The social media offensive against Turkmenistan's “detractors”

The Berdymukhamedov government is mobilising to counter “foreign centres of ideological sabotage” which, in its view, are fuelling protests. Public officials will have to go door to door in villages to gather stories about how well people live in the country. They will be accompanied by artists who will demonstrate their skills by singing or playing traditional instruments.

Ashgabat (AsiaNews) - The Turkmenistan state authorities have decided to mobilise artists and cultural operators to counter “foreign centres of ideological sabotage”, as independent media are called by the country's security services, in the Soviet mould of the 20th century.

In recent days, a directive from the presidential apparatus was sent to all regional administrations, describing the scenarios and methods for developing content and video messages to be disseminated on social networks.

The publication of these guidelines was particularly evident in the velayat of Mari, where Governor Begenchmyrat Orazov held a meeting with the heads of all local bodies linked to the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of National Security, the public prosecutor's office, and agricultural, civic and provincial associations in the field of culture.

All operators were tasked with meeting with villagers, those involved in cotton and wheat harvesting, gardeners and horticulturists, weavers, artisans and producers of traditional and artistic objects.

Those who have tidy homes and clean yards will be met at their homes, while those who are “unpresentable” will be gathered in the fields and vegetable gardens, and the meetings must be filmed, with interviews recorded on mobile phones.

The inhabitants of villages and rural areas will have to talk about their abundant earnings, which are sufficient not only to live on but also to accumulate reserves.

The sums involved will have to be indicated according to the exchange rate of the manat prior to devaluation, i.e. in millions, since the majority of the population still calculates according to the old exchange rate, whereas the new rate is now 1 new manat = 5,000 old manat.

The videos will need to express support for the policies of Berdymukhamedov, father and son, who lead the country. Cultural operators may add to these statements demonstrations of their artistic abilities, singing or playing traditional national instruments, or reciting poems by the president-father Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov or the national poet Makhtumkuli.

Those responsible for these propaganda initiatives will then have to report on their work to the management of the corresponding agricultural organisation, showing the recordings, which will then be taken by the managers to the governors' offices for approval.

No daily allowances or extraordinary payments are planned for field recording operations, “the regular salary is sufficient”, assured Khokim Orazov during the meeting. As reported by correspondents from Khroniki Turkmenistana, the same instructions have been given in all regions of Turkmenistan.

No decision has yet been made on the translation of the video messages into foreign languages, but it is thought that broadcasting them only in Turkmen will not have a truly convincing effect in forming a positive image of the country internationally. Turkmen migrants are well aware of the real conditions in their country, which is why they left.

The propaganda campaign was particularly urged after the events of World Bicycle Day, with demonstrations that caused many people to fall ill due to temperatures exceeding 40 degrees and completely blocked traffic in the capital Ashgabat, causing much discontent and protests posted on websites and social networks, where material relating to the many social problems in Turkmenistan that are never resolved is often disseminated. Now, at least, they want to refute them with words and images.