The Kids of Summer
By Sean at 21 July, 2007, 5:40 am
It’s that time of year again. The time when thousands of red t-shirt clad Russian youths pack their bags and head for Tver Province to take part in an “educational megaproject.” What is this educational megeproject you ask? Why, its Nashi’s third annual “commissar” camp at Lake Seliger!
The camp has been growing steadily since its inception. Its first year hosted 3000 Nashisty. Last year, 5000 of the self-proclaimed “young democratic anti-fascist movement’s” elite gathered for a whirlwind of physical fitness, paramilitary training, ideological seminars and lectures, and hobnobbing with the likes of Ramzan Kadyrov, Sergei Ivanov, Vladislav Surkov, and even Vladimir Putin himself. This year’s camp is double that size, reaching an impressive 10,000 Nashi youths. For an organization that proports to have 10,000 active members and 200,000 volunteers, that is a impressive haul.
So much so that the Financial Times, as well as several other news organizations, has taken with a piece in Thursday’s edition. There is even a must see Nashi summer camp Flash slideshow. The pictures are amazing in and of themselves. The saying that pictures are worth a thousand words couldn’t be more true. See a Nashi member aiming an AK-47 during paramilitary training with a backdrop billboard reading “Nashi: Our Army.” Gaze at thousands of Nashisty doing their morning calisthenics. Putinist Realism, anyone? Or check out the garish “Red Light District” featuring evil oppositionists Mikhail Kasyanov, Eduard Limonov, and Garry Kasparov dressed in Moulin Rouge. Sexy! A Nashi information commissar explains that they are dressed like prostitutes because “they’re traitors to the country.” And let us not forget Putin’s visage hovering over the camp grounds. The increase in attendance and spruced up digs suggests that corporate funding from Gazprom and other Russian companies is going to good use. Hell, the gas giant even got its own tower for its contributions. It’s clear a lot of time went into naming it too. Its called the “Gazprom Tower.” Surkov’s busy, busy, busy!
It’s all so Komsomol-esque that even Nashi leader Vasily Yakemenko had to admit that “some symbols are similar–senior members are ‘commissars’, members carry little red books recording their achievements.” But he claims that Nashi is no neo-Komsomol since, he says, “For the Komsomol, what was important was the success of the [Communist] party; for us, what’s important is the success of the person.”
Really? Reminds me of a document I have from the 1924 calling for a purge of the Komsomol because all the “hangers-on” and “alien elements” were taking all the spaces in the university from good working class youth. Or the one that denounced the Bolshevik Party as conservative and proclaimed the Komsomol as the true Leninists. The Komsomol could never obliterate the “I”. And often, in fact far too often, it was articulated as “I’m going to step on you to get over you.” If Yakemenko knew his history of Russian youth organizations, he might appreciate the complexity of it all.
In fact, there are some interesting similarities at this years camp with the Komsomol of old. In nothing less than druzhba naroda redux is an “ethno-village” that “displays cultures of Russia’s many minorities.” Also, twenty-five Nashi couples tied the knot in a mass wedding. The act is reminiscent of Komsomol “red” weddings which shunned Orthodox iconography and made marital vows to the “construction of socialism.” I wonder if Nashi couples were urged to christen their children with names like “Nitup,” (Putin), “Pin” (Putin-Ivanov-Nashi), or “Vlakov” (Vladimir Surkov), or “Suvdem” for “sovereign democracy.” I mean, really, if you’re gonna do it, do it right.
Media access to the camp is tight. RFE/RL reports that two journalists, Ilya Barabanov from Novoye vremya and Mikhail Romanov from Moskovskii komsomlets were denied a seat on the media bus. The director of the Nashi press service told them that “the list of accredited journalists had already been sent, and that it was too late to add any new names.” Undeterred, Barabanov and Romanov set out, on a boat no less, to the Nashi camp “unembedded” to see what was up. What they got was a special greeting.
This is how RFE/RL Russian Service correspondent Maksim Yaroshevsky describes their adventure:
We rented a boat for 70 rubles an hour, leaving a passport as a deposit, and crossed over to the shores of the Nashi camp. There were no guards in sight and it was relatively easy for us to wander off in different directions through the camp.
In the course of half an hour, I had already managed to speak to a dozen Nashi activists. Some of the other “illegal” journalists weren’t so lucky.
Barabanov and Romanov were approached almost immediately by men in camouflage who insisted they leave the camp at once. The head of Nashi, Vasily Yakimenko, appeared and announced that the presence of unaccredited journalists on the premises of the camp was strictly forbidden.
My colleagues argued that this violated their rights under Russian media law, but Yakimenko was unconvinced, and within 10 minutes Barabanov, Romanov, and Lyaskin [Smena youth leader. He also accompanied the reporters] had all been thrown out of the camp.
Busted! Until next year, I guess . . .
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With such a charismatic leader at the helm, Nashy’s future is assured.
I saw a headline that someone del.icio.us’d “The Horror of Nashi Unbound”. Some meathead exploiting this annual Nashi camp to perpetrate their own agenda.
10,000 Nashi youths out of a population of … what … 145 million.
I wonder how many crazy American kids are going to fundamentalist bible camps this summer to learn how Adam and Eve lived with the dinosaurs. Or how many go to paramilitary camps, be they court-mandated for troubled youths or otherwise.
These Nashi kids are distasteful little brain-dead nationalists, but seems rather like a drop in the bucket. Call me when they reach 500,000 like the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
What Wally said.
I think Nashi’s significance is very exaggerated.
That said, Limonov makes a really ugly woman.
Sean said And let us not forget Putin’s visage hovering over the camp grounds.
Sean, you forgot to mention something. I know you can read Russian
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/5830/nashiputinqt5.jpg
For those who don’t read – Putin has red hairs and signs says “I’m red (redheaded). What’s up with (me)?”
)
Red means also circus clown both in Russian and English
See a Nashi member aiming an AK-47 It is AK-74 (5.45 mm)
)
And I don’t understand you. You are not happey with the state and moral or red Army. When someone shows desire to support Red Army – are are not happy again?
Shedd, you note
I wonder how many crazy American kids are going to fundamentalist bible camps this summer
nailed it right on head.
)
BTW there all kinds of summer camps for kids all over Russia. I guess millions are there. So your another note
10,000 Nashi youths out of a population of … what … 145 million.
is irrelevant. I don’t think you want ALL Nashis from all over Russia to come to Seliger, don’t you? This would be an enviromental disaster
BTW 1000 Another Russians from 145 millions is more funny
) But it is strange that you don’t call them brain-dead “internationalists”
Granted Nashi is small both in numbers and influence. Also most Russian youths aren’t going to join it. But I think numbers are not really the issue. At least for me. What I find interesting is how youth are viewed as a sector of society that needs to be politically harnessed. I don’t know, part of me thinks that Nashi’s influence is still in the making. I don’t think it will ever become another Komsomol outright. I think it will remain voluntary as a may to maintain it’s exclusivity and vanguardism.
ivanov: I’ve been trying to make out that poster of Putin. I got the “I’m redheaded” but couldn’t make out the rest from the photo I saw. I thought I might have said “??? ?? ?????” “who is with me?” As in Putin is pro-Nashi because of the red hair, and red being Nashi’s colors. But maybe it is meant to be more comical than I think.
Isn’t “having red hair” supposed to equal “being Jewish”?
Sean, thanks for writing about this topic, which as you know fascinates me as well. Although I agree that Nashi might be analyzed more than its membership size would seem to merit, for me it’s not the size so much as the government involvement that makes it interesting. Of course kids in the US go to wacky summer camps, but there really isn’t any comparison – they don’t have the President showing up to promote the camp’s ideology (although I wouldn’t be surprised to see W make an appearance at a Bible camp, it’s clear that such camps don’t have government funding or the use of the government’s organizational resources and top personnel, as Nashi clearly does). One thing I noticed from the slideshow is the sheer variety and high production values of the various t-shirts and other logo gear that the kids are wearing – that stuff is not cheap, and I’m sure it makes the kids feel special. I agree with Sean about Nashi not yet being the phenomenon it may become – it remains to be seen if the investment made by Surkov and his corporate supporters will pay off.
Anyway, regarding Nashi’s size: let’s say the core membership is only 10,000 – that is still quite a lot of organizers for mass events across Russia, if we consider that most Nashi rallies seem to be composed of a few organizers and hundreds/thousands of kids who are just along for the ride (whether or not encouraged or coerced by teachers or other officials, or paid to show up, as has been suggested by a couple of reports).
The most interesting thing I saw in that slideshow was this photo caption:
A tie-up between Nashi and the army allows those about to be called up for military service to befriend others at the camp, and form themselves into groups of 10 which will then be called up together.
If true, that is a huge benefit and a brilliant idea on someone’s part. Just think – if you’re a patriotic young Russian and want to serve in the military (and I certainly respect such sentiments and believe they are widespread in today’s Russia), but are concerned about the genuine problems with hazing and abuse of conscripts, what better way to feel protected than to join up with your own ready-made brigada, guys who you know will have your back? The promises of internships at elite Russian companies will pull in the ambitious climbers, but IMO this benefit of doing your army service among friends is potentially an even bigger draw for more blue-collar kids.
Sean, did the Komsomol offer any similar opportunities? I recall reading/hearing that one of the issues with Soviet Army service was that units were often intentionally divided among people of different nationalities, and people were sent to serve very far away from home (inevitable in such a large country, but still…) – I think this was mainly to reduce the possibility of any given unit being too sympathetic to a particular nationality, but did the Komsomol offer any chances for kids to go into the army together with friends from their hometown? Or would Komsomol’tsy (especially in the late Soviet period) have actually been the ones avoiding conscript military service through university study, making such a benefit irrelevant to them? In any event, I just wanted to highlight this perk, which Nashi’s organizers are quite astute to be offering.
Isn’t “having red hair” supposed to equal “being Jewish”?
Or with “being Anatoly Chubais”? I too am baffled by that poster – I’m not sure about the circus reference, and based on the only photo I’ve seen, whether it says “Chto so mnoi” or “Kto so mnoi” is ambiguous. So, who knows? Ah, the mysteries of Seliger. We need Yashin to do a raid and bring back some photos.
?????
? ?????.
Well now we know that it was “??? ?? ?????”
My error was caused by different shape used for K in English font and its Cyrillic versions.
http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/3751/ktocomhoita2.gif
And in this case redheaded means “I’m a person (a man), not a part of crowd. I have my opinion and I can stand for it”. Something like this.
Chrisius Maximus said…
Isn’t “having red hair” supposed to equal “being Jewish”?
More likely – “To be Irish”
))
Lyndon said One thing I noticed from the slideshow is the sheer variety and high production values of the various t-shirts and other logo gear that the kids are wearing – that stuff is not cheap, and I’m sure it makes the kids feel special.
I noticed that? Me too. It also recalls me “orange rivalyushin”.
Same high production values of tents, scarfs, baloons etc.
As to Komsomol, Soviet Army and their relations – I’ll try to answer later (if not lazy)…
PS. But the idea to serve with friends is really damn good.
“I noticed that?” – must read “You noticed that?”
Who is in favor?
4/VII-2007
19:00
???????
????????, ???????? ???????. ???????? ????? ?????????? ? ??????????????? ?????????? ??????????? ??????.
? ?????????? ???????? ????????? ????????? ?????????????? ??????????? ???????? «????», ???????? ??????? ???????????? ???????? ??????????? «???????», ????????????? ???????????? ??????????? «??????? ??????? ?????? ??????», ??????????? ???????? «?????? ???????», ??????????????? ???????????? ??????????? ???????? «????? ????» ? ??????????? ???????? «???? ??????» (?????????? ????).
I saw that report on Nashi in Tver obkast on Volgograd TV last night.
BTW, downtown Volgograd is friggin’ hopping. Poor is something Volgograders are not, at least judging by downtown.
Regarding that red-headed Putin poster, Katja tried to explain or translate it as meaning “I’m an individual (or independent thinking person), who is with me?”
She acknowledged that the phrase is somewhat ambiguous though – it probably has some specific meaning to these Nashi types, that they have been told or taught as part of their group idealogy.
These groups are just another form of social engineering that would have made B. F. Skinner proud.
Shedd, I’m glad that “Katja tried to explain or translate it as meaning “I’m an individual (or independent thinking person), who is with me?”
She confirmed what I said before in this thread
And in this case redheaded means “I’m a person (a man), not a part of crowd. I have my opinion and I can stand for it”
As everyone could see – it’s possible to make fun on Putin without getting ten years in Gulag
)
Yep, actually I was surprised how much her translation changed once she saw the whole phrase clearly.
In this situation, I wasn’t challenging or asking for clarification on something you wrote in any case.