07:51, 7 March 2019

Russian Vice-Premier speaks out in defence of Dagestani traditions

Residents of Dagestan and other regions have the right to rely on their local traditions and beliefs when evaluating works of art, said Vitaly Mutko, Russian Vice-Premier, after disputes about the relevance of the play "The Hunt for Men" staged in Makhachkala.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that "fighters for morality," including the MMA fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov, criticized the play "The Hunt for Men" staged in Makhachkala. The producer of the play and the actor Ivan Zhidkov apologized to residents of the republic, noting that actors were receiving threats in social networks. The organizers of the performance also brought apologies.

"There is a republic with certain traditions and way of life, which has its moral authorities. No one should dictate anything to them," the TASS quotes Mr Mutko as saying.

Scandals around cultural events in Dagestan are forcing performers to change their programmes, said Evgeny Kulikov, the director general of the "Art Plus" concert company.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the presenter of the "Imamat of Dagestan" page on Instagram was suspected of extremism after calls to disrupt the anime festival and Yegor Kreed's concert in Makhachkala.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 6, 2018 at 10:23 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.