To proclaim one’s patriotic faith, or to criticize from within without crossing red lines, to galvanize the morale of the troops on the front or to call for a refusal to take up arms… In the Russia of the “special operation” as the Kremlin calls it , artists and particularly musicians whose words carry weight are faced with a choice whose consequences can be very serious.
From our correspondent in Moscow,
It is a video with a shaky image taken from the public during a concert on May 18 in Ufa which has been a hit on social networks. The one who speaks on stage is 65 years old, and he is a rock legend for several generations in the country. A protester from the 1980s in the USSR, he is the author of songs committed to the first war in Chechnya, to the sinking of the Kursk. Yuri Shevchuk, singer of DDT group had these words among others: our guys are dying in Ukraine, why? ” and “ the homeland is not licking the president’s ass all the time “. Prosecuted for “ public action intended to discredit the use of Russian armed forces », this sacred monster was not condemned. This icon is in any case not the only one to speak from within the country.
There is also for example Manizha. Born in Tajikistan, she has represented Russia at Eurovision 2021. Very committed, too, on all subjects, the singer is the first and only goodwill ambassador for the UNHCR in Russia, and has her own fund for the support and protection of people in precarious situations. “ I’m the kind of person who cares about what’s happening in the world and this tragedy affects the entire global community. “, she says. “ This also applies to my relatives, because there are also Ukrainians in my family. My sister-in-law and my future husband are half Ukrainians, so it was impossible for me to keep silent “.
Concerts canceled
A message on the Instagram social network posted on February 24, and below, for a month, an avalanche of aggressive exchanges: his fans are divided. “ It didn’t help me, it still doesn’t help me personally to deal with emotions “, she says. “ But, I believe that it is necessary to say what you feel, even if you don’t understand everything, even if you are afraid, it is necessary to say what you feel. Because at least a lot of people understand then that they are not alone and that they are going through the same thing as you. »
The fact remains that from now on, his concert dates are canceled one after the other: “ Now it’s every man for himself. People are even afraid to like the posts where I say that my concerts are canceled. Two artists called me personally to support me. Me, I still believe in humanity, I still believe in kindness. I stay in Russia, and as long as I am not in danger, I will stay here. I believe that in Russia there are many people who share my point of view. It is very little if we look at the statistics that are made public. But even if we tell ourselves that it may not be much, perhaps just 20% of the population, it is still more than 30 million people. It’s not nothing here “.
” They obviously betrayed the country »
The texts and videos of critical artists are most often broadcast and shared on social networks, while the singers in favor of the “special operation” appear on the screens of Russian television, in broadcasts, but also in reports where we see them singing for the soldiers. For this subject, many were approached by RFI, but they all declined.
Example of their positions with the rocker Olga Kormukhina. Interviewed on the YouTube channel of journalist Vyacheslav Manucharov, she explained: “ We don’t want Russia to look like Ukraine, and there is a risk that their nationalism and fascism could spread “. As for the artists who left Russia, here is his opinion: They obviously betrayed the country, but I’m afraid they don’t realize exactly what they did. Because to betray something, you have to be faithful to it and love it. You can’t betray what you don’t like. And them, they never liked this country “.
artists in exile
Are many of them gone? It is difficult to quantify, but it is in any case the case of Monetochka. Direction, from February 24, Istanbul; she now lives in Vilnius in Lithuania, for a pregnancy that she wishes to live peacefully: “ I don’t mind taking risks in life and I’m not that cowardly “, she explains. “ Probably, if I hadn’t been pregnant, I could have stayed. But I thought that if someone came knocking on my door for a conversation, it would be a very big stress and a big risk for my baby. To keep at least a little harmony, calm and physical health, I decided that it was better to leave “.
Monetochka also lets his pen write texts that are always very mocking: “ It seems to me that if we take it all very seriously, as some kind of terrible evil that we’ll never crush and that’s better not to be talked about anymore, then we play their game, we portray them as the authorities want us to. saw them. This is how they want to see themselves in our eyes. But in fact, it’s like in Harry Potter, you remember, this terrifying character whose name must not be said ? Let us use the ridiculous and the absurd, and then it will be easier for us to fight it. »
Monetochka planned after the birth of her child to resume concerts, still outside of Russia.