The Russian Cultural Center in Bucharest is closing down.
Why? Because there's a war on, and we need to stop the vicious propagandistic efforts of these terrorists. Duh. Of course, Romanian government's a little slow on the uptake. Though the war in Ukraine started in February '22, our government only caught on to the evil Russian-man's schemes in spring of this year. When war first broke out, our government made not a single peep about the Russian Center. I remember. I was there on the first day of the war. Things were tense, but alright, and continued to be alright for another full year. Weird.
But I'm glad they caught on to the propaganda. Either that, or some rich government a-hole decided he wants the beautiful, old building that used to house the Cultural Center. Nothing quite like greed to spur on the righteous, is there?
Last night, they had a goodbye party at the Center, to which my friend wisely decided we should go. I was in two minds. I'd left the place almost a year before, and felt I didn't belong anymore, but decided to go along with her. I'm so glad I did. Walking through the gate, seeing all the people I used to know there was so natural, and felt so welcoming.
The evening was a lovely sort of Russian party game (I understand it's quite big over there), called где, когда (Where? When?). Basically, there were three teams, competing to answer the game-master's questions (himself an international champion of this game) under a minute. I liked the questions, as they were general knowledge and logic-based, and our team, lovingly entitled Матрёшка (Russian doll) ended up winning the night.
The atmosphere, though, was bitter-sweet, as the house was mostly packed away already (they're clearing out at the end of the month), and they were giving away books from the small Russian library that existed in the basement. It was so sad to see these people who'd for years worked to build something beautiful in this lovely old house have to go away, and for what? So that some big-buck asshole could get his paws on the house?
It wasn't the stop the war, that's for sure. It wasn't even to protest it in any way that mattered, since the Russian Embassy and the Cultural Center itself will probably find a way to continue their more administrative tasks someplace else. The only way in which this affects them was it stops them interacting with the general public. Throwing parties like the one above. Showing Russian movies that are hard to come by online, and not shown on any TV channel here. Teaching an old, beautiful language and its equally beautiful culture.
How's that propaganda? Not once, in my time there, did anyone try to tell me how awesome and right Putin was. My Russian teacher wasn't smug or happy about the invasion. She was scared for her relatives in Moscow, and sorrowful for the people in Ukraine.
One thing I find very scary about this whole anti-Russia move is that we're essentially throwing out the baby with the Russian oligarch. Even that, the much reviled image of the greedy Russian oligarch has become an overdone trope, hailing from the Cold War epoch. And I'm not a fan of anything insulting my intelligence, or seeking to oversimplify the problem.
I can understand the seriousness and horror of war without damning an entire population for it.
I can feel empathy for the people who've had to flee for their lives, and leave everything they knew behind, without burning Pushkin or Tolstoy.
What would that achieve?
They are terribly tongue-in-cheek, these Russians, I'll give them that. Last year, when everyone was reining down sanctions on them, they gave away shirts with "Kiss me, I speak Russian". I've got one in my closet, because that's how we win. Not by leveraging bigger, badder guns, or by suddenly turning on random Russian people, asking them to forswear everything they know and love.
It's as delusional as saying to someone "fuck you for being American. Look what you did in the Middle East". After all, it would be accurate. Except I'm not gonna equate the deaths and the horror with the individual. That's Bush, and Clinton, and Obama, and Trump, and Biden. Just like it's Putin who's gonna have to bear that blame (together with all the other state heads participating in this war).
Speaking of Putin and tongue-in-cheek. One of the answers last night, of course, was Vladimir Putin, and look who rolled out for the occasion:
It was funny. These people've always had an eye for keen satire, and I liked the playing to others' expectations part.
All jokes aside, I left the party with a lovely tote bag, with words like "family" and "friendship" and "love" in both Russian and Romanian. It seems evident to me that that should be what we're going for. Learning and remembering these words, in as many languages as we possibly can. Because as long as they've got us hating on the average Joe Russia, they still win. It's not us against them, it's us and them, as that Pink Floyd tune says.
After all, we're only ordinary men,
Me and you.
I also came home with a grammar textbook. Given freely, so that the work we've put in learning this wonderful language won't go to waste, and because, well, what are they gonna do with them now? That's the kinda propaganda these people were spewing. Giving books, and encouraging young people to learn a language, develop a new skill. Bad-ass Kalashnikov shit.