Volga Boatman Episode 6: Volgagrad
Volgagrad, formerly Stalingrad, the site of the bloodiest battle of all time, was a sombre note on which to end my excursion down the Volga. In the Soviet memorial on Mamayev Kurgan hill, I watched the changing of the guard, the most awe-inspiring military ceremony I’ve ever seen. The hall was silent for minutes as the soldiers slowly marched the circular route:
The procession left one of its members in the upper guardpost, where the young soldier stood Buckhingham-palace guard still even as rivers of sweat ran down his face, a testament to the physical demands and utter solemnity of the “smena karaula.”
I later learned the ceremony is designed this way to recall the suffering of those who fought on this ground. Upwards of 2 million soldiers died in Stalingrad, according to estimates, and the city was almost completely leveled in the half-year of fighting. The conflict deposited so much metal and debris in the ground, to this day nothing will grow on patches of bare earth in the city.
It wouldn’t be a Russian monument without a gratuitously large eternal flame, but in this instance it seems only appropriate, given the magnitude of the events that proceeded where today tourists snap photos …
"Мать-Родина зовёт!" ("The Motherland calls!") crowns the crest of Mamayev Kurgan. At 279 feet, it was at one time the tallest statue in the world. The Statue of Liberty, by comparison, is 151 feet.
Наш экскурсовод.
A "hip-hop" action figure on sale outside the train station. Central Asian complexion is as dark as skin color usually gets in Russia, and Russians have a habit of calling blacks the n-word.
October 22, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Regarding Russians and the “n-word”…it doesn’t have the same pejorative meaning to them. They get it from the French for “black.”
Btw…this is Inna from the Florence trip.
Thanks for keeping your blog…it’s fascinating. I especially enjoy the stories of kids being locked in with tear gas. Of course…I keep hoping you’re making stuff like that up, but I have to remind myself that you’re probably not…
October 24, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Good to hear from you, Inna. Unfortunately, it’s not just the result of an active imagination. Story of life in Russia.
Of course, the photo in this post makes the same point — the “n-word” doesn’t have the same pejorative meaning to Russians. But I don’t think we can only point to the French influence. Far more visible in Russia these days is American hip-hop culture: the rap tracks they play in the clubs, the Snoop Dogg concert ($200 for the cheapest seat) last month. And when these artists are dropping “nigger” like no big deal, it only reinforces its use.
In this context, you have to admit we Americans have a pretty complicated and nuanced relationship with this word ourselves.