ΤΣΙΡΚΟ με ΤΟΥΡΚΜΕΝΙΣΤΑΝ κουλτούρα

23-4-2010
ΤΣΙΡΚΟ στο ΤΟΥΡΚΜΕΝΙΣΤΑΝ δίνει παραστάσεις στην πόλη της Αγάπης (Ashgabat) Θεωρείται και πάλι σύμφωνο με την κουλτούρα της χώρας. Στη Σοβιετική ΄Ενωση γίνεται καμπάνια ενάντια στα τσίρκο με ζώα από τις φιλοζωικές οργανώσεις.

The President of Turkmenistan at the reopened circus in Ashgabat Photo: AFP/GETTY
Turkmenistan holds first circus in a decade
Turkmenistan is holding its first circus in almost a decade after its eccentric former leader banned them for being bad for the "mentality".
Published: 23 Apr 2010
The President of Turkmenistan at the reopened circus in Ashgabat Photo: AFP/GETTY
The Central Asian country's authoritarian leader Saparmurat Niyazov, known as Turkmenbashi, closed the circus in 2001 after declaring it "alien culture" and "contrary to the Turkmen mentality."
Mr Niyazov, who died in 2006, also closed cinemas, village libraries and the country's opera and ballet theatre in a bid to erase outside influences from the national culture.
Friday's show, attended by Mr Niyazov's successor, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, featured Turkmen "Dzhigit" riders, who perform daring stunts, as well as clowns from Iran, Russia, China and Austria.
The audience of around 1,500 children also watched events featuring camels, elephants, pythons and even a crocodile.
Mr Berdymukhamedov called for a review of Turkmenbashi's policies after his death and a revival of the banned cultural institutions in the isolated but energy-rich former Soviet republic.
The Bolsheviks embraced circuses as proletarian culture and the Soviet Union opened state circuses across its republics, usually located in fixed buildings rather than big tops. Turkmenistan's circus opened in 1985.
Circuses in the former Soviet Union have come under fire from animal rights campaigners for continuing to use performing animals.
In October, one person was killed and another wounded when an ice-skating bear attacked his Russian handlers at a circus in Kyrgyzstan.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/turkmenistan/7624960/Turkmenistan-holds-first-circus-in-a-decade.html