24 July 2017, 12:52
Balagov's statement about Kabardian identity provokes users of social networks
Adyg people have criticized the statement of film director Kantemir Balagov, according to which he does not consider himself to be a Kabardian, although he is a representative of this nationality.
The film "Squeeze" (Tesnota) directed by Kantemir Balagov, a pupil of Alexander Sokurov, won the main prize in the second most important contest programme of the Cannes Film Festival "Special Look".
According to Kantemir Balagov, his parents are Kabardians, but he "has no attachment to the Kabardian culture."
"I do not even know the Kabardian language," the film director said in his interview to the newspaper "Kommersant".
When asked why he was making a film about how tight people feel in national traditions, Kantemir Balagov replied: "Because such squeeze is inside everyone who grew up in the Caucasus."
Adygs (or Circassians) is the common name of a single nation in Russia and abroad, divided into Kabardians, Circassians, and Adygs.
In Kabardino-Balkaria, everyone was happy about the Kantemir Balagov's victory at film festivals. This was noted in Facebook by Olga Malbakhova, a journalist from Nalchik. According to her story, the film director "managed to poison the minds of the followers of the Adyg culture against himself."
In his comments to the record, Djabrail Taisaev points to the youth of Kantemir Balagov and believes that over the years the film director's attitude may change.
Victor Morozov notes that Kantemir Balagov showed lack of tact and patriotic education.
A user with the nickname Ashamaz Shomakho has claimed that there are a lot of people in Nalchik, who are, like Kantemir Balagov, "do not know their native language and do not feel connection with their people."
Another dispute arose around the Kantemir Balagov's story about interethnic conflicts in Nalchik at the time of his childhood, "constant insults on the national ground, fights between Russians and Kabardians, Kabardians and Balkars."
Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.
