Autobiographical

One final word on those three unforgettable months in the USSR. It would be remiss of me not to mention here Tatiana, a lovely girl from Voronezh who made the experience far more enjoyable and fascinating than it otherwise would have been. She left an indelible and positive mark on me. 

The relationship also led to interactions with a close friend and roommate of hers from Burundi, apparently an African princess, as well as with her friends outside of the hostel, including trips to a foreboding and cold Soviet hospital when one of them fell seriously ill, as well as picnics in areas far from the prying eyes of the secret police, known as the KGB (Committee for State Security) back then and now as the FSB (Federal Security Service). 

While the name of that state organ has changed, the drive of filthy lucre, corruption and amorality of its members remains, albeit possibly even more abased than previous iterations existing since the rise of the current regime to power in 1917. Naturally Stalin’s reign stands out owing to the scale of the repressions and deportations of different peoples. However, it was merely a continuation of the criminality instigated after the revolution. Democracy appeared to emerge in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but seems more and more to have been a sham, with Soviet functionaries adopting new clothes, but still driven by the same desires.

By the way, if you are interested in learning more about the excesses committed by Stalin and his merry band of assassins known as members of the Politburo, I highly recommend the works by Simon Seabag Montefiore, in particular, the final part of the trilogy: Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar. Regardless of their religious and ethnic background, every member of the criminal grouping was seeped in blood.

Naturally, Tatiana was a product of her time and her thoughts on politics and the individual epitomised the indoctrination described so perfectly in George Orwell’s masterpiece penned in 1947-48, which coincidentally referred to that very year – 1984. While total surveillance had yet to be achieved, propaganda reared its ugly head every day.  Animal Farm also deserves a mention for the excellent portrayal of Soviet ideology and hypocrisy.

Tragically, news think, double speak, thought crime, good think and big brother are just some of the concepts that we now see all over the so-called “free world”, while the perverted concept that “war is peace” has been perceptible in all the conflicts that have erupted ever since then, most notably after 2022, with religion not only defending, but even encouraging man to commit murder and promising to absolve him of all guilt. The current wars that appear to be never-ending render John Lennon’s song Imagine all the more potent today.