The First Post, UK
Jan 18 2007
Azeri sexy singer to save Iranian Azerbaijanis from fundamentalism
"Roya is a slut. I don’t like her." So says a dark-haired Azerbaijani
girl nestled on a barstool of the Universal Bar in downtown Baku, a
spot where foreign oil workers can meet eligible young women for the
right price.
Roya, a provocative young singing sexpot, is a tornado in Azerbaijan,
a country of eight million mostly Shia Muslims who live in a
thoroughly secular system.
Now freed of Soviet tanks, Azerbaijan stands at the crossroads; in
one direction western materialism (they enjoy solid ties with the US
and Israel), in the other a return to Muslim Shia orthodoxy,
encouraged by neighbouring Iran.
Roya’s face stares down from the billboards (those not taken by
images of President Aliyev), her confidence and sensuality in stark
contrast with the grey-eyed souls walking the streets. With her
sultry looks and sizzling antics, she may be the perfect embodiment
of a new Azerbaijan, long known as the Land of Fire because of the
blazes that have burst from the soil since pre-history, leading
fire-worshippers to create Zoroastrianism.
More recently, the country has been worshipping oil. Since July 2006,
Azerbaijan has been exporting oil through the new BTC pipeline which
sucks liquid gold from the Caspian and transports it to ships on the
Mediterranean. They hope to hit a million barrels a day soon.
The wealth has flowed in: Lycra and denim-clad young strut around
leafy Fountain Square chating on phones, while war veterans in
threadbare blazers stare suspiciously.
Outside the hilly capital, many are less enthusiastic about the gaudy
consumerism personified in its extreme by Roya. In spite of the
booming economy, many Azerbaijanis live in refugee huts and train
cars, a remnant of a disastrous war with Armenia.
Yet in the same celebrity magazines that refuse to offend Muslim
sensibilities by discussing unmarried relationships, Roya is
routinely pictured topless, or kissing a variety of young men and
women. She swears on TV and appears semi-nude in her videos.
Recently one Sinatra-style old-time Azerbaijan crooner was asked what
he thought of Roya and the flesh- baring generation of singers she
inspires. "They should be shot," he said, apparently speaking for
many.
He might not like it, but there’s no denying Roya is leading a
massive young Azeri demographic revolting against stifling tradition
and seeking a more exciting future. In other words, Roya’s a sexy
Azeri punk.
But popular Azeri dissatisfaction has an alternative outlet.
Neighbouring Iran – which boasts a 20 million Azeri minority – has
long attempted to co-opt its Azerbaijani co-religionists into Muslim
revolution.
Many believe the growing count of minarets in the smaller cities of
Azerbaijan is slowly blossoming into something bigger, something that
will only grow with ongoing cynicism and the inevitable crisis of oil
wealth.
On the other hand, some believe Roya and other Azerbaijani
entertainers could help seduce Iran away from fundamentalism. Those
20 million Azeris make up one-third of all Iranians and they are
showing signs of tiring of the state’s ongoing cultural repression.
Many have satellite TV and can see Roya and other pop stars living
the high life – and speaking their language.
Is throaty, brazen Roya singing the theme-song for the westernisation
of Azerbaijan – or a battle-hymn for the break-up of Iran?
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
www.thefirstpost.co.uk/