Former Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov was not known for his love of external foreign influences, and his reign saw the republic isolated not only politically but also increasingly culturally, as Turkmenbashi sought to distill the essence of Turkmen-ness.

As part of this process, in April 2001 Niyazov banned foreign opera and ballet. He justified his decision on the grounds that such cultural forms were “alien” to Turkmen culture, rhetorically asking on Turkmen state television

How is it possible to inculcate a Turkmen is a love of ballet if there is no ballet in his blood? … One must not attempt to establish an art form here that is from another place; one must develop one’s own national art form. I do not understand ballet, what do I need it for?

Niyazov’s sudden death on December 21, 2006, and the subsequent ascent of Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov to power inevitably brought hope that Turkmenistan might become a more open country. Berdymukhammedov has made some changes, but arguably he has continued to avoid major changes such as allowing an independent media to develop or political opposition. Nevertheless, even piecemeal changes should not be dismissed out of hand, particularly given Turkmenbashi’s legacy.

So, in mid-January the Turkmen State Information Agency reported that Berdymukhammedov had met with “representatives of the creative intelligentsia of the country”. Whilst the President’s complaints about journalists not recognising that Turkmenistan has entered a “new stage of development” and assertion that “the media should reflect the stability that reigns in all spheres of state and civic life” seemed to suggest that major change is still not on the cards, the was some good news:

“It is disappointing,” continued the Head of State, “that there are no good cinemas in Ashgabat. Today the cinemas Vatan, Gurbansoltan Edje, and others are not being used for their direct purpose and are in need of major repairs.” In connection with this the Nation’s Leader proposed repairing and modernising the existing buildings, as well as building a new cinema in the capital that would meet all contemporary standards.

The President of Turkmenistan also spoke in favour of the rejuvenation of national opera and attracting well-known national specialists to work in this area of musical art. “Of course, it will require a certain amount of time, but I believe,” said Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, “that as rapidly as in the next few months Turkmen audiences will see the first opera production”.

Good news in theory, but at this stage no more than words. The news, therefore, on January 30, that Berdymukhammedov had gone ahead and lifted the ban on opera and theatre in the republic, was very welcome, as Bruce Pannier of RFE/RL reports, quoting the reactions of Turkmen artists:

Mommak Kuly, a Turkmen artist who now lives in Germany, tells RFE/RL’s Turkmen Service he hopes Berdymukhammedov’s decision will bring performing artists back to Turkmenistan.

“We are so glad about the news that the ban on opera, ballet, and circus has been lifted,” Kuly says. “I hope that former theater performers will come back to the theater. It was not good to say that our people didn’t understand opera or ballet and ban these arts. It is very important to let the people understand [these things.] This is an art and a culture that help the world understand the nation.”

The announcement of the return of the performing arts was also good news to Akmukhammet Saparov, a well-known singer and composer, who stayed in Turkmenistan despite the fact he was officially unable to perform.

“Like other artistic workers, I continued my work as a singer and composer, without ’turning either to the right or to the left,’” Saparov says. “I have been giving concerts to the people, creating songs, and composing music; helping the [young] singers and musicians who need my assistance.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, I’m tempted to sound a note of caution, or to least wait and see what happens before letting myself feel too optimistic. On the other hand, Laszlo Tenke’s initial comment on Steve LeVine’s somewhat irreverent post on the news, entitled “Turkmenistan Starts to De-Bizarre: Libraries Legalized” is well worth considering:

Berdymukhamedov has just announced that Turkmenistan needs a new ideology. He suggested the new one should be “the state is for the people”. Implicit is the statement that it’s shouldn’t be the other way around. The West now has the choice: it can either be a perfectionist and doubt that call for a change. Or give the Turkmen president the benefit of the doubt and support him. If you are willing to bet on the late Bhutto or even Musharraf, you should definitely bet on Berdymukhamedov.

As the subsequent debate in the comments on the post show, attitudes to the news are ambivalent, with people unsure of its significance and how much weight it should be given in light of more negative reporting on the republic. Commentator Per, or example, points readers to a gazeta.kz article about gas politics and a Eurasianet piece on restrictions on personal satellite dishes (also covered at the start of December by Abdul on the Russian blog) as evidence that one should not read much into it overall, while Natalia Antelava’s BBC article “Fresh Optimism in Turkmenistan” suggests a more upbeat assessment may be in order.

My verdict? Wait and see; actions speak louder than words, as they say.