After having lived in London for almost three years, I knew for a fact that there were many Russians living in the UK just like me. So many that sometimes it was impossible to go to the cinema in the West End without stumbling upon a bunch of Russians commenting on the film in front of you. It is amazing how Russians have become part of the UK and London's diverse cultural landscape!
It is no wonder, then, that Maslenitsa, the Russian pagan spring festival best known for its pancakes and unbridled fun, has been held in London for the sixth year in a row, with performers ranging from classic Russian folk dance to the Russian contemporary pop music scene. It started out in 2009, first in Potters Fields Park near Tower Bridge and close to City Hall, the London Mayor's office. Speaking of the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who has been mayor since 2008, he has been an ardent supporter of Russian Maslenitsa all these years, each time never failing to deliver a welcoming and energetic speech to all Maslenitsa-goers. Boris Johnson, who claims to have Russian roots in his family history and attempts to speak Russian in his Maslenitsa greetings, seems to be a really big Russia fan catering to London's 'vibrant' Russian community. Thanks to him, apparently, in 2011 Maslenitsa got a more prominent venue by moving to Trafalgar Square, a place where all the big London public events take place. The Mayor of London is of course not the only person making it happen for London's, and the UK's, Russian community.
The Maslenitsa festival is actually organised by Ensemble Productions, a London-based company that specialises in organising and promoting music and dance events in Britain and internationally. By the looks of it, almost all their events are exclusively related to Russia/post-Soviet space and the celebration of its culture, with artists, musicians and dancers representing Russian and the other former republics' cultures. Russian Maslenitsa in London is the brainchild of Olga Balakleets, head of Ensemble Productions (watch here in Russian and here in English). Olga Balakleets graduated from the Royal College of Music in London and is married to Julian Gallant, a musician, a Russian culture lover, and previously head of Pushkin House, London's prime centre for Russian culture, from 2006 to 2012. Julian Gallant, by the way, was one of the presenters at Maslenitsa festival on 2nd March, and I saw him last year too.
Olga Balakleets and Julian Gallant seem to be a perfect case for students of cultural diplomacy - the duo have been engaging in cultural diplomacy on their own initiative. This is cultural diplomacy meeting citizen diplomacy, done by people, not governments. One could fairly say that Balakleets and Gallant have made themselves unofficial cultural ambassadors for Russia thanks to their efforts in bringing Russian culture to the UK. But I still wondered, though, if there was any goodwill support coming from Russia's governmental bodies or other Russian organisations lending a helping hand.
Well, it looks like Russia's Ministry of Culture has been a major partner since the festival was launched in 2009. Other usual governmental 'suspects' in the field of public diplomacy, such as the Russian Embassy in the UK, Rossotrudnichestvo (Russian Cooperation) and Risskiy Mir (Russian World) Foundation, seem to have been around in the role of 'supporters' mainly. I don't know what exacty the latter means but I would presume 'supporters' are not similar to sponsors or partners in the sense of providing funding or sharing organisational responsibilities. What 'supporters' do, I guess, is lend their name to the event thus adding weight to it. I might be wrong. But at some stage, when one sees an event catching on, one can't help but wonder who needs whom more - the event needs big-name 'supporters' or 'supporters' the big-name event? In any case, it appears the duo Balakleets and Gallant are getting on fine and have done a great job of making Russian Maslenitsa in London a big deal. If Russia's public diplomacy organisations could help them further, then what kind of help would that be? Would they have any resources anyway? And would it be OK with regard to the image of the organisers as 'grassroots cultural ambassadors'? Would the public diplomacy organisations act as 'facilitators'? The majority of the money for the Maslenitsa festival seems to come from private sponsors/businesses, naturally: in 2011 Mikhail Prokhorov's Onexim Group sponsored the Maslenitsa event, and this year it was Rosneft (state company though). Anyone can also support Maslenitsa personally by donating whatever they can (see the main page of the Maslenitsa website). It also occurs to me that since 2014 is the official UK-Russia Year of Culture, the Maslenitsa festival could have received some extra funds from the Russian (through Rosneft?) and/or the British government as part of this year-long cultural programme. Ever since London's Maslenitsa became a week-long festival of celebrations in 2012, I guess it has become even harder to organise the whole thing without additional sponsorship.
Pancakes and food aside, there was other interesting (and weird) stuff at last Sunday's Maslenitsa. Among the usual Russian souvenirs and trinkets, for example, I discovered this lovely valenki felt boots brand (something like Russian uggs) called Misha valenki (literally 'bear felt boots'). Russian winter footwear tradition has got a new modern marketing spin in the UK and for a fashionista like me this is definitely Russian soft power in the working. Obviously, the bear seems to be the brand's logo (nice use of Russia-related symbols and stereotypes, huh?), and the entire brand presentation is so neat and smart and exquisite I was genuinely impressed! Russian creative folk and entrepreneurs make me happy.
Speaking of less smart ways to use Russian symbols and stereotypes, in the past Maslenitsa apparently featured a live bear walking across Trafalgar Square for everyone's entertainment. I know bears are lovely animals, but I wonder if using Russian stereotypes like this (an actual bear walking on the streets - just like, they say, in Red Square!) actually damages rather than puts a light-hearted and fun spin on Russia's image? Where is the fine line between cheekily playing on stereotypes and actually perpetuating them?
Maybe this is a post for next time?
It is no wonder, then, that Maslenitsa, the Russian pagan spring festival best known for its pancakes and unbridled fun, has been held in London for the sixth year in a row, with performers ranging from classic Russian folk dance to the Russian contemporary pop music scene. It started out in 2009, first in Potters Fields Park near Tower Bridge and close to City Hall, the London Mayor's office. Speaking of the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who has been mayor since 2008, he has been an ardent supporter of Russian Maslenitsa all these years, each time never failing to deliver a welcoming and energetic speech to all Maslenitsa-goers. Boris Johnson, who claims to have Russian roots in his family history and attempts to speak Russian in his Maslenitsa greetings, seems to be a really big Russia fan catering to London's 'vibrant' Russian community. Thanks to him, apparently, in 2011 Maslenitsa got a more prominent venue by moving to Trafalgar Square, a place where all the big London public events take place. The Mayor of London is of course not the only person making it happen for London's, and the UK's, Russian community.
Olga Balakleets and Julian Gallant seem to be a perfect case for students of cultural diplomacy - the duo have been engaging in cultural diplomacy on their own initiative. This is cultural diplomacy meeting citizen diplomacy, done by people, not governments. One could fairly say that Balakleets and Gallant have made themselves unofficial cultural ambassadors for Russia thanks to their efforts in bringing Russian culture to the UK. But I still wondered, though, if there was any goodwill support coming from Russia's governmental bodies or other Russian organisations lending a helping hand. Well, it looks like Russia's Ministry of Culture has been a major partner since the festival was launched in 2009. Other usual governmental 'suspects' in the field of public diplomacy, such as the Russian Embassy in the UK, Rossotrudnichestvo (Russian Cooperation) and Risskiy Mir (Russian World) Foundation, seem to have been around in the role of 'supporters' mainly. I don't know what exacty the latter means but I would presume 'supporters' are not similar to sponsors or partners in the sense of providing funding or sharing organisational responsibilities. What 'supporters' do, I guess, is lend their name to the event thus adding weight to it. I might be wrong. But at some stage, when one sees an event catching on, one can't help but wonder who needs whom more - the event needs big-name 'supporters' or 'supporters' the big-name event? In any case, it appears the duo Balakleets and Gallant are getting on fine and have done a great job of making Russian Maslenitsa in London a big deal. If Russia's public diplomacy organisations could help them further, then what kind of help would that be? Would they have any resources anyway? And would it be OK with regard to the image of the organisers as 'grassroots cultural ambassadors'? Would the public diplomacy organisations act as 'facilitators'? The majority of the money for the Maslenitsa festival seems to come from private sponsors/businesses, naturally: in 2011 Mikhail Prokhorov's Onexim Group sponsored the Maslenitsa event, and this year it was Rosneft (state company though). Anyone can also support Maslenitsa personally by donating whatever they can (see the main page of the Maslenitsa website). It also occurs to me that since 2014 is the official UK-Russia Year of Culture, the Maslenitsa festival could have received some extra funds from the Russian (through Rosneft?) and/or the British government as part of this year-long cultural programme. Ever since London's Maslenitsa became a week-long festival of celebrations in 2012, I guess it has become even harder to organise the whole thing without additional sponsorship.
I wouldn't be doing justice to London's Maslenitsa without discussing what actually happens 'on the ground'. So last Sunday I ventured into the field to gather some data and get a feel of the atmospehere. Everyone seemed to be having fun there, each in their own way. People danced, sang and queued for pancakes. Speaking of pancakes, I wasn't pinning too many hopes on those as I knew what they were like from the year before. I had a couple in the end, but I must say those pancakes are not as tasty as the ones I eat in Russia. They didn't feel like Russian pancakes, if you know what I mean. Maybe this is because the London pancakes were not made fresh right in front of you but came from ready-made pancake stuff (don't know whether those ready-made pancakes were made by the sellers in advance or bought in the supermarket). So the end result is heated pancakes that taste pretty chewy, for which you pay £5.50-6.00 depending on the filling - and that is a lot by London standards! The whole experience naturally made me think of the famous (in Russia) Russian pancake chain Teremok with its lovely pancakes for all tastes. I wonder if the Maslenitsa organisers could use Teremok here in London (I know I know there must be lots of legal and business issues involved, but who cares - their pancakes are lovely!). As a matter of fact, Teremok is now making inroads into the American market, so who knows maybe Teremok pancakes in London is not such a crazy idea after all?
Pancakes and food aside, there was other interesting (and weird) stuff at last Sunday's Maslenitsa. Among the usual Russian souvenirs and trinkets, for example, I discovered this lovely valenki felt boots brand (something like Russian uggs) called Misha valenki (literally 'bear felt boots'). Russian winter footwear tradition has got a new modern marketing spin in the UK and for a fashionista like me this is definitely Russian soft power in the working. Obviously, the bear seems to be the brand's logo (nice use of Russia-related symbols and stereotypes, huh?), and the entire brand presentation is so neat and smart and exquisite I was genuinely impressed! Russian creative folk and entrepreneurs make me happy.Speaking of less smart ways to use Russian symbols and stereotypes, in the past Maslenitsa apparently featured a live bear walking across Trafalgar Square for everyone's entertainment. I know bears are lovely animals, but I wonder if using Russian stereotypes like this (an actual bear walking on the streets - just like, they say, in Red Square!) actually damages rather than puts a light-hearted and fun spin on Russia's image? Where is the fine line between cheekily playing on stereotypes and actually perpetuating them?
Another really weird thing that caught my eye at the Maslenitsa venue was the stall of a vedic society with books (in Russian) promising to show you the path to self-fulfilment (whatever that means). There was such a strong smell of incense around their stall that when I was passing by I thought for a moment it was an Orthodox stall with candles burning and producing this distinct smell characteristic of Russian churches. This vedic stall seemed so out of place to me - I don't know how they got a stall in the first place. Can you just rent/buy one, regardless of your relevance to the Russian theme (language excluded)? All in all, it was weird to see this at a Russian cultural festival. There was, by the way, another 'mystery' society a bit further selling their literature outside of the venue fences, looking a bit lost. Weird.
One thing that definitely put a happy smile on my face was the stall of this dairy company that produces for the UK exquisite-looking Russian dairy goodies such as kefir, riazhenka, and prostokvasha. I have heard about them before and it seems like they have been expanding ever since. Their goods are mainly available in organic shops and posh department stores, not in your regular supermarket, unfortunately. But I will definitely give them a try - they look so promising! Again way to go, Russian entrepreneurs!
Something I didn't expect to stumble upon at Maslenitsa at all was the stall advertising immigration lawyers, apparently feeling strong and able to move all willing Russians to the UK (so much for the tightening immigration legislation!).
What I found particularly wonderful was the presence of the charity Rusfond UK, which helps seriously ill Russian children get access to life-saving medical treatment in the UK. Last year, I have found out, the Maslenitsa organisers teamed up with the Naked Heart Foundation charity for children, which managed to raise some money towards their programmes.
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Note the flags of the CIS countries on stage - the 'Russian World' (Russkiy Mir) concept is at work, not only Russians but also all Russian-speaking peoples from the former Soviet Union republics are being addressed |
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| Incredible turnout - so many people! |
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| This lady just kept dancing and spinning, loving the cameras and showcasing all her Russian and Soviet memorabilia |
All in all, Russian Maslenitsa in London is a place where culture reigns. What about politics, you ask me? Well, with the Ukraine situation going on in the background, part of the Russian diaspora (that also includes Russian-speakers from the former Soviet Union) went to the Russian Embassy to protest against war that day. However, another part of that diaspora was planning to show up at the Ukrainian consulate in support of Russia and Crimea. '[Maslenitsa] is beyond politics!' exclaimed the Russian presenter from the stage (which wasn't translated by the English presenter).
By the way, there was a guy standing at the exit behind the cheering crowd - he was handing out leaflets with information on the crimes and/or wrongdoings of Maslenitsa's sponsors and partners (Rosneft, RIA Novosti, Rossiyskaya Gazeta etc.). Whoever was distributing the leaflets, they even included 'partners' that were not listed on this year's official Maslenitsa booklet. So politics did interfere after all...
Hm, politicise culture or 'culturise' politics? Here are some thoughts from Mikhail Shvydkoy, Russia's special representative for international cultural cooperation.
