In these days and age when we mentioned “Russia” most people would associate with words such as ‘war’, ‘terror’, ‘communism’, ‘mafia’, all the evils probably come to mind. What about these words? Vodka, folk dancing, Lake Baikal, Yuri Gagarin, trees, cats, chess, and other good things. What I am trying to say is where there is evil there is always a presence of good.
Like all history, there’s always two sides of the story depending on who tells it. Audience should always have an open-mind when listening to any story. Of course, there are situation when the whole world - me included - would agree of its terror, but there’s always victims on both sides. In the world where prejudice is so easy to come across, whether it is the color of the skin or your place in the society, all we could hope for is an open-mind.
Another side of the War
Politics is a strategic game or a magic show. Audiences are compelled to look somewhere when the trick is happening somewhere else. There are many things that happen behind the curtain that we, the general population, do not know. Unfortunately, it is the innocent population that often falls victims.
In Moscow, far from where the war is happening, life goes on. The teenagers who enjoy good TV series. The old folks who are enjoying the good weather. Must they, too, become the victims of this war? It is difficult to justify anything when you are not there in the middle of it, isn’t it?
In Music and In War
Some may say that music is a universal language. I have another word for it. Music is the united language. Traveling back in time to WWI, the series of widespread unofficial ceasefire happened throughout the western front on Christmas eve. In the midst of darkness and despair, the familiar sound of ‘Silent Night’ from the German is being met with ‘First Noel’ from the British. For that one night, the war became irrelevant.
In Moscow, for the first time, the band is met with screaming teenagers over all three days of the festival. They even learn to sing along with our Thai songs on the second day. We must say that getting there is not an easy task.
Starting with flights. There’s no longer a direct flight to Moscow unless rerouted via the Middle East. Sponsoring. There is no sponsor upon hearing the word ‘Russia’. All the people were waiting for the festival, a hope of normalcy after all the COVID and the war situation. So all the musicians pay out of pocket and it pays off not in monetary value but in sentiments.
Conclusion
Just like the world population. Some are good and some are bad. Hence, not all Russians are bad. So is it fair to punish the population who have no part in the political game? I think what is required of us as a human-being is to have an open-mind and not judge until you hear both sides of the story or, at least, hear that individual story. With all that said, we do not support any violence or acts of war crime and prefer to be in a world where it is safe again. Life is short. Live it.
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