Fazu Aliyeva’s 80th anniversary

Author: VK

Chairman of the Union of Women of Dagestan, editor-in- chief of the "Woman of Dagestan" Fazu Aliyeva celebrated her 80th anniversary. "Both in Dagestan and in Russia in general you enjoy large and well-deserved recognition as a respected public figure, bright, talented and endowed with enormous creative energy. Your multifaceted and essential work is a huge contribution to major national problems in the development of the great traditions of Russian literature "- the telegram by President Putin to Fazu Aliyeva says.

According to Makhach Magomedov, Fazu Aliyeva’s son, “she was born in a mountain village and didn’t speak Russian at first. She read our classical Dagestani poets. During the war when she was a little girl she heard about heroic deeds by Soviet soldiers. A patriotic feeling was born in her soul and she wrote her first poem when she was 10-11 years old. It was published in a school newspaper. Since that time she became different. She loved dreaming, reading poems, writing. She studied in Makhachkala pedagogical university when somebody suggested that she should go to the Literature University. She sent her works and passed the literature contest. She was invited to Moscow and she came after a certain delay. She got the best marks for all subjects, but for the Russian language which she failed to pass. She worked up the courage and went to an appeal commission. Many prominent people, professors talked to her. She says that they asked her questions disparagingly – a village girl had come to Moscow. Then they asked: “Who is your favourite artist?” She said Michelangelo. They were surprised that she even knew this name. She said she wished to go to Italy someday, see David and find out whether real blood was in his veins. She knew the sculptor. They saw that she was an inspired and talented person. She was given a chance and accepted into the university, despite her poor Russian. She studied well. In the second and third year her works were marked at the university level. The Literature University was a very serious educational facility at that time. She says that the university gave her a lot. She learnt the Russian language and due to it the whole of world culture opened up to her, as well as the Russian one. Then she came back to Dagestan and her career began to develop. She says she has several fundamental sources. One of them is her native land and the mountains. Second is world literature. Of course, the mountains influenced her. She has very nice poems in which she makes a declaration of love to her native village, to the place where she was raised. All great people love the place where they were born. She loves her big motherland, Russia, but also her mountains. She says that these people who live high in mountains are brave. Once, during the Great Patriotic War or later, I don’t remember, she heard such phrases as “How could the enemy come to our home? We won’t give our home ever. This is our land.” She said that she heard these words in the mountains from mountain dwellers. Now she is working, even though her age is considerable. She is writing articles and poems. She says she cannot live a day without working, because power comes to her when she works. Of course, inspiration is needed for poems, and sometimes you should wait for a certain moment. She always writes. The only problem is that at the moment there are no good translators for her, who would share her views on the world. Those who translated her have gone already, unfortunately, while the young… Probably this profession is not popular today, or they have a different view on life. There is a lack of translators. There are some books in the Avar language, but the Russian and other people who could get the information through Russian have no opportunity to read them. As for work plans, she says that she will work as long as Allah gives her strength”.

Telling about the influence of Fazu Aliyeva on the culture of Dagestan, Gadzhi Makhachev, the chairman of Dagestan under the President of Russia, said that “Fazu Alieva writes about the traditions and customs of Dagestan. She is a symbol of love and friendship. Her poems are very kind and beautiful. We love Fazu Aliyeva so much. That it is why we have a great holiday today in Dagestan. She is a great woman born in a mountain village. She came to Moscow, graduated with honour from the Literature University and became a great poetess. She is not simply a poetess, she is a wonderful mother. She is a symbol of the mother in Dagestan and Russia. If we had more such mothers, we would have the most beautiful, nicest international Russian statehood. She raised nice sons. She raised a hero who was killed in Afghanistan. She raised a scientist, a member of the scientific academy. She raised nice children. In the hardest days during the war, when they attacked Dagestan, Raduyev, she had always been near these poor people, relatives whose close people were hostages. When Dagestan was attacked she headed the Dagestani Women's Union. Every loss in every family she overcame with them as a mother, a sister, she found appropriate words of support. Recently, when two ethnic groups, movements were ready to begin fighting, she came and said her weighty word. Fazu is not only a poetess, she is a social activist. She used to be a member of the Civic Chamber of Russia and Dagestan. She is a great woman, we love her. Thank Allah that such people live in Dagestan today. Despite the fact that our republic is multinational, we have never had clashes between each other. Of course, in words some say people are infringed. You know people are always infringed, everybody has problems. In Dagestan people who live in Makhachkala and people who live in Tsunta, where the clouds are lower than the houses year-round, are different. Of course problems exist. But due to such women, such poets and poetesses, young people still listen to the elderly today. I thank Allah that they haven’t crossed the line. And everybody is surprised that peace and stability are in Dagestan. Today some forces try to shake Dagestan artificially, while Dagestanis would say that’s enough, we won’t separate from Russia. But they are wrong, they will fail. The great poet Rasul Gamzatov said that we didn’t enter Russia willingly, and we will not leave it willingly either. We will live in one big Russian family”.