President for life Saparmurat Niyazov has has banned lip-synching in public musical performances.
This, by the way, is not a move to promote live acts in Ashgabat's thriving indie music venues. No chance.
Critics of President Niyazov say he is a crazed megalomaniac despot who has manipulated the aparatus of post-Soviet statehood to flatter his deranged egotistical fantasies. Friends of the President say 'my, what big natural gas reserves you've got!', or sometimes my, what a big border with Afghanistan and Iran you've got!'
For more on Turkmenistan's despotic president check out the excellent Central Asia coverage from the Institute for War and Peace Reporting.
The question plaguing the blog right now is: while deploring the horrible injustices perpetrated by totalitarian regimes, is it ever ok to also find their kitschness a bit funny? For example, President Niyazov's poetry? Or the online gift shop on the official North Korean website?
Currently racing up the charts: Mass Gymnastics to Celebrate Kim Jong-Il's 60th Birthday - the DVD.
