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Common Words and Great Artworks, Russian Censors See Politics Everywhere
There will be no pots of gold waiting for Russians at the end of the rainbow. Russia, in its war against sanity, now finds this magical word to be too offensive for the tender eyes of its citizenry. “Rainbow” is being purged from common usage and display because ignorance is all the rage in Russian society today.
A St. Petersburg theater festival formerly known as the Rainbow Festival has changed its name to the International Theater Festival. The festival, which has run since 2000, aims to attract new theater productions and directors for young people. In the past, the festival has attracted theater groups from the U.S., Great Britain, and Germany (Theater Festival Is Renamed).
If you haven’t heard, Russians are now informing on their fellow citizens for speaking critically of the country’s czar, Vladimir Putin. It makes me wonder what happens when some small village school, or summer camp, tries to do something nice for the kids and comes up with an artistic self-expression exhibition called called “Rainbow Days.” The uninformed, well-intentioned woman hangs the banner announcing the small festival. Will she be pilloried by her village neighbors? Arrested?
