06

Chechnya: news | arguments | facts

03 Mart 2006

Chechnya parliament to review Ramzan Kadyrov candidacy Saturday

The parliament of Chechnya will review the candidacy of Ramzan Kadyrov for the post of the republic's prime minister on Saturday, the lower house speaker said Thursday. Dukuvakha Abdurakhmanov said the parliament had received an official letter from Chechnya President Alu Alkhanov with a request to approve the candidature of Ramzan Kadyrov for the post of the premier of the republic. Kadyrov, the son of the late president Akhmad Kadyrov, has served as acting premier since Sergei Abramov was injured in a car accident in November last year. (more)

Double Jubilee in the Village of Sary-Soo

This year at the end of August, the village of Sary-Soo of the Shelkovskoi region in Chechnya is to mark a double jubilee. The village, which is one of four in the region, where Nogois live compactly, will be observing 70 years. And it will be 20 years since the local Nogoi cultural center was set up. For 4 years has Zugra-khanym Tangatarova led the center. But she noted sorrowfully that out of 15,000 Nogais who inhabited this area in the Shelkovskoi region by the early 90s, less than 4,000 of these people remain. But even if only a few of them were left, she said, this center would still retain its cultural Nodai heritage -- culture, traditions and customs. And the center carries on its mission quite successfully, although it has neither its own premises, nor its culture house in the village. All major holidays and memorable dates are marked with cultural events, either in schools, or in the open air when its warm. The center has its own excellent ensemble Ushkon (Sparkling in Nogai), which presents 16 village girls, who always treat spectators to their dancing. The center also has its musical group where elder Nogais teach youngsters the art of playing folk instruments, the dombra and the balalaika. 5 persons are employed at the center, but all of the Nogai population of the village are participants in its activities. All villagers seem to realize that preservation of their traditions and their youths involvement are especially important these days when processes of restoration in the Republic and broadening of interethnic ties are picking up. The centers employees and volunteer helpers are engaged in writing down the villages story, collecting old-timers recollections, photographs of the years gone by. The first such album is now ready and the second one is on the way which surveys Nogais history in Chechnya, their traditions and customs. The centers director compiled one more album containing 32 pages of ornaments, which Nogais traditionally used to embroider their national garments. And on the occasion of a recent creative display by the center, local craftsmen made a model of an 80-centimeter national Nogai yurt (tent) with the use of felt and decorated with ancient patterns of color threads. Spectators who visited the display paid special attention to the model. Zukhra-khanym made up her mind to come up with a life-size Nogail yurt to mark the centers 20th jubilee. Her initiative found support among the regions leadership and the administration chief promised to provide financial support. Khusein Nutayev the administration chief-- has already provided the funding for the Ushkon ensemble girls to make them national costumes. This village as is the whole of the region is multinational, Zukhra-khanym Tangatarova noted. Throughout its history, Nogais, Chechens, Russians, Avars and Kumyks lived here side by side. And from early on they reached out to each other. We have common festivities and interethnic marriages are commonplace. And it is heartening that, she said, that our centers activities are conducive to further strengthening of friendships among different ethnic groups within a single small village in Chechnya. (more)

Three anti-terror squad officers killed in Chechnya

Three anti-terror squad officers have been killed in a shoot-out with gunmen in Chechnya, the local Interior Ministry said Thursday. According to a ministry representative, the officers engaged a gang, killing from three to four militants, in mountains of the Vedeno district in the southeast of the troubled North Caucasus republic. Capitalizing on the mountainous relief, the surviving gunmen retreated from the scene, taking away the dead and the wounded, the ministry said. Troops have launched a search for the militants, the ministry said. (more)

Vainakh Stages at Evening Of Theater Show

Since the spring of 2005 the Chechen ministry of culture has been using culture and the arts to improve the spiritual situation in Chechnya and backed financially by the southern regional resource center, has been embodying the project of the charity Foundation Nota of the future whose major objective is to revive the republics customs and traditions. In part, the ministry is carrying out cultural, enlightenment and educational programmes aimed at helping in the correct upbringing of the up and coming generation. A theater performance was recently staged by Vainakh in the regional library of Urus-Martan. The chief of social-cultural section in the ministry, Lyalia Yandiyeva says that the event was a huge success and present were not only students and school pupils but also regional administration officials and regional religious figures. Well known republican artists Inran and Ilman Usmanov, Makka Mezhiyeva, Kuzani Abdurashidova, the Zhohar singers and students of the State pedagogy institute took part in the evening show. The scenario was scripted and prepared by workers of the Chechen culture ministrys center of folk creativity led by Ramzan Daudov. Lyalia Yandiyeva has said that sinkyeram is one of the social institutes promoting the training of the youths in the understanding of honesty, sense of duty, responsibility, respecting women and members of other communities. In the near future Vainakh will carry the show and message to Gudermes and Nadterechny regions and later perform in the main concert hall in the Chechen capital, Grozny. (more)

Free Chechnya Radio station on "Chechnya free.ru" site

You can listen to Free Chechnya Radio station from 6 AM to 12 PM Moscow time on a frequency of 594 kHz on the medium wave band and on a frequency of 171 kHz on the long wave band. The programme is created with the involvement of the Ministry for culture and mass communication of the Russian Federation.
( Free Chechnya Radio station ...)

Chechen cuisine

"The Chechens, like the rest of the highlanders, avoid extremes in their eating and drinking habits. What they usually eat is chureks or corn bread with mutton lard spread on it, and wheat stew with lard in it; water is their basic refreshment." "...Unleavend wheat or barley bread baked on charcoal, milk and cheese constitute their daily menu; meat is eaten, very rarely, by the richest of the Chechens." That was written about the Chechen eating habits in the 19th century.
(More ...)

Chechen traditions

The book Vainakh Ethics by Edi Isaev

The book Vainakh Ethics by Edi Isaev is an utmost important work at a time when the life in Chechnya is returning to normal. Edi Isaev is a historian, Professor at the Chechen State University, writer and publicist directs his book to youth. In introduction he emphasizes: The norm of Vainakh ethics is the code of wise truths of people that reflects their ideals. The book is educational. It contains the ideas on ethics by thinkers of various people and various times from Epicurus and Confucius A.S. Makarenko and L.N.Toltoi. The second chapter is devoted to ethic norms of Chechens. The third chapter considers in detail traditional family ethic code. The final chapter is devoted to Islamic ethic norms. Materials from the book Vainakh Ethics by Edi Isaev is devoted to customs and traditions of Chechens.
(More ...)

Actual News from Chechnya