New Chechen musical creations must no longer be “too slow” or “too fast” in order to stick to “the mentality and musical rhythm” of this Russian republic. This was announced by Culture Minister Musa Dadayev on Friday.
“All musical, vocal and choreographic compositions” must correspond “to a tempo ranging from 80 to 116 beats per minute (BPM),” reported the Russian news agency Tass, spotted by The Parisian. Musical styles such as techno or reggae will therefore be prohibited but also the title Shake it off by Taylor Swift…
This new rule aims to transmit “to the people and [aux] children the future of the cultural heritage of the Chechen people,” said the Minister of Culture, quoted by CNN. For him, it is “inadmissible to borrow musical culture from other peoples”.
Until June 1st to rewrite the music
This announcement took place during a meeting between the government of Chechnya, under the directive of its leader Ramzan Kadyrov, and local and regional artists. The latter have until June 1 to rewrite their pieces which do not correspond to the criteria mentioned above. If they do not respect them, they will no longer be able to play them in public.
As CNN recalls, Ramzan Kadyrov, at the head of this territory located between Russia and Georgia since 2007, uses his mandate to stifle all forms of dissent and pursues an extremely violent policy towards LGBTQIA + people. UN human rights experts have also urged authorities to investigate allegations that gay men were illegally detained.