by Rustem YUNUSOV4 June — Rustam Minnikha‑

nov may have been appointed by former‑President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev, but the Pres‑ident of Tatarstan will have to participate in elections in spring of 2014 to keep his post for a second term.

The Tatarsatn State Council passed the first reading of a law reinstating elections for the head

of the republic in a session on 28 May. The law was passed in re‑sponse to a law President Med‑vedev signed in his final days of office on 2 May, reinstating elec‑tions for regional governors and presidents.

Since 2004, regional heads were appointed directly by the President of Russia.

by Wyatt FORD24 May — After two weeks of

speculation and anticipation, President of Russia Vladimir Putin finally announced the composi‑tion of his new cabinet on 21 May.

President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov was not among the names on the list, despite previ‑ous rumors suggesting that he might be. As was expected, how‑ever, Tatarstan Minister of Infor‑mation and Communication and Deputy Prime Minister Nikolai Ni‑kiforov was summoned to Mos‑cow to take charge of the Minis‑try of Communications and Press of Russia.

Nikiforov has paved a quick and celebrated path to success. Just 29, he has already build a name and reputation for himself strong enough to become the youngest ever minister in the his‑tory of the Russian Federation.

Nikiforov began work imme‑diately the next day after the an‑nouncement, issuing an open invitation via his Twitter account (@nnikiforov) for suggestions on what questions he should priori‑tize as he takes over the minstry. Thirty‑nine suggestions submit‑ted via Twitter were retweeted by

Nikiforov, who yesterday thanked everyone for their suggestions. “Feedback is very important,” he noted.

The familiarity and fluency with new techologies demonstrated through this exchange played a big part in helping the young bu‑reaucrat from Tatarstan become Minister.

From his childhood, Nikiforov was fond of everything IT. In school, he always came in first place in Information competitions. In 10th grade, he won a spot in “Baytik,” a camp for programmers with a unique website creation project. As a student of Kazan State University he was promoted to deputy director of Kazan Por‑tal, one of the first websites of its kind on the local market. At that time, he was noticed by the gov‑ernment and offered the oppor‑tunity to develop electronic gov‑ernment services. Nikiforov ac‑cepted the offer, becoming head of the Center of Information Tech‑nologies of Tatarstan.

As head of the center, Nikifo‑rov lead a team of 16 people to study examples of electronic pub‑lic services and inter‑agency elec‑

June 8, 2012 No. 6 (24)The Kazan Herald

Tatarstan’s first and only English newspaper

www.kazanherald.com

In this Issue...

Continued on page 2

Continued on page 2

At 29, Nikiforov Becomes RussianCommunications Minister

by Robert MAY30 May — Less than two

months after resigning from the post of Tatarstan Minister of In‑terior in the midst of the Dalny police scandal, Asgat Safarov has been appointed and confirmed as a Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan.

President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov signed the order ap‑pointing Safarov to the position on 28 May. That same day, Min‑nikhanov also appointed Roman Shaykhutdinov as Tatarstan Min‑ister of Information and Commu‑nication and Ravil Zaripov as Dep‑uty Prime Minister, in addition to being Tatarstan Minister of Indus‑try and Trade.

As one of six Deputy Prime Ministers of Tatarstan, Safarov’s main responsibility will be over‑seeing law enforcement, particu‑larly leading up to and during the 2013 Summer Universiade.

On his first official day on the job, Safarov held a meeting about the security measures being put into place in preparation for the games, promising that such meet‑ings would become commonplace as next year’s opening ceremo‑nies draw closer.

Safarov brings to the job a career of experience in law en‑forcement, including 14 years as Tatarstan Minister of Interior, but he also brings a reputation tar‑nished after Kazan citizen Sergei Nazarov died on 10 March, al‑legedly after having been beaten and sodomized with a cham‑pagne bottle by police officers of Kazan’s Dalny police station. The scandal put Tatarstan’s law en‑forcement under national and international scrutiny, prompting other citizens to come forward with complaints of police brutal‑ity. In response, the authorities sacked nine officers at Dalny po‑lice station and promised a sweeping review and reform of police procedure.

Less than a month after the death of Sergei Nazarov, Safarov resigned, publicly apologizing and stating that he was “ready to face any punishment.”

Before being confirmed two days ago, Safarov had been act‑ing as Deputy Prime Minister since 16 May, when former Ta‑tarstan Deputy Prime Minister Zilya Valeeva stepped down to become director of the Kazan Kremlin.

Now Deputy PM, Safarov In Charge of Universiade Security

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Nikolai Nikiforov, shown here in IT Park.

Elections For the Tatarstan Presidency Reinstated

Tatarstan State Council Speaker Farid Mukhametshin during the 28 May session of the State Council.

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Tatarstan Officials To Matriculate From Colorado State MBA Program

BuSiNESS · Page 3

TIDA Hosts KazanSummit 2012

Tatarstan Eliminates Share of Profit Tax in Alabuga SEZ

SPortS · Page 4

Rubin Ends Season Well

Rubin Kazan Wins Russian Cup, Qualifies For Europa League

EducatioN · Page 5Tatarstan English Teachers Attend Technology Workshop

Faculty Academics Discuss Pressing Issues of English Teaching

Last Bell, But Not the Last

oPiNioN · Pages 6

Ribbons in Hand, Faithful For a Brighter Future

Falling for Söyembike

Do You Speak Tatar?

touriSm · Pages 7Rural Tourism in Tatarstan

The Terrace

artS · Pages 8

The Gates of Rai, Ermitazh Close Forever

City Guide

� June 8, 2012 No. 6 (24) The Kazan Herald �June 8, 2012 No. 6 (24)The Kazan Herald

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At 29, Nikiforov Becomes RussianCommunications Ministertronic document exchange in foreign countries. Concluding that no exist‑ing system was suitable for Russia, his team set out to develop the sys‑tem and technology starting from scratch.

The first prototype was based on the Windows platform and was simple to use. According to some sources, Nikiforov’s early success earned him offers to high positions in the federal center of Moscow, but the leadership of Tatarstan always found reasons for him to stay in Kazan. In 2010, Nikfo‑rov became deputy to then Prime Minister Rustam Minnikhanov and Tatarstan Minister of Information and Communication — again, the young‑est ever person appointed to such a post.

As Minister, Nikiforov was able to fully implement the electronic public service system he had a hand in de‑veloping. In 2011, the system provid‑ed a total of 10.5 million different ser‑vices. Some 98 different operations — for example, paying traffic tickets — can be completed via the electronic system.

Another achievement of Nikiforov as Minister was the introduction of electronic document exchange. The system he helped pioneer is now

(Continued from page 1)

by Wyatt FORD29 May — In an apparent move

to increase the investment attrac‑tiveness of the Alabuga Special Economic Zone (SEZ), the Re‑public of Tatarstan has decided to do away with its share of the profit tax levied on companies registered in the zone.

Alabuga SEZ residents cur‑rently pay a 15.5% tax on profit, 2% of which goes to the federal budget, 13.5% to the republic.

Effective at the beginning of 2013, Tatarstan will not collect profit tax from Alabuga SEZ resi‑dents during their first five years in the zone, making for an effec‑tive profit tax of 2%. From year five to year 10 of residency, Ta‑tarstan will collect 5% of profits, making the effective profit tax 7%. After year 10 of residency, Ta‑tarstan will resume collecting 13.5% on profit.

Compared to the 20 per cent profit tax rate levied on compa‑nies not operating in the econom‑

ic zone, the new law will make Alabuga SEZ residency even more appealing.

The decision was reached during a recent State Council ses‑sion, and makes the zone “com‑petitive on a global level,” Alabu‑ga SEZ General Director Timur Shagivaleev said in a statement released yesterday. On 10 May, President Rustam Minnikhanov doubled the size of Alabuga SEZ, adding a second 1,000 heactre area.

Companies already registered in Alabuga SEZ will be taxed based upon the number of years they have been operating following the same guidelines, according to the Alabuga SEZ Press Serivce.

Tatarstan’s move come less than half a year after neighboring Republic of Bashkortostan an‑nounced a program underwhich approved foreign companies would be exempt from tax on profits.

The decision is “a great move” according to Jonathan

Tatarstan Eliminates Share of Profit Tax in Alabuga SEZ

The customs checkpoint at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone. Photograph courtesy of Alabuga SEZ Press Service.

9 May — Among the Colorado State University MBA students who will sit final exams this week will be nine “high‑ranking” government of‑ficials and businessmen from Ta‑tarstan and Moscow.

According to a Colorado State University press release, the nine of‑ficials were hand‑picked by President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov to participate in a special MBA program focusing on leadership and public service. The three‑year MBA program was custom designed for the Tatarstan students and included online and in‑person components.

The press release lists only seven of the MBA students by name:

Marat Fayzrakhmanov, First Dep‑uty Minister of Finance; Yana Stoya‑

nova, Marketing Manager at Tech‑nopolis Himgrad Industrial Park; Artur Khayrullin, CFO of Svyazinvestneft‑ekhim; Iskander Muflikhanov, Direc‑tor of Tatarstan’s Presidential Depart‑ment of Foreign Affairs; Rinat Sabirov, Tatarstan Presidential aide in the oil and gas sector; Ramil Gayzatullin, Head of the Tatarstan Social Secu‑rity Fund; and Elena Zyabbarova, Moscow Deputy Director of Fi‑nance.

A photograph published with the press release also shows Igor Nosov, Tatarstan’s former First Deputy Min‑ister of Trade and Industry, as one of the students.

Besides sitting final exams and participating in graduation, the Ta‑tarstan delegation are also scheduled

to meet with Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, representatives from the Colorado Office of Economic De‑velopment, and Advanced Energy, a power and energy conversion com‑pany.

Tatarstan officials To Matriculate From Colorado State MBA Program

Photograph including the nine MBA participants published with a press release by Colorado State University.

Fianu, Managing Partner of PPP Local, a Russio‑British consul‑tancy firm operating in Ta‑tarstan.

“The economic zone was al‑ready quite attractive, and now they are improving it even more

so,” said Fianu in comments to The Kazan Herald. “I think it is go‑ing to get to the stage when Al‑abuga SEZ is the number one economic zone in Russia. With this kind of move, it is just cement‑ing that position.”

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widely used within the Tatarstan gov‑ernment. In fact, the system is reput‑edly so impressive that the City of Moscow has ordered its staff to de‑velop a similar system.

Finally, Nikiforov has been given credit for is Kazan’s IT Park. Con‑struction of the park began before he was appointed minister, but Niki‑forov had a hand in initiating the proj‑ect from the onset. Tatarstan was one of the first regions of Russia to take advantage of this federal program,

which saw a joint investment of 2.9 billion rubles ($91.3 million) from the federal and republic budget. Build‑ing off of the success of the Kazan IT Park, a second one was opened in Naberezhnye Chelny this year, and Tatarstan is now pursuing plans to build an entire IT city on the outskirts of Kazan. Called Innopolis, the city would be built for a capacity of 150,000 residents, in hopes that it would become an analogue of Amer‑ica’s Silicon Valley.

The Tatarstan bill, which came into force on 1 June, was introduced by President Minnikhanov himself. In ad‑dition to reinstating direct elections, the law also repealed some of the pow‑ers the President of Tatarstan is grant‑ed in the Tatarstan Constitution.

During the same session, the first reading of a law amending Tatarstan electoral law to bring it into compli‑ance with federal law was also held.

According to the newest Elector‑al Law of Tatarstan, candidates for the presidency must be 30 years old, nominated by existing political par‑ties, and receive the support of five per cent of elected municipal depu‑

ties or municipal heads. Consistent with federal law, the Presidential term in Tatarstan is five years, and one per‑son may be President of Tatarstan for two consecutive terms.

During the State Council ses‑sion, Communist Party faction lead‑er Hafiz Mirgalimov objected to an

amendment that excludes non‑par‑ty candidates from being eligible to participate in the elections, promising to fight to allow self‑nom‑inated candidates to participate during the amendment’s second reading.

In reply, State Council Speaker Farid Mukhametshin stated that po‑litical parties were more than welcome to nominate such candidates as their own candidate.

The next elections for President of Tatarstan will occur in the spring of 2014, when President Minnikha‑nov’s term ends. His current term is only four years long, as he was ap‑pointed before the term lengths were extended to five years.

Elections For the Tatarstan Presidency Reinstated(Continued from page 1)

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TIDA hosts KazanSummit 2012

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From left to right: Artem Avetisyan, Director of New Business for the Agency for Strategic Initiatives; President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov; and Kirill Dmitriev, CEo of the Russian Direct Investment Fund.

Abdullah Ahmed Al Saleh, Undersecretary of the UAE Minister of Foreign Trade.

by Leyla YAkUpOVA25 May — Nearly one thou‑

sand different investors, business‑men, and visitors hailing from at least 30 different countries de‑scended on Pyramida Convention Hall and Mirage Hotel from 17 May to 18 May to take part in Kazan Summit, the IV International Is‑lamic Summit on Economic Co‑operation of Russia and Countries of the Organisation of Islamic Co‑operation (OIC).

Hosted by the Tatarstan In‑vestment Development Agency (TIDA) and the Islamic Business and Finance Development Foun‑dation with support from the Gov‑ernment of the Republic of Ta‑tarstan and the Council of Fed‑eration of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the two‑day summit featured a packed schedule including the Stategy Forum, the Investment Forum, the Islamic Economics & Finance Conference, a parliamentary dia‑logue on establishing a more fa‑vorable business and investment climate throughout the Islamic world, and a series of roundtables, ranging from the coverage to of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the press to a discussion of in‑tercivilizational dialogue.

The Stategy Forum was Kazan Summit’s de facto plenary ses‑sion, featuring remarks from the likes of Linar Yakupov, Chief Ex‑ecutive of TIDA; President of Ta‑tarstan Rustam Minnikhanov and Prime Minister of Tatarstan Ildar Khalikov; Ilyas Umakhanov, Dep‑uty Chairman of the Federal Coun‑cil of the Federal Assembly of Russia; Hameed Opoloyeru, As‑sistant Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Coopera‑tion; Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, and Abdullah Ahmed Al Saleh,

Undersecretary of the UAE Min‑ister of Foreign Trade.

The Strategy Forum was host‑ed by Wyatt Ford, Deputy Editor of The Kazan Herald.

During his remarks, President Minnikhanov noted that Kazan Summit had become “a good tra‑dition” over the past four years. “Experience has show that par‑ticipation is usueful for compa‑nies that are just starting to con‑duct their activities in Russia and are currently choosing an effec‑tive investment platform,” he said, “as well as for the companies that already have experience of in‑vesting in international capital markets.

As in years past, this year’s Kazan Summit featured academ‑ic discussion of Islamic finance principles and instruments. How‑ever, the distinguishing feature of this year’s summit was perhaps the calibre of agreements that

were signed. On 17 May, Russian Direct Investment Fund CEO Kirill Dmitriev was presented with five capital‑intensive investment proj‑ects, ranging from increasing the productivity of a sugar beet pro‑cessing plant to the merger and expansion of Tatarstan Airlines and Ak Bars Aero, to the develop‑ment of a special economic zone for Small and Medium Enterpris‑es in the City of Yelabuga.

Without singling out any of these or the nearly 100 other proj‑ects presented at Kazan Summit, Dmitriev signed an agreement with TIDA and the Agency for Stra‑tegic Initiatives promising to pro‑vide up to 31 billion rubles ($1 billion) worth of financial support for at least seven investment proj‑ects in Tatarstan by the end of this year.

The closing ceremony of Day 2 of the forum also saw the sign‑ing of three memoranda of un‑

derstanding. First, one between TIDA, the Kolon Corporation, and RariTEK; second, between TIDA and the World Association of As‑sistance to Tatar Businessmen; and third, a memorandu of un‑derstanding between TIDA and Amanah Capital Group, Straits Engineering Consulting, and AGM Planning and Urban Design Group regarding the realization of Smart City, an initiative to build a world‑class conference and business center near Kazan International Airport.

In an interview with AmilinTV1 after signing the memorandum, CEO of Amanah Capital Group Abas Bad Jalil explained that they had received a green light from the Presidant of Tatarstan to move forward in an advisory role with Smart City and stated that the target deadline for the project would be the 2018 World Cup, which will be hosted by Russia.

� June 8, 2012 No. 6 (24) The Kazan Herald �June 8, 2012 No. 6 (24)The Kazan HeraldSPortS EducatioN

by Marius HUBERRUBIN KAZAN 3CSKA MoSCWo 1KAZAN, 14 May — In this last

game of this very long season (44 instead of 30 games), Rubin Ka‑zan welcomed CSKA Moscow in their home Tsentralnyj Stadion. Since Rubin qualified through their win in the Russian Cup for the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Champions League start‑ing places were out of range, the match did not have an actual meaning for the home team. The situation for CSKA Moscow, how‑ever, was a different one: they needed to collect points in order to keep hold of second place, which allows them to take part in the qualifying round of the Cham‑pions League. Going into yester‑day’s match, Spartak and Dinamo still were within range of CSKA in the standings.

Rubin coach Kurban Berdyev did not put out a team full of re‑servists: the line‑up was almost the same as last Wednesday in Yekaterinburg, when Rubin was playing for the Cup. Only Kuzmin, Valdez and Dyadyun found them‑selves on the bench, replaced by Kaleshin, Bocchetti and Davydov. Correspondingly, Rubin played with only one forward, while Boc‑chetti was playing as a defensive midfielder between the defense line and the usual central line.

Even so, it was mostly Rubin putting pressure on their oppo‑nents’ defense, with Natkho, Davydov, and Ryazantsev test‑ing CSKA keeper Akinfeev with more or less dangerous shots. At one point, Karadeniz — who, as always, played actively — fell within Moscow’s penalty box, but the referee made the right decision, having seen that Alek‑sey Berezutskij first hit the ball and only then touched the Turk‑ish winger.

The team from the capital had their first opportunity when Oliseh

Rubin Ends Season Well, Bumping CSKA Into Third Place

Rank Team Games pl. Won Draw Lost Goals Points1. Zenit Saint Petersburg1 44 24 16 4 85:40 882. Spartak Moscow2 44 21 12 11 68:48 753. CSKA Moscow3 44 19 16 9 72:47 734. Dinamo Moscow4 44 20 12 12 66:45 725. Anzhi Makhachkala5 44 19 13 12 54:42 706. Rubin Kazan6 44 17 17 10 55:41 687. Lokomotiv Moscow 44 18 12 14 59:48 668. Kuban Krasnodar 44 15 15 13 50:45 61

1 UEFA Champions League group stage, 2 UEFA Champions League 3rd qualifying round, 3 UEFA Europa League 4th qualifying round ,4 UEFA Europa League 3rd qualifying round, 5 UEFA Europa League 2nd qualifying round, 6 UEFA Eu‑ropa League 4th qualifying round (Cup winner)

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who had to act, sending Czech forward Necid to replace defen‑sive midfielder Wernbloom. In the 66th minute, however, it was Rubin almost taking the lead: Eremenko dribbled around Akin‑feev and sent the ball to Natkho, who managed to shoot the ball to Schennikov’s leg instead of sending it into the almost‑emp‑ty goal. In the following minutes Natkho had two more chances when he twice missed the ball only by a few centimeters while gliding towards it. Nothing seemed to frustrate the Rubin offensive, however, as Karad‑eniz, playing together with Ansal‑di on their left flank, was a con‑

by Marius HUBERRUBIN KAZAN 1DINAMo MoSCoW 0KAZAN, 10 May — Yesterday’s

Victory Day really turned out to bring a very important victory to Rubin Kazan, who won the final match of the Russian Cup 1‑0 against Dinamo Moscow.

Yesterday’s match was the second time Rubin played in the cup’s final, the first time resulting in a 0‑1 loss against CSKA Mos‑cow in 2009. The decisive game was won in Yekaterinburg in a sold‑out Tsentralny Stadion (Cen‑tral Stadium).

To be honest, the game was not of the highest quality. The Dinamo side played surprisingly passively, forcing Rubin to take the initiative, not the preferred style of playing for a team that scores goals on counterattacks built off of a solid defense line. This time, however, it was Dinamo who played with two lines of de‑fenders. The Moscow side cre‑ated only one chance in the first half, a nonthreatening shot by

Misimović directly into Ryzhikov’s hands, but Rubin also had trouble breaking through Moscow’s sol‑id defense.

Rubin settled down into their offensive game in the second half, with their attacks becoming more frequent. Still, due to Dinamo’s dense defense, they mostly man‑aged to get off only long‑range shots. Finally, in the 78th minute, one of these long‑range shots from 30 meters out by Kazan mid‑fielder Eremenko snuck into the far, low corner of the goal past Dinamo keeper Shunin, giving Rubin the lead.

Rubin’s goal came with a bit more than 15 minutes left to go in the match, but it was somehow clear that the game was already over. Dinamo was unable to mus‑ter up the strength to bounce back yesterday, and the referee finally blew the inevitable whistle after 95 minutes of football.

The match’s outcome of course gives Rubin the Russian Cup, but it also has three more important implications. First, Din‑

amo continues a six‑year long streak in which they have not won against Rubin. More importantly, Rubin’s win in part makes up for their very unsatisfying season, as it qualifies them for UEFA Eu‑ropa Leauge play. Last but not least, Moscow fans managed to make it onto the pitch after the match, trying to disrupt the awards ceremony and perhaps revealing that Russian police are not quite ready for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Dinamo Moscow — Rubin Kazan 0‑1 (0‑0)

Tsentralnyj Stadion Yekater‑inburg, 27,000 spectators

Goal: 78’ EremenkoDinamo: Shunin; Shitov (62’

Epureanu), Fernández, Rykov, Granat; Semshov; Samedov, Dz‑sudzsák; Misimović (82’ Kokorin); Voronin, Kuranyi

Rubin: Ryzhikov; Kuzmin, Na‑vas, Sharonov, Ansaldi; Ryazant‑sev, Natkho, Eremenko, Karad‑eniz (90’+5’ Bystrov); Dyadyun (87’ Bocchetti), Valdez (90’ Davy‑dov)

Rubin Kazan Wins Russian Cup, Qualifies For Europa League

by Rifat GAFUROVMore than one hundred Eng‑

lish teachers from Tatarstan par‑ticipated in a republic‑wide in‑ser‑vice English teacher development workshop titled “Technologies in Educ@tion” on 18 May.

The workshop was organized by the Tatar Association of Teach‑ers of English as a Foreign Lan‑guage (TATEFL) and Lyceum No. 2 in the City of Kazan.

The workshop’s rich program included three presenters. Gavin Dudeney, Guest speaker and Di‑rector of Technology at Consul‑tants‑E, made an interactive pre‑

Tatarstan English Teachers Attend Technology Workshop

olga Barnashova, Senior Projects & Partnerships Manager of the British Council Russia, speaking at the workshop.

by Guzel TiMiRBAEVAOn 17 May, Kazan National

Research Technological Uni‑versity hosted the 1st Interna‑tional Higher Education Con‑ference, entitled “ESP/EAP in Context of Internationalizing Higher Education: Trends and Challenges.” The conference was organized by the Tatar As‑sociation of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (TATEFL) and RELOD.

About a hundred faculty aca‑demics, officials of international offices of higher education insti‑tutions and those just interested in ESP and EAP participated in the event. The aim of the confer‑ence was to discuss such critical issues as international links and partnerships, dual degree pro‑grammes, academic faculty ex‑change. The conference began with welcoming remarks from Ly‑ubov Ovsienko, Vice‑Rector for Continuing Education at KNRTU, and Ilnur Minakhmetov, President of TATEFL.

The conference program in‑cluded discussion of teaching ESP/EAP in universities, content and language integrated learning (CLIL), English‑language solu‑tions for Academics, Internation‑al English Exams and their role in the ESP curriculum, Internation‑alizing Higher Education, the use of ICT, and developing and sus‑taining higher education partner‑ships.

Christian Duncumb, Deputy Director of British Council Rus‑sia, dealt with internationalizing higher education, a topical sub‑ject as global trends towards in‑creasing internationalization have accelerated over the past few years. Professors of the hosting university (Julia Ziyatdinova, El‑vira Valeeva, Guzel Timirbaeva, and Artem Bezrukov) covered a wide range of issues, speaking about the internationalization of infrastructure and international integration of Kazan National Re‑search Technological University, ESP/EAP for Master’Degree and

Ph.D. Degree students, and Eng‑lish for academics.

Billed as an international con‑ference, the event did not disap‑point, as there were several foreign guests. How to bring “immersion” into Tatarstan was explored by Jo‑seluis Gomez‑Rodriguez, VP In‑ternational Market Development KIOSK INTERNATIONAL COL‑LEGE/School of English & Lan‑guage Center Toronto.

Gavin Dudeney, Director of Technology the Consultant‑E, introduced digital literacies, which now are considered to be as essential to every person as the traditional 3 R’s (Reading, Writing, Arithmetic) literacy. Dig‑ital literacy proved to be very useful during the next presenta‑tion as it was delivered online and there were some technical diffi‑culties but despite that Richard West was perfect, as usual, mak‑ing his presentation about new trends in ESP. West also intro‑duced the term “metodichka” into English, which means teach‑

ing materials for ESP students based on texts.

Presentations of representa‑tives of other higher education institution were rather diverse. Farhad Fatkullin, Lecturer of Ka‑zan Federal University (KFU) and Tatarstan Presidential Adminis‑tration State Protocol Department officer, spoke about the role of foreign languages as a medium for running secondary and high‑er education programmes in Rus‑sia. Nearly everyone was fasci‑nated by his command of English. Alla Soluyanova, Head of ELT De‑partment Macmillan Russia, talk‑ed about the specific features of IELTS and some basic principles of designing an exam preparation course and its relevance it rems of teaching academic skills. Olga Akimova, Associate Professor of KFU, revealed how useful ESOL examinations can be in ESP/EAP. When Olga Poroshenko, Head of International Office of KSUAE, started to speak, some attendees got ready to write down as she

described step‑by‑step the pro‑cedure of arranging double de‑gree programm. Such programs are conducted by KSUAE and the University of East London.

During the panel discussion, participants of the conference came to the conclusion that such conferences were essential, both for faculty academics and officials of higher education institutions. Participants also concluded that the first conference had been particularly interesting and suc‑cessful. The luckiest attendees left the event not only with cer‑tificates but with excellent books they had won in a lottery orga‑nized by RELOD.

Faculty Academics Discuss Pressing Issues of English Teaching

For more photos of the event, visit their website, facebook.com/groups/tatefl/photos

by Artur kULikOVLast Bell, or the last day of

classes, is a traditional red‑let‑ter day in Russia. It is the day when all students of high schools hear their last bells and become graduates. Memory of this sig‑nificant day will stay with you for the rest of your life, since it is a cheerful and carefree pe‑riod in life.

Last Bell at Kazan Lyceum No. 2, a leading gifted school for boys that I attend, was no different. Weeks of preparation went into the event. The parents of almost every 11th grader came to watch an excellent concert prepared for them and their children.

A two‑hour concert with a wide range of performances included a speech by the headmaster and then

a national Georgian dance. Next came a tango played on accordi‑ons, then a song by the ninth‑grade chorus, then a rendition of Green Day’s “Little Girl” by the Lyceum’s band. The most touching song was sung by the graduates themselves. The second most moving as the Lyceum anthem, sung as an ode to the time spent there and leaving everyone in tears.

As I sat there and listned to the speeches and took in the at‑mosphere, I realized that my Ly‑ceum was like one big family for me, and that separating and mov‑ing on during life would be pain‑ful for everyone. The Last Bell will not be the last time we see each other again: I am certain that graduates and teachers alike will reamin friends, gathering one day

to recal the unforgettable time we spent there.

The author is a student in the 11th form at Lyceum No. 2.

Last Bell, But Not the Last

Students on stage at during the Last Bell ceremony.

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sent a sharp, low cross to Doumbia who, standing about seven meters in front of Ryzhikov, somehow managed not to score the first goal. Certainly a strange result from a forward who has already scored 28 goals this sea‑son, making him the best forward in Russia.

Stoppage time had already started when CSKA midfielder Wernbloom sent the ball with a far kick out of his own half to‑wards Honda, who ran fast enough to reach the ball before any Rubin player and sent it past Ryzhikov in the far angle, giving CSKA the lead.

Berdyev reacted in the break, replacing Kaleshin with Kuzmin and Davydov with Valdez, making the squad even more similar to the one of the Cup Final. The sec‑ond half started with Doumbia facing Ryzhikov in a one‑on‑one, but luckily Ryzhikov managing to poke the ball off the forward’s foot. In the following counter at‑tack Eremenko, who last Wednes‑day scored the winning goal, sent the ball with a long kick to Valdez, who was left alone with Akinfeev and scored the overdue equal‑izer. This goal was almost a copy of Honda’s goal in the first half.

With Rubin growing stronger now, it was CSKA coach Slutskij

stant threat to the CSKA de‑fense.

CSKA had a good chance to score their second goal when Necid saw his shot deflected by Ryzhikov. Then finally, In the 82nd minute, Rubin pulled ahead 2‑1. Kuzmin’s shot bounced off Akin‑feev’s leg to Karadeniz, who had no trouble heading the ball into the empty goal.

With the Kazan fans already celebrating, it got even better for them: five minutes later, it was again Karadeniz who en‑tered the Moscow side’s box and passed the ball with his heel behind his other leg to Eremen‑ko, who finished this very beau‑

tifully played combination and scored Rubin’s third goal. This was the last goal in the match and correspondingly Rubin’s last goal in this rather disap‑pointing season that somehow ended on a good note, what with the Russian cup and this victo‑ry. Because Lokomotiv Moscow lost to Spartak the same day, Rubin even outran the rail‑way‑team, taking 6th place. Meanwhile, CSKA lost their sec‑ond place to that very Spartak. Now, CSKA is only eligible to play in the Europa League, and Spartak will be able to try to qual i fy for the Champions League group stage.

Rubin Kazan — CSKA Mos‑cow 3:1 (0:1)

Tsentralnyj Stadion Kazan, 18,472 spectators

Goals: 45’ Honda 0:1, 47’ Valdez 1:1, 82’ Karadeniz 2:1, 87’ Eremenko 3:1

Rubin: Ryzhikov, Kaleshin (46’ Kuzmin), Sharonov, Navas, Ansal‑di; Bocchetti; Ryazantsev, Ere‑menko, Natkho, Karadeniz; Davy‑dov (46’ Valdez)

CSKA: Akinfeev; A. Bere‑zutskij, Ignashevich, Vasin, Schen‑nikov; Wernbloom (65’ Necid); Honda, Aldonin; Oliseh (80’ Musa), Doumbia, Tošić

Russian Champions League Standings

sentation entitled “Technology in the English Classroom — Some Practical Ideas.” Olga Barnash‑ova, Senior Projects & Partner‑ships Manager of the British Council Russia, spoke about BC Online Resources for Teachers and Learners of English. Finally, Ilnur Minakhmetov, TEFL Trainer & BC Consultant, shared his thoughts on mobile learning.

The conference addressed an issue that is at the forefront of education today. Computer tech‑nologies have dramatically changed all aspects of education in the 21st century, including lan‑

guage teaching, and the online world is opening new ways for teachers to work.

Integration of computer tech‑nology into the English language classroom is essential nowadays, but many teachers, especially seniors, still have fears and feel insecure about using computer technology in their own teaching environment. Many schools just don’t have a clear idea of how to best use the new information technology culture to enhance teaching, prefering simply to ban cell phones and table PCs from the classroom or blocking the In‑ternet and email.

The workshop was organized to address these very issues, and to encourage English teachers throughout Tatarstan to develop appropriate interest and desire to acquire digital literacy and chal‑lenge them to teach with comput‑ers and digital tools like iPods, iPhones, interactive boards, lap‑tops, and Tablet PCs.

During the workshop, Gavin Dudeney outlined a theoretical framework of digital literacies and shared his experience and ideas on how teachers could use them in the classroom. It goes without saying that teachers must have requisite experience and oppor‑tunities to engage with informa‑

tion technologies. Using video from the Internet, Dudeney dem‑onstrated and clearly explained to teachers how they can easily ad‑dress the new literacies of the younger generation without rely‑ing too heavily on technologies themselves. Dr. Dudeney men‑tioned that these digital technolo‑gies engender student‑centered learning. Students are motivated to learn English while using their IT tools in the classroom, and teachers themselves grow as pro‑fessionals, their classes become more dynamic with less teach‑er‑centered learning. More and

more, he argued, students are be‑coming active learners in the class‑room, learning to be more inde‑pendent and engaged. Teachers should accordingly act as facilita‑tors in the learning process.

The workshop was hugely suc‑cessful, according to its organiz‑er, TATEFL President I lnur Minakhmetov. Many teachers who attended agreed, thanking the presenters for providing such a wonderful opportunity to discuss a vital issue in their English class‑room. All teachers who attended the workshop received certifi‑cates.

� June 8, 2012 No. 6 (24) The Kazan Herald �June 8, 2012 No. 6 (24)The Kazan HeraldoPiNioN touriSm

by Brian HAYDENThe Terrace offers rooftop dining in the

center of Kazan. Located on the roof of the Courtyard Marriot at 6 ulitsa Karla Marksa, it offers both indoor and outdoor dining with a higher‑end menu and atmosphere. Indoor diners will enjoy low‑key music and an ur‑bane but relaxed atmosphere, though I rec‑ommend dining outside on the restaurant’s namesake terrace. Here the diner will enjoy breathtaking views of the city’s most fa‑mous landmark, the Kazan Kremlin.

The menu is varied, but generally of‑fers dishes common to American and Eu‑ropean dining. (With the exception of shashlik and okroshka, there are no Rus‑sian offerings on the menu.) Somewhat surprisingly, more than a dozen varieties of pizza are available, from pepperoni to margarita to salmon. The grill menu in‑cludes lamp chops, barbeque pork ribs, salmon, and dorado. Several types of pas‑ta, including risotto, fettucini, spaghetti, and carbonara, are on offer as well. Des‑

The Terrace sert offerings include cheesecake, ice cream, and strudel.

My first course, the beef filet salad, con‑sisted of a strong balsamic glaze over tender beef medallions, lettuce, and fresh toma‑toes. The excellent mushroom cream soup that followed it was served with toasted bread. For my entrée I chose the ribeye steak, which was served with marinated onion slices and Russian shashlik sauce. The steak was well‑marbled and tender, served medi‑um‑rare as I had ordered. For those who have never tried shashlik sauce: it’s some‑thing like marinara, though with a slightly minty taste, and goes much better with a ri‑beye than your typical steak sauce. The combination is a certainly a good one, though

hardly one you’d find in the US. For dessert I had mint panacotta, which was served with a very interesting sweet‑bitter chocolate‑car‑amel sauce that contrasted nicely with the coolness of the mint. I finished the meal with a very good — and very big — latte.

Prices tend toward the higher end of the scale, but match the quality, service, and atmosphere. A four‑course meal of salad, soup, entrée, and desert will cost from 1500 to 2500 rubles. The waitstaff speaks English and an English menu is available. Service was prompt, and the waitstaff was exceptionally polite and at‑tentive. Both the indoor and outdoor seat‑ing areas include a bar. Hooka (kalyan) can be ordered. Wifi is available.

by Azel GAzETDiNOVAThis article, translated from the Russian

by Maxim Edwards, was originally published in Naberezhnye Chelny’s newspaper Vechernye Chelny on 23 May as “S lentoch‑koy v rukakh i veroy v svetloe budush‑chee.”

Live music, leisurely strolling couples, mothers with children.

It’s a pleasant summer evening in Tukay park. Every night, people come here for a stroll. This is no ordinary stroll, however, as people are handing out white ribbons and clarifying to passerby the articles of the Rus‑sian Constitution.

Many residents of Naberezhnye Chelny are aware of these “strolls.” Moscow has seen the “Occupy Abay” movement, and in solidarity with the Muscovites is Chelny’s “Occupy Tukay.”

Talking with Raushan Valiullin, one of the activists, the melodies of “Tugan Tel” drift through the air, and the tunes of the musi‑cians who have come every night to play in support of the event.

you are the organiser of this cam‑paign?

Well, we deliberately avoid the word “or‑ganizer.” Since we decided to take democ‑racy to the masses, this is a movement which does not have one single “leader.” We are a society of equals here. We want to go out and let city dwellers know that they are part of this society too.

What is your goal?You probably know that Occupy Abay

wanted to test whether people can walk freely in the streets without fear of being detailed. In solidarity with that idea, we de‑cided to expand the scope of that event, and many like‑minded people turned up here in Naberezhnye Chelny to support us. We want to check whether we can freely as‑semble in our city in peace and quiet.

And what have you learned?It turns out, fortunately, that in some cit‑

ies people can. We were of course overjoyed to find that out, because every day we get to talk to more and more local people. Jour‑nalists have come from Kazan to see what we do, and we have been working with our Kazan colleagues to find a way to conduct our meetings fully within the boundaries of what the Interior Ministry would permit. We do nothing against the law, and approach our fellow citizens to let them know that the most important document in this country is the constitution, not the decisions and com‑mands of any one person.

how do people react?They tend to lower their shoulders and

say “yes, we know, but unfortunately that’s not actually the case in real life.” So we want to give people a sense that power is in their hands, to give them a sense of dignity. Then I talked to other activists, other supporters who say the same thing. In their eyes I see a faith in peace, and that through peace we can make the world a better place. They are like missionaries, with their complete faith and hope in God. Occupiers have faith in other human beings. That surely is better than confrontation and war.

Ribbons in hand,Faithful Fora Brighter Future

by Maxim EDWARDS“The story of Söyembike,” wrote jour‑

nalist Diana Ibragimova, “can easily be com‑pared with that of the Tatar nation” After the seizure of Kazan it was said that she mar‑ried Ivan Grozny under duress, on the con‑dition that he build a tower higher than either of them had ever seen. Upon completion she ascended it and jumped to her death.

It is a story mirrored in the Maiden’s Tower in Baku and the Kiz Kulesi in Istan‑bul, among others. (Becoming a Turkic princess can hardly have been the career promotion one would suppose.) Söyem‑bike’s history is as inaccessible as her tower in the Kazan Kremlin, possibly due to its proximity and stunning view of the Tatarstan Presidential Palace. Ibragimova’s comparison of Söyembike’s fate and that of her nation is therefore a troublesome one. Namely, that she married a Russian and, in doing so, committed suicide.

Compared with Kul Sharif, whose image has come to define Kazan on the tourism market, Söyembike retains a sense of per‑manency and absence of “pоkazukha” (os‑tentation). If the name of Kul Sharif com‑memorates the martial aspect to Ivan Gro‑zny’s seizure of Kazan, Söyembike’s is more mournful. A less well known tradition is to wedge coins and prayers on scraps of pa‑per into the brickwork of the tower’s base‑ prayers for marriage, happiness, and suc‑cess in life. Söyembike symbolises Tatarstan in a way Kul Sharif, despite an admirable attempt, does not quite manage. The im‑age of Tatarstan in the 90s from a 1996 Vechernaya Kazan cartoon — of a ship afloat on rough seas, its masts two oil derricks and Söyembike — remains strangely compel‑ling. By a matter of a few modest degrees, it lurches to the East, yet lurches subtly nonetheless, a compass for the ship Re‑spublika Tatarstan, afloat on stormy seas.

An architectural view of the tower brings to forth many of the conflicts of interest and identity the Kazan Kremlin provides. The question of its builders resurfaces time and time again, many holding to the strong be‑lief of its being true to the city’s favorite legend. Some observe that it is of a style atypical of Russian architecture of the pe‑riod, Tatar academic Hanzafarov going as far as to draw parallels with Mayan step‑pyr‑amids and other architectural features of generic antiquity, whilst making the more sober point that not only do Tsarist maps of Kazan, such as one drawn in 1760, sim‑ply name the tower ‘A tower of Asiatic ar‑chitecture’, but that in former centuries it was known to some Tatars as the “Xan Məçete” (Khan’s Mosque), possibly due to another legend that it was built on the or‑ders of Söyembike in memory of her hus‑band Safa Girai upon his death in 1549. There are also no records of its construc‑tion nor funding thereof in Russian Tsarist records. There is also a widespread theory supported by academics including Tatar archaeologist Alfred Khalikhov that the tow‑er was not constructed earlier than the 17th century. German traveller Adam Olearius, who visited Kazan in 1638, does not include the tower on his print of the cityscape. What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence, and on this basis Söyembike rests on very shaky foun‑dations indeed. In 1913, a massive iron band was added onto to the lowest section of the tower to help withstand the enormous pres‑sure on the main arch. Söyembike is liter‑ally collapsing from the weight of its own contradictions.

The argument is possibly one that, if it could be won, would be better left to fes‑ter in the less controversial ivory towers of

Söyembike tower, whether built under Tatars or Russians, has much to tell us all.

Falling for Söyembike by Rustem YUNUSOVRural or Village (agricultural) tourism

been popular in Europe and the United States for some time now, mainly because it is a low‑cost option that allows for close interaction with nature.

Such tourism is a holiday in the coun‑tryside, living with a minimum of creature comforts and a maximum of health ben‑efits.

Sometimes it even includes agricul‑tural work: you can pitch in to help the farmer, harvesting potatoes, corn, or even milking cows. You can pick up the scythe and the rake. If you know how to chop wood, take an ax. Cheerfulness, good hu‑mor, and the time is well spent.

Rural tourism allows you to spend quality time with your family, and also getting acquianted with the life of peas‑ants, or staying healthly with eco‑friend‑ly food. There is no smog, no fumes, no gas — the are is clear and clean in the countryside.

It is also great fun to sit with a fishing rod on the banks of a lake, and then go to the banya (Russian baths). In short, rural tourism is a broad range of fun activities.

WhERE IN TATARSTANCurrently, rural tourism options exist in

Laishevsky district, Pestrechinsky district, Muslyumovsky district, and Alkeyevsky district.

For example, 40 kilometers from Kazan in Vysokogorskiy area in the village of Yamashurma, entrepreneur Gabdelahmat

Rural Tourism in Tatarstan

Татарча беләсезме?

idel‑ural

Kazan State University. The simultaneous restoration of the Kremlin’s cathedral, built to commemorate the taking of Kazan, and construction of Kul Sharif, named to com‑memorate the loss of it, would indicate that the multicultural component in the Krem‑lin has to be preserved. Rafael Mustafin, writing in “Kazanskiye Vedomosti” on the tower for Kazan’s millennium celebrations, was quick to outline the arguments on both sides yet quicker to pick neither. He closed with the reflection that the tower “calls to mind the towering minarets of any mosque architecture.” Once again, uncontrover‑sial, diplomatic, yet like the tower itself, lurching to the East ever so slightly. The city’s millennium was a good year for re‑flection on what many would call its most enduring symbol. Or would they? Aca‑demic and architect Saiyar Aidarov, who had been extensively involved with the renovation of the Kremlin since the begin‑ning of the 1980s, told Kazanskiye Vedo‑mosti that at the time, Söyembike had tilt‑ed over two metres from its original posi‑tion (“Söyembike is not falling down, she’s collapsing,” July 2000). He was sure that, “were Kazan to be the centre of an earth‑quake, Söyembike would collapse like a house of cards.” As the President of Ta‑tarstan’s website points out, the tilt of the tower towards the East was finally stopped during the 1990s. What direction now?

Soviet‑era depictions of Kazan tend to focus more on the Spasskaya Tower,

entrance to the Kremlin from Pervomay‑skaya Ploshchad, than to Söyembike. A 1987 guide to the city features just one picture of the tower — hardly mentioning it within the text –with the curt caption “Söyembike tower. A symbol of old Ka‑zan.” During these years, a Red Star crowned the tower, replaced by a Cres‑cent in 1993. Unusually, this crescent was not the first: in 1918, by decree of Lenin, the working Muslims of Russia were al‑lowed use of three Muslim holy sites and relics in perpetuity; the Qu’ran of Osman in Tashkent, Karavansarai in Orenburg and Söyembike in Kazan. The Tsarist Eagle removed, a crescent was hoisted atop Söyembike for the first time (or second, depending on historical taste), which the Red Army would later remove in 1935. The symbolism, as we can see, is potent. For some, excessively so.

Söyembike is one of many monuments in the Kremlin that sadly remains closed to visitors‑ among their number much of the Kremlin walls and the Spasskaya Tow‑er. Perhaps the power of the legends which surround Söyembike thrive on its inacces‑sibility. Perhaps the Ministry of Tourism is hiding the true tedium of the ascent to the top from us to keep this sense of mystery alive? A simple Tatar proverb proverb on wisdom is “Köp körgən, köp belgən” (She has seen a lot, so she knows a lot). Söy‑embike, whether built under Tatars or Rus‑sians, has much to tell us all.

Искәндәр ТәдәскИ Сабан туе

Мин Сабан туй бәйрәмен беләм

Min Sabantuy beiremen belem

I know about Sabantuy

Июнь аенда Татарстанда Сабан туе була

Iyun ayenda Tatarstanda Saban Tuye bula

Sabantuy will be held in Tatarstan in June

Сабан туе — татар халкының милли бәйрәме

Saban tuye‑ Tatar khalkynyng milli baeyreme

Sabantuy is a Tatar na‑tional holiday

Сабан туенда ярышлар hәм кызыклы уеннар була

Saban tuyenda yaryshlar haem kyzykly uennar bula

There will be interesting contests and games on Sabantuy

Сабан туенда иң зур ярыш — көрәш

Saban tuyenda ing zur yarysh‑ köresh

Sabantuy’s biggest com‑petition is wrestling

Мин Сабан туена барырга яратам!

Min Saban tuyena baryrga yaratam!

I love going to Sabantuy!

Сабан туе батырына тәке бүләк итәләр

Saban tuye batyryna taeke bulek itelaer

The winner of Sabantuy will be presented with a sheep

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Kotdusov has been actively developing his version of rural tourism.

First, he bought 20 African ostriches. It soon became clear that they cannot lay eggs — they were still too young. For this reason, he is trying to find some adult birds right who can lay eggs right now.

Gabdelahmat was drawn to these ex‑otic birds because they live for 60‑70 years. Each female lays eggs three times a year. He hopes to hatch a lot of ostriches.

But Gabdelahmat is not raising the os‑triches for racing: the farmer will bring in specially trained chefs to cook meals from the exotic birds’ meat, which will be com‑

plemented by a House of National Food.In fact, he already has his own bakery.

Cottage cheese, katyk, butter, sour cream, and other dairy products are created for tourists by Kotdusov and his colleagues, Vysokogorsky farmers. They also supply local veal to his restaurant.

Besides ostriches, Gabdelahmat also has a special breed of ducks, but the pride of his collection are 6 majestic swans which he imported from another regions of Rus‑sia. These flow all frolic in a lake appro‑priatel named “Swan.”

And of fishing, the local entrepreneur also organizes trips for tourists. To date,

Kotdusov has lent out 150 fishing rods. He sees the business as one with a big future, and is planning accordingly. He is going to build 2 to 3 more wooden cottages for overnight visitors. He also plans to start producing koumiss, fermented horse milk, and buy skis for winter tourists.

The village where all of this happens already has an attractive mosque, five stores, and paved streets. According to Kotdusov, local farmers are also ready to help develop their village as a rural tour‑ism destination.

“I think that by the Universiade, we will have a baseline of rural tourism, because Kazan is just 45 ki lometers from Yamashurme,” Kotdusov stated.

A farmer from the Verkhneuslonsky area, Murat Sirazan could be called Kot‑dusov’s counterpart. He has chickens, gees, turkeys, ducks — more than 500 birds in total. He has 10 special of chicken alone.

“I think I have something to interest tourists,» Murat said. He lives in Shelanga village, which lies on the banks of the Vol‑ga river, a scenic context for his collection to thrive in.

ToURSIM CoMPANIESFour tour agencies in Kazan offer the

rural tourism experience: Troika+, Buro puteshestvi Kazan, Tourism Information Center, and Travel and Work. Prices vary from 1500 rubles for a night with full ser‑vice to up to 7000 rubles for a week. Pric‑es are given per person.

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� June 8, 2012 No. 6 (24) The Kazan Herald

June 8, 2012 No. 6 (24)

www.kazanherald.comEdition: 999 copies.Published in Branch of JSC “TATMEDIA” “PPC “Idel‑Press”. Order 6422 The editorial board is not responsible for the accuracy of the information published in advertisements. The editorial board does not give background information. All products and services subject to certification and licensing are certified and licensed. Advertisements are published on the rights of advertising.

To place an advertisement, call +7‑987‑407‑73‑86.

Published in Idel‑Press printing‑office.Signed for publication 07.06.2012Given for press by schedule 18.00, in fact 18.00Address of press‑office: City of Kazan, Dekabristov street, 2Telephone/fax: 292‑01‑63, 543‑44‑20, 543‑44‑45e‑mail: thekazanherald@inbox.ru

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The Kazan Herald

cit y GuidE — JuNE

Register today to stay connected with Kazan’s expat community.www.kazanexpats.com

eXHiBiTiONs“Twenty Years without the USSR.” Hundreds of powerful photographs of mon‑uments and buildings constructed during the Soviet era which since its collapse have been left to disintegrate. Pictures were sent by over 3,000 people from across the for‑mer Soviet Union. A powerful testament to Soviet history. Until 9 June, Gallery of Mod‑ern Art, 57 ulitsa karla Marksa.“Artwork of the Chuvash People.” A large collection of artwork from ethnic Chu‑vash artists, extending from unknown vil‑lage masters from the 19th century to more experimental, modern artists working with traditional themes and concepts. Closes 3 June, open daily from 10:00 to 17:00. Хәзине National Art Gallery, kazan kremlin.“Kazan’s Wooden Architecture.” Over a hundred acrylic and watercolour paint‑ings by Ravil Aidarov celebrating examples of Kazan’s beautiful wooden architectural heritage built from the second half of the 19th to the early 20th centuries. Until 10 June, open daily from 10:00 to 17:00. Хәзине National Art Gallery, kazan kremlin.

CONCeRTsSAT, 9 JUNEThe Cavern Beatles (UK). Maximilian’s Restaurant. 8 p.m.ThU, 21 JUNETera Melos (USA). zheltaya kofta. 8 p.m

BalleT & OPeRaAll performances are at the Musa Jalil Op‑era and Ballet Theatre.14–15 JUNE“Swan Lake,” Tchaikovsky. 6 p.m.20–22 JUNE“Eugene Onegin,” Tchaikovsky. 6 p.m.TUE, 26 JUNE“Rigoletto,” Verdi. 6 p.m.ThU, 28 JUNE“Lucia di Lammermoor,” Donizetti 6 p.m.SAT, 30 JUNE“Lady of the Camellias,” Verdi. 6 p.m.WED, 6 JUNE“Carmen,” Bizet. 6 p.m.

THeaTReAll plays are at the kamal Theatre and have simultaneous English translation.WED, 13 June “Brave Girls.” A comedy in two parts by Tazi Gizzat. Three orphaned girls living un‑der a rich man’s roof decide to make some‑thing of their lives, to get an education and study in the Madrassa, disguising them‑selves as boys. Hilarity and controversy ensue. 7 p.m.ThURS, 14 June“The Colour of My Eyes.” A comedy in two parts by Tufan Minullin. A modern take on Gabdulla Tukay’s famous tale ‘Shurale’, examining the relationship between villag‑ers and the natural world which surrounds them. The conflict of interests results in Shurale’s being called upon to defend na‑ture. 7 p.m.

NiGHTlifeFRI, 8 JUNELove weekend. DJ Med, DJ Konstantin Revansh. Teatro Rest‑club. Tikets 200‑300 rub. FC/DC. 9p.m.

SAT, 9 JUNECoyote Ugly Stars. Legendary American bar “Coyote Ugly” in Kazan invites you to a party in honor of the bar’s first birthday! Coyote Ugly. Free entrance before 0.00. FC/DC. 10 p.m.New year’s Eve on the contrary! State 51. FC/DC. 11 p.m.SUN, 10 JUNEJune weekend at Cinema Café. A long weekend for the most persistent. Ready to relax? Join us! Free entrance, Cinema Café. FC/DC. 10 p.m.MoN, 11 JUNEStudent Night Coyote Ugly. It’s time to relax and get over your hangover! Coyote Ugly. Free entrance. FC/DC. 11 p.m.ThU, 14 JUNEVasche show Ruslan Stallone and Max PropErlovym. Show from Max Prop‑Erlova and Ruslan Stallone! Jokes are born in front of the guests of the club. State 51. FC/DC. 11 p.m.FRI, 15 JUNETheatre night. Animators, Stand‑up comedy (one‑liners), Live Vocals, Live Mu‑sic, DJ Ozz, Konstantin Revansh, Mc Zill. Teatro Rest‑club.Tikets 200‑300 rub. FC/DC. 9p.m.Wet T‑shirts. State 51. FC/DC. 11 p.m.SAT, 16 JUNEDancing in the streets of Cinema Café. Rhythm, emotion and the art of self‑expression. Free entrance, Cinema Café. FC/DC. 10 p.m.51 kiss! Summer of Love at State 51. FC/DC. 11 p.m.FRI, 22 JUNECuba in the Cinema Café. June 22 “Cin‑ema Cafe” invites you to “Cuba!” Feel the true spirit of Liberty Island! Free entrance, Cinema Café. FC/DC. 10 p.m.SUN, 24 JUNESEX AND TEQUILA! First, tequila, and then Sex, or vice versa!) State 51. FC/DC. 11 p.m.SAT, 30 JUNEMallorca in Cinema Café. Gentle waves of your favorite music. Free entrance, Cin‑ema Café. FC/DC. 10 p.m.

VeNUes51st State. 1 ulitsa Khrushchevsky val 1. +7 (843) 292‑4546.Bolshoi Kontsertny Zal. 38 ploshchad Svobody. +7 (843) 292 1717.Cinema Cafe. 1b prospekt Amirkhana. +7 (843) 526 5656.Coyote Ugly. 13 ulitsa Baumana. +7 (843) 292‑4508.Ermitazh. 1 prospekt Amirkhana. +7 (843) 526 5626.Galiaskar Kamal Theatre. 1 ulitsa Ta‑tarstan. Box Office: +7 (843) 293 0374. kamalteatr.ru.Luxor Night Club. 29a ulitsa Pushkina. +7 (843) 297 3161.Martini. 85a ulitsa Dekabristov. +7 (843) 296 2627.Maximilian’s Brauerei. 6 ulitsa Sparta‑kovskaya. +7 (843) 526 5526.Musa Jalil Opera and Ballet Theatre. 2 ploshchad Svobody. Box Office: +7 (843) 231 5710. kazan‑opera.ru.Panorama restaurant. 1b prospekt Amirkhana (Riviera). +7 (987) 225‑2575.Zheltaya Kofta. 24a ulitsa Mayakovskay 6 p.m. .+7 (843) 249‑15‑62.

by Alexandra McLEOD27 May — Last night was the last night

for Rai and Ermitazh, two well‑known Ka‑zan nightclubs.

Rai Commercial Director Aleksandrr Kharitonov explained during a press con‑ference this week that the club Rai (which means “heaven”) was closing, but that the nightclub would re‑open under a different name and tailored to a new customer base.

According to Kharitonov, the brand change was due neither to quarrel nor to misunderstanding, but rather to the fact that the rights to use the brand “Rai” had expired.

The club is said to be undergoing a multi‑million dollar rebranding, with dif‑ferent zones and a more private, exclu‑sive customer base. The dress code and entrance fees will be raised as well, in an effort to give the club a more “elite” feel.

“The club will tighten its rules, it will become more expensive. We will bring in artists who are not only successful, but also those who are at the height of their career,” stated Kharitonov.

News that the nightclub will not be clos‑ing forever, but simply undergoing a rein‑vention process, will surely reassure avid local clubbers, as Rai was one of Kazan’s largest nightclubs and welcomed interna‑tional performers on a frequent basis. As the manager of Paradise Production, Vlad‑imir Saygin, dramatically stated, “Rai will not leave Kazan”. Saygin equally took the opportunity to say that he thought Rai “re‑mains the flagship of the night life of Ka‑zan,” and that the club had become more of a partner (read: competitor) to the Mos‑cow branch than had been expected when the contract was first implemented.

Interestingly, Kazan’s second largest nightclub, Ermitazh (The Hermitage), also announced that they were closing down recently, with Saygin suggesting that the market was too aggressive and that there had been many challenges to overcome in their efforts to improve the quality of the entertainment business in Tatarstan.

To celebrate this “end of an era,” Rai held back to back parties on 25 and 26 May, with performances by Global DJs and some of the best dances and choreogra‑phers in Russia.

The Gates of Rai, Ermitazh Close Forever

Performance at Rai during its penultimate night of operation.

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