No lip service for Turkmen leader
Wednesday, August 24, 2005 Posted: 0238 GMT (1038 HKT)


Soldiers guard a giant gold statue of President Niyazov.

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) -- He has outlawed opera and ballet and railed against long hair and gold teeth, but now the authoritarian president of Turkmenistan is determined to wipe out another perceived scourge: lip synching.

President Saparmurat Niyazov has ordered a ban on lip synching performances across the tightly controlled Central Asian nation, citing "a negative effect on the development of singing and musical art," the president's office said Tuesday.

"Unfortunately, one can see on television old voiceless singers lip-synching their old songs," Niyazov told a Cabinet meeting in comments broadcast on state TV on Tuesday. "Don't kill talents by using lip synching... Create our new culture."

Under Niyazov's order, lip synching is now prohibited at all cultural events, concerts, on television -- and at private celebrations such as weddings.

Niyazov has led the former Soviet republic for 20 years, creating a personality cult around himself and issuing decrees regulating behavior in all aspects of life.

In 2001, Niyazov banned opera and ballet as not corresponding with the national mentality.

Last year, he called for young people not to get gold tooth caps and urged authorities to crack down on young men wearing beards or long hair.

Source: CNN

Heh.

Britney better stay away.

Sounds to much like communism but if that's what it takes to stop these no-talent artists, rock-the-fuck-on!

um...he's banned opera and ballet, but worries that lip synchers will "kill talents"? Sounds like politics at its worst, if you ask me.

Wow, that must be where uptopia is located if this is one of their society's top priorities.

sinisterpentatonic said:

no, I don't think so.