Over the entire period of its existence, the Russian Empire has been working to “swallow” the conquered indigenous nations and turn this empire into a mono state with a mono language and a mono religion. There is a systematic destruction of language and religion in our republics. Loyal Islam is required, otherwise objectionable Muslims are accused of extremism and receive from 15 to 25 years in prison, and the study of the native language for children in schools is removed.
This practice has been occurring over a long period and is done quietly. I received a university diploma in 2011, and in the column, my native language is marked as Russian, and the study of Tatar is separated as just the Tatar language. Even though I studied in the Tatar group of Kazan University. Who defined Russian as my native language? My native language is Bashkir, but in this case, it should have been Tatar. Many questions remain.
Seven years ago, the law abolished the study of indigenous languages in schools, as unnecessary. Where does this lead? This leads to the complete disappearance of our languages. The tongue is not a homemade rug that can be folded, placed in a chest and thus preserved. Language is a living organism; it must grow, develop and be supplemented. You won’t last long with a common, everyday language, the literary language will disappear – there will be no one to write works, and most importantly, there will be no one to read.
In the 60s-70s of the 20th century, in schools and universities of Bashkortostan, all subjects were taught in the Bashkir language. This is what I mean when they say that the Bashkir language has no educational potential. There is! There are personnel who can work directly in Bashkir and English, bypassing Russian.
The second issue I would like to touch upon is today’s politics. Many of my compatriots, fighters for the freedom of their nations, wander from side to side. Our reality is similar to the first republic of Bashkortostan, when they rushed between red and white troops, to find the best option for our state. But we seem to have decided: we cannot remain part of an empire where my language, culture, history and my people will definitely be destroyed. Where the physical destruction of indigenous people is now taking place. Also, we cannot join the liberal opposition, because, in the beautiful Russia of the future, there is no place for our languages and our problems.
In the history of my people, there has been a 200-year struggle for independence, a struggle for their lands and a struggle against Russian occupation. There is also an episode when the Bashkir government tried to agree with the Soviet government. The story ended with everyone being defeated, labelled milletse (Nationalist), shot or executed. Those who fled abroad lived their entire lives with the label milletse.
Today’s Russian government labels Ukrainian patriots as Nazis. The desire to preserve and pass on one’s language and culture to the next generation is called the Nazi ideal. We, who are fighting for our independence, are called extremists. There is a substitution of concepts and the marginalization of national movements.
After the well-known January events in Bashkortostan, more than eighty people have been arrested to date. Dim Davletkildin was beaten in a pre-trial detention centre, despite a broken spine, a concussion, numerous haematomas and severe damage to his health, he was denied hospitalization and remains in custody. Miniyar Bayguskarov committed suicide after torture. Rifat Dautov was killed by security forces after his arrest, on the way to Ufa. Recent weeks have brought news that the recently detained Zaki Ilyasov was taken to hospital from a police station in a coma and two days later was sent to a pre-trial detention centre. For four months now, detentions and arrests of Bashkorts have been ongoing on suspicion of involvement in the Baymak events. The stories of the above-mentioned Bashkorts demonstrate exactly how confessions and testimonies are extracted. In tsarist Russia, every twenty years the Bashkorts rose up to fight the empire; every twenty years, an entire generation of fighters striving for freedom was mowed down, raising uprisings against the empire.
One day my family and I went on vacation to Mexico. On the way to the pyramids, our tour bus stopped for an authentic lunch. We were seated at tables, during lunch, and heard singing, I turned around and saw a man and woman singing and dancing between the tables. These were representatives of the local Indians. Tourists started taking photos and videos of this performance, and my eyes filled with tears. I imagined my people, the Bashkorts, whom Russia is trying to turn into the same puppet, fake people who will entertain Moscow princes or tourists who decide to come to my homeland during their meals.
We do not need Russian concepts, or labels, especially from the “Russian world”. We are ripe and ready for our own free statehood. We have our own language, our own culture, and history, and enough smart, educated people, and we are ready to take power into our own hands to get closer to the independence of Bashkortostan. It is impossible to remain part of Russia; it is dangerous for all our people. It is also worth noting that today only the national republics have the strength to overthrow the Russian government. Therefore, I hope that other states will follow the example of Ukraine and support national movements in the struggle for independence from the Russian Empire. Your past is our future, your path to independence and democracy in the future is what we must o go through.
