Russia is an enormous country. It is inhabited by millions of different people. Its history is colorful [to say the least], the culture exceptional and vivid, it is a country that has given many great artists, writers, thinkers, scientists [the list could go on and on] to the world, but never mind all that now, дорогие мои [my dear ones], because the time has come to narrow everything, all of that, down to one. One person to become «Имя России» [Name of Russia]. Or at least that’s the plan according to Russia’s Number One State TV-channel, appropriately named «(Телеканал) Россия», something they proclaim with a flashy banner on the main site going: «Исторический выбор 2008» [Historic Election 2008], and no, I suppose they’re not talking about picking Medvedev for president back in March. That was only about politics, but this election is more than politics – this is about picking one single person from all of Russian history to represent it, to give it a face, and yes, a name. Apparently, those red ‘cheburashkas’ («Чебурашка») that are going to be the symbol of Russia in Beijing during the Olympics next month are not enough. Obviously, this country feels the need for a mascot that’s a little less cuddly, and this might have been the reason for the vote that started out with 500 nominees, but was narrowed down to the 50 most voted for after June 12th. And yes, you can vote too, all you need to do is click here and pick your own favorite. And if you click on «рейтинги» you’ll find the top twelve, which, unless they fall out of favor that is, will go to the third round on September 1st. And who’s number one, if not Stalin? Well, I’m all for a less hug-able and snuggle-worthy Name of Russia (despite having a little soft ‘cheburashka’ dangling from my bag), but a… dictator?

As I am not the only one, neither am I the first one, to question such a result of the voting, I found the following article about it. Here’s a little piece of it translated for you:

По мнению заместителя директора Института российской истории Владимира Лаврова, происходящее – «Это результат отсутствия государственной идеологии, чёткой позиции и государства, и СМИ в отношении этих политических деятелей». [According to the opinion of deputy director of the Institute of Russian History, Vladimir Lavrov, the occurrence – “[It] is the result of the absence of a national ideology, a clear position of both the government and the mass media in respect to these political figures.”]

«По крупнейшему национальному каналу недавно был показан сталинский фильм, сейчас сталинский учебник распространяется по школам, а человек, призвавший к переводу Первой мировой войны в гражданскую войну, до сих пор находится в мавзолее», – сказал он в интервью сайту Газета.ru. [“On the largest national channel a movie from Stalin’s time was recently shown, right now a textbook from the time of Stalin is being spread out in the schools, and the person who called out for the conversion of the First World War into a civil war is still in a mausoleum,” he said in an interview for the site gazeta.ru.]

«Нужно говорить людям правду – и о Сталине, и о Ленине. Люди не знают правды. Ко мне, например, приходят студенты, которые считают, что Ленин – последний русский император», – добавил Лавров. [”(We) need to tell people the truth – both about Stalin and about Lenin. People don’t know the truth. To me, for example, students come who think that Lenin was the last Russian imperator,” Lavrov added.]

So who’s your choice? I voted first for Dostoevsky, but then I saw that my ‘homeboy’ Rurik was also among the 50, so I voted for him too (after all, what kind of Swede would I be if I didn’t vote for the only Scandinavian on the list?).

I also found an interesting article on this topic by Mark H. Teeter in Moscow Times called “When I Say Russia, You Say…”. It’s worth being read!