Dancing has never been a favourite past time of mine. No matter how hard I try, I just don’t have rhythm, nor do I have the ability to sing, which is probably a good thing if I lived in the Russian Republic of Chechnya, located between the Caspian and Black Seas.
Chechnya is under the control of Ramzan Kadyrov and since his rise to power in 2007, he’s made several significant changes including setting some very unusual new rules. The latest change that has raised eyebrows is the government’s view on music that’s either too fast or too slow. Moving forward, only music that’s between 80 and 116 beats per minute will be allowed, which means nearly all pop and techno music will be outlawed in the land. Slow ballads and fast-driving music will soon be a thing of the past in this region of the world. The politicians claim the ban is to protect the cultural heritage of the Chechen people, but no specific details were released as to how they’ll actually enforce the law.
A lot of questions about the leadership of Kadyrov have been raised in recent years with accusations that there has been widespread corruption in the republic’s government, discrimination and violence against LGBTQ people, and major human rights violations. In the 1990’s and early 2000’s Chechnya was war-torn region as it tried to fight for independence from it’s Russian rulers, but despite its best efforts, the predominately Islamic region wasn’t successful in the wars. Instead, it became a republic within the country and ruled by a pro-Russian leader.
Even though there’s a crackdown on music and dancing in the country, I feel optimistic that Kevin Bacon and Lori Singer can change the minds of these these government’s officials with just one song and dance…
