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OPEN UNIVERSITY

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THE MAP OF RUSSIA
CLUSTER 2: THE ARCTIC

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MURMANSK: ONLY THE REAL ONES STAY

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Russia is a skewed country:

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the vast sparsely populated north

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and the relatively small
densely populated south,

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although it is the north
that is more important for Russian

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and the country’s identity.

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Murmansk historically crowns
the Russian Arctic land,

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further on is only the sea.

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A hill rises above the city

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and on it is a memorial
to the defenders of the Arctic.

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People call this gigantic soldier Alyosha.

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It is majestic, severe and empty.

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On the one hand, the population
is diminishing dramatically.

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On the other hand, more than half
of Murmansk residents say in polls

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that they love their city
and consider it important for their life.

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We were here 280 000 people in 2018.

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It is very little

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because there were half a million
of us in 1990.

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And we remain the world’s largest city
behind the Arctic Circle

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but it is actually not enough,

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because some systems problems arise
that need to be really solved.

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Half the people have just left Murmansk
and the other half died.

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That is, because the fishery sphere
and the industry

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for which the city was created,

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in fact, has not been working
for 25 years now.

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We have here a huge
cargo transshipment base,

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and that’s all.

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I really like Murmansk,

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I think this is the city where you can
and should live.

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And I really try to do something

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and there is an active Murmansk community

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that tries to keep young people
in the city,

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because, as a rule, the standard scenario
for the Murmansk schoolboy —

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you finish school and leave for Petersburg
to enter a university.

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Vladimir, the creator
of a well-known school of drumming,

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travels with concerts throughout Russia

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but more often to neighboring Norway.

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His new project is amazing:

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he wants houses, yards,
and entire cities to go drumming.

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It is an attempt to draw an audial picture
of the city exactly through rhythm,

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because the city is the largest
percussion instrument on Earth.

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It is difficult to separate city sounds
from the sounds of the sea in Murmansk.

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Sea is both the main wealth
and symbol of Murmansk.

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The Barents Sea is somewhat unique.

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It is much richer than other seas

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located in the same latitude
owing to a warm current.

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So, this wealth of fish resources

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and of near-bottom invertebrate organisms

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brought people to settle in the land,

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well, and in fact promoted
its further development.

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When Russian colonists came to the North,
a peculiar division of labor took shape.

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The Russians were more interested
in the sea, trade, and fishing.

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Indigenous peoples moved into the tundra,
which for them was not an icy desert,

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but just as complex and rich as the sea.

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The colonists have not been interested
in the tundra at all for a long time

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but even now there is no dialogue
between the few remaining Sami

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and the authorities.

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Let us live on our own,
don't interfere with us.

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When we held celebrations ourselves,

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we did it at our own expense,
everything was fine.

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When it became state business,
everything became very sad.

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I even stopped to go
to these celebrations, in fact.

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And if I can, I invite guests
and celebrate here.

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This way is much better, as if at home,

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and those come who want to
and it's much more merry.

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I don’t think that we will lose
some identity,

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the Sami roots will remain anyway.

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Even if they tell me that only grandmother
of this child is Sami,

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I will accept her as a Sami child.

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You cannot hide the Sami roots,
they will still crawl out.

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So, what is the Kola Peninsula?

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Is it a military-raw material base
and a transit zone

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or a culturally rich, unique, severe

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but amazingly charming place to live?

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It seems that so far the federal authorities
are inclined towards the first option.