How Turkmen singers challenge the status quo
In Turkmenistan, which ranks fourth in the world in natural gas reserves and is one of the most closed and repressive countries, young creators are increasingly turning to the theme of poverty—the issue of destitution that was close to 18th- and 19th-century Turkmen poets.
“Young people have seen the government's promises fall flat and they are starting to think for themselves. But considering what happened to past independent thinkers, it's hard to predict what lies ahead for this generation,” says an art critic who agreed to share his thoughts on the matter.
The observer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, likened some of the young singers to people who, as if walking on a sword, risk their lives to remain true to their craft and be on the right side of history.
Since the early 1990s, Turkmen state censorship has been ‘banning’ works that are considered depressing and pessimistic; the country’s first president, Saparmurat Niyazov, once accused the 18th-century Turkmen poet Magrymgul of pessimism, claiming that Turkmens were living in a dream-like era. As a result, the press only talks about ‘prosperities’ and does not mention natural disasters, deaths, or negative events.
"Writing poems and singing songs about poverty and hardship, while the government is supposedly abolishing previously introduced social benefits, is, in my opinion, nothing more than questioning state policy," the observer says.
Inspired by the trends of openness in 1985, representatives of artistic creativity sought to break the Soviet propaganda mold and create new literary and artistic works, openly discussing this. However, 133 writers who held membership cards of the USSR Writers' Union, about 300 writers-poets whose works were published in the press but not yet accepted as members, and other creative, cultural, scientific, and educational workers either had to serve the cult of personality or remain largely silent. Considering this situation, one social media user says that in the last 10-15 years we have witnessed several terrible events, but 'not a single work' has been created.
A Turkmen composer living in Europe attributes the frequent appeal of the topic of poverty to the desires of his fans.
"Poems and songs that touch on the topic of poverty attract many people on social media, because many Turkmen, both within the country and abroad, in labor migration, are in difficult situations and seek solace in literature and art. Creators are aware of this situation and simply 'don't want to live a life of self-deception,'" said the young composer, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
According to him, the cult of personality that intensified in Turkmenistan in the early 1990s almost killed the tendencies of freedom in literature and art, but the opportunities of the Internet seem to encourage young creators to be freer.
''This situation gives hope that the national culture will not completely sacrifice itself to the cult of personality, but will survive, and perhaps be reborn more healthily.''
I tried to analyze this issue with an art critic who asked not to be named.
"Initially, the government tried to convince the people that the long-awaited great era of Magtymguly had arrived. The government singers sang, 'May your spirit be as high as a flag, bid farewell to the sorrow of the past.' This song is still sung today.
But now it has become clear that people like to listen to sad songs, and many comments are written about them. The people do not like singers who sing propaganda songs at weddings, and more and more people call them askissers," said the art critic living in Europe.
According to his observation, not all singers who make a living from singing at weddings are completely indifferent to the plight of the people, and among them are singers who, following a long-standing tradition, strive to stay close to the 'problems of the people'.
Other observers agree. One observer, speaking indirectly, but through others due to security concerns, argued that the possibility of protest songs or resistance poetry in Turkmenistan has been subject to long and severe repression, but that not all creative representatives are ‘heartless’.
"Singers like Akysh Saparov and Palvan Halmyradov aroused interest among thoughtful listeners, but they were quickly suppressed. Some of those who were once fans accuse them of betrayal. But I think hope is not lost. The plight of the people is reflected not only in books written for later publication, but also in songs sung today," the art critic said.
More specifically, Akysh Saparov became one of the singers closest to the people's problems by singing a song based on Magtymguly's poem "Has Begun." The poem talks about "buried rivers, crumbling mountains, weeping orphans, a collapsing country" due to corrupt officials.
The song was unofficially banned, leading to Akysh Saparov being ostracized until he 'changed his tune'. However, observers say that Palvan Halmyradov's plight has been a 'strong warning and lesson' for many.
The singer, who was convicted in November 2016 on undisclosed charges, was released in September 2021 in a presidential pardon, marking the 30th anniversary of independence. In Turkmenistan, there are two main conditions for receiving a presidential pardon: first, one must fully admit the crime and sincerely repent, and second, one must pay a bribe, depending on the year. When famous people are pardoned, they often have to write a long letter to the president, praising him, condemning themselves, and begging.
Halmyradov's song about female prisoners before his imprisonment was, according to many local observers, one of the first protest songs to 'regret' the mass imprisonment of Turkmen women.
While state-owned TV shows condemned people in handcuffs cursing themselves, expressing sympathy for the women who are said to be criminals was not a 'mistake' for a government-affiliated 'singer' to make.
In Turkmenistan, which has the highest prison population in the region, it is very easy to be detained by the police, and it is common for citizens, including bakhshis, telekecheis... to be accused of drug trafficking and illegal currency transactions; it is said that many people escape prison by paying bribes.
Despite raising taboo issues and facing prison sentences, the singer, who says, "The oppressor has his oppression, but the weak have Allah," cannot help but notice the increasing number of orphans in the country. However, if you listen to the lyrics of his song "Orphan Child," the singer, who stands on the side of orphans, addresses the Prophet Muhammad, Allah, as the guardian of orphans, while the song's music video shows a pilgrimage to Mecca by members of the ruling family of Turkmenistan.
This song was decorated with images of the first president, Saparmurat Niyazov, before the singer was imprisoned.
An art critic says that the singer is 'killing two birds with one stone', that even though he addresses God in his language, he tries to avoid it because he has seen where the danger lies before.
But another song he posted online six years ago, ''Chagajyk,'' is said to ''hit not two, but hundreds of birds.'' A recent commenter expressed his gratitude for the song.
''This song is like it was written for me, bro, thank you, everything you say in your song has happened to me... I've been listening to this song for years, I cry every time I listen to it...'' wrote an internet user named Kakajan.
"Chagajyk'' is a song about a child growing up with an incarcerated father and a mother working as a sex worker."
Local observers claim that singers have to 'cling to two boats' due to livelihood and security reasons, but that many writers who cannot earn money at weddings are forgotten and become losers.
The name and photo of Atageldi Garayev, the author of protest poems such as "Don't Put Felt in My Mouth" and "Forty Poems Written in Jygyllyk market," cannot be found online, but there are young people who have sung against the silencing of brave voices and the support for lies and deceit on the internet, and their audience is growing, says an art critic.
According to him, the lament of a lyrical hero who has been burned in life, and the theme of prison, 'attract many people.' For example, the song "My poor mother was always in need of money, // She cried and cried, she became blind in two eyes" has been listened to by nearly 290,000 people online.
The song "Give me money, my son, let your mother live another year" is performed by various singers. In this song, a father from a village goes to ask his rich son from a city for money to take care of his mother's health, but returns empty-handed.
According to an art critic, this song is notable for its strong questioning of the "happy life for sale" in the state-owned press, and to some extent recalls the famous poem by Kerim Gurbannepesov, who managed to become both the poet of the people and the party during the Soviet era, about a communist who did not come to bury his mother.
Turkmen singers in past centuries have always been close to the people and have never served only the upper class. The observer said that current propaganda, pro-government art was created and developed during the Soviet era. Filtering creators through the censorship sieve leads to the rise of scoundrels and the ostracization of artists close to the people.
According to him, despite censorship, some young creators are drawing attention to the moral crisis in the country, but their achievements in revealing the truth of life are not appreciated by either literary or art criticism, because the state has virtually eliminated literary and art criticism and requires writers and art critics to write only propaganda articles.
The song "We Won't Be There" by the young singer Ibrayim Yazmyradov, who "gained the love of the people in a short time", has become one of the "songs that sympathize with the people", according to the listener who left a comment.
On the one hand, the singer admits that there is no carefree life by saying "Where there is no trouble, we won't be there either", and on the other hand, he raises the issue of conditions in a country where living conditions have been deteriorating for 30 years, saying "Where there is no condition, we won't be there either".
In a country that tightly controls literature and art, and arrests citizens who express critical opinions abroad, the young singer says, "Where there is no one, there will be no us."
What is the reason for this "bravery"? Is a new generation coming to fill the void left by the suppressed and silenced voices? Aren't young people afraid of losing their livelihoods at weddings, or even losing their freedom?
The art critic answered this question by saying, 'Creative people, whether they like it or not, have to think, because they know very well that they will have to look people in the eye not only now, but also in the future.' According to him, this song emphasizes that courage is being destroyed in people, and that in such a situation there will be no people.
''More and more mouths of the brave will be closed,
The truth will be covered with lies,
No matter how small we become, brave people will be found,
Where there is no brave person, we will not be...''
The Internet often does not mention who the lyrics or poems belong to. However, some poems are read with the author's name.
The poem "Have You Seen" perhaps talks about the plight of young people who are poor and in desperate situations and asks the question, "Have you ever looked for a person?"
One commenter says, "I have seen it," the second laughs and says "no, I haven't," and another writes, "This poem is taken from life. It is very close to life, ... it filled my throat with sorrow."
According to an art critic, there are many people in the comments expressing gratitude for songs that mourn the loss of several generations.
Late poet Bapba Gökleng once wrote, "I looked for a person." He looked for a person in the crowd, not in the desert...
The new generation of creators, young people who are looking for their own way in life, apparently do not associate this situation with injustice in society, illegal actions of influential people. They, apparently, due to fear of repression, often associate the difficult situation that has arisen only with fate, with poverty 'written on the forehead'.
''At university, we used to listen to Bashim Shamuradov's lectures on literature of the 1920s without getting tired of it, he would tell about a writer who ran away without greeting an intellectual who was criticized in the newspaper, and returned at night to apologize, but now the young creator claims that the poor also fell into the same situation as those who faced oppression during Stalin's time. He claims that if you are poor, the people will be reluctant to greet you. This shows how terrible life was for poor people,'' the art critic said.
He also argued that young creators, seeing a serious spiritual crisis in society, often try to attribute responsibility not to people, but to Allah. The lyrical hero of the poem in question thinks that not only people, but also dogs treat you differently, better if you have money in your pocket.
''If you have money in your pocket,
Even a dog will not bite you.
May your head not look down from poverty...''
If you listen to the end of the story, the solution is not in wealth, nor in a lot of money.
''Pay attention, the rich people will not sit in peace,
There is no rest during the day, no sleep at night,
May God protect us from the condition of wealth...'
According to the observer, 'in order not to make political mistakes, he leans towards the principle of gratitude, which is not always the right decision'.
There are also songs on the Internet about a lyrical hero comforting his wife. In these songs, the singer, in the recording, preaches faith in fate, saying, "We will be rich one day, ... we will buy a car and a house," and such singers also receive a lot of praise.
"Many of these young people are not familiar with the protest poems of Babba Goklen, who wrote poems in the 80s asking for a chance to speak," said the art historian.
Hangeldi Toylyev's song "Poverty" is somewhat reminiscent of the poems "Poverty" and "The poor" by the 18th-19th century poet Mammetveli Kemine, which are often found on the Internet.
''You have been a friend for many years, You never felt my pain, poverty.
You slaughtered me without a knife in front of cowards,
You had no mercy; you burned my soul, poverty...''
The singer who raises social issues that have long been taboo in Turkmenistan and then says, ''Where did I go wrong, cruel poverty?''
According to an art critic, the lyrical hero of this song used to be 'a brave guy, courageous, strong, but now he doesn't know himself'. He also says ''I have only seen happiness in the movies'', and moves on to the issues of unemployment and labor migration, broken families...
The protest tone in the song becomes clearer in the question, "Whom did you separate from their family,//You are the one who makes many people feel guilty,//When will you give up on us, tell me, let's find out,//Are you a companion until death, poverty?".
The art critic noted that the singer takes responsibility upon himself by saying, "You don't belong to wealth and money, stop thinking like that, Don't sing for money, just sing for the people."
Among the young people who sing about poverty are singers who sing, "Don't be ashamed of being born poor, friend, Poverty is a gift from Allah."
Protest songs openly talk about long years spent in dark prisons, grass eaten instead of bread, hunger in the army, and the need for money among the entire population. However, it takes more than one art critic and a lot of time to listen to and analyze these songs in terms of meaning and content.
The art critic who helped us with this work, referring to the comments left by thoughtful listeners under protest songs, claimed that Turkmens from different countries who access the Internet are "tired of so-called palace or propaganda songs, lists of maiden names, songs from past centuries, and pirated melodies, and are actually waiting for new sounds and original melodies, even if they are not so perfect."
Turkmens, who spoke on condition of anonymity, say that we should not underestimate the work of singers who can tell the truth in a few lines or verses, and we should be prepared to protect them from possible persecution and retaliation.
On the other hand, some say that the government can't do anything about them, and that touching the singers will only increase public anger. Turkmens with this view believe that the number of Turkmen who think differently and are not afraid to express their opinions is increasing rapidly.