Raynur Khasanov: ‘The authorities should make maximum use of both official languages of Tatarstan’
The World Tatar Youth Forum contacted the Kazan mayor's office regarding a new city entrance stele
The World Tatar Youth Forum sent a letter to the mayor of Kazan regarding the installation of Kazan stele on Orenburgksky Trakt highway. Young activists point out that the name is only in one language, and propose making the inscription not just bilingual but in the form of an art piece bearing in mind the history of the highway, which was once the Nogai Road. Read more details in a report of Realnoe Vremya article.
“We can make a real art piece”
“Although the stele is not a geographical name or a road sign from the point of view of the law, it must be made in the official Tatar language,” reads the letter written in Tata. “About 1.3 million people live in Kazan, the most numerous people among them are the Tatars. The monolingualism of the art piece, which will be the first thing that guests of our capital will see and meet, limits the image of Kazan. This is disrespect for the Tatar language, disdain for the Tatar-speaking residents and guests of Kazan and a completely unacceptable view of the capital of Tatarstan.”
The authors note that they write not only for the sake of criticism, but also to help.
“Almost all the entrances to the city were created in the 14th-15th centuries and have ancient names with rich history. In the case of Orenburgksky Trakt, this is the Nogai road. Using this, instead of just writing Kazan in a simple font, you can make a real art piece, or even several (for Mamadysh, Siberian Trakt, etc.). The World Tatar Youth Forum can help the Kazan leadership in this matter. We are ready to organise master classes and competitions with the participation of young architects.”
Let us recall that in 2019, the forum addressed head of Bashkortostan Radiy Khabirov. Tatar Dictation event was the reason when during Overall Dictation was held in the neighbouring republic in honour of the 100th birthday of poet Mustay Karim, and at Tatar Dictation, they strongly recommended changing the proposed text to an excerpt from the textbook Cultural Studies of Bashkortostan. In the same 2019, the forum sent a letter to governor of the Astrakhan region Igor Babushkin, head of the city administration Radik Kharisov and head of Astrakhan Alyona Gubanova proposing to abandon the installation of the monument to Ivan the Terrible. In 2021, the forum published an open letter in support of the status of the president of the Republic of Tatarstan.
“This appeal is written only in Tatar, so that the answer is also in Tatar”
The installation of the Kazan entrance stele began on 13 August. Work on installing four-tonne letters made of aluminium slats four metres high is planned to be completed this month. They are covered with stainless steel on the outside and anodized aluminium inside. Backlighting will also shine through them, colder and muted warm. The stele replaced a two-metre composition that was in disrepair; a new one is being installed for the BRICS Summit.
“The forum usually uses both the Tatar and Russian languages in communication and appeals,” notes the head of the forum. “However, we have noticed that when letters are bilingual, many institutions and organisations respond only in Russian. This appeal is written only in Tatar, so that the response is also in Tatar. Thus, we are increasing the use of the Tatar language. As a result of our letter, we hope to build cooperation with the mayor's office on the issue of steles at the entrances to Kazan, and we are also open to further cooperation to strengthen the role of the Tatar language in Kazan.”