A Red Boyhood by Anatole Konstantin

Author:Anatole Konstantin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of Missouri Press

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One day we were told in the usual pompous Communist manner that a political and cultural event would take place on the following Sunday afternoon. Sunday turned out to be a pleasant day, and most of the population gathered in front of the schoolhouse and sat on the ground. Only the chairwoman of the kolkhoz and the party chairman sat on chairs, like a royal couple. The party chairman addressed the audience in Kazakh for about fifteen minutes, of which I understood only references to Stalin and communism. The Kazakhs gravely nodded their heads and at the end politely applauded. Then several musicians appeared from the schoolhouse and played some unfamiliar instruments, one of which looked like a violin but was held vertically on the knee, like a miniature cello.

The music sounded harsh and repetitive. After that, several women sang some upbeat songs, which frequently contained the word kzyl and the phrase kzyl asker, which means “red soldier.” Several dancers in costumes then twirled around to the music and we all politely applauded. The performance lasted about an hour, by which time people began to talk to one another and it appeared that everyone had had enough. The party chairman made another speech and a young man explained to us in Russian that the Communist Party cared very much about culture and had sent these wonderful performers to propagate it to the masses.

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