"TO MAKE TALES A REALITY'

"Once upon a time, Shah Suleyman went hunting with his retinue. He saw an ant on the road, rode up to it and asked: 'Hey, Ant, what are you doing here? What are you waiting for?'
"'I am not waiting for anyone,' the ant replied. 'I am simply watching how suleymans come and go…'"
The plot is simple, but there is so much wisdom in the fairy tale about Shah Suleyman and the ant. The seemingly feeble insect managed to fascinate Shah Suleyman with its thrift, hard work and intelligence, but the shah, despite all his power, failed to keep his word to a weak creature which at the same time proved to be strong. Many of us know this fairy tale. Perhaps everyone had a well-thumbed book of Azerbaijani fairy tales in their childhood. They were good and edifying - about the weak and the strong, the crafty and deft, the brave and cowardly, the just and the evil. Everyone remembers the sense of wonder which fairy tales inspired in us, the faraway lands where the Phoenix lived, ready to come to its friend's help at any moment. And with impatience, we read or listened to the stories about brave Malikmammad, Narbal and his white steed, Tig-Tig Xanim, the wily fox and silly wolf, brave little Cirtdan, and little Aliyar. And we all wanted to be at least a little like those good characters. The fairy tales were instructive, and they fed the imagination. They enabled us to compose our own plots, in which we were brave heroes, beautiful and smart princesses, formidable, but just rulers, loyal friends. And good always prevailed over evil in the fairy tales.
They are one of the most ancient genres of folklore, and it is very important to do our best to preserve them and pass them on to future generations. After all, they depict the life and oral tradition of the Azerbaijani people. They are diverse in content and rich in form. The fairy tales tell us about the heroic past of the Azerbaijani people, its fight against local and foreign oppressors, its spiritual, moral, social and philosophical views. They have brought to this day ancient folk traditions and customs. They show us the landscapes of Azerbaijan, its green fields and pastures, majestic mountains, rippling rivers, blooming orchards and many other things. This is why we must spare no effort to preserve and multiply our rich heritage which links us to our origins. Namazali Mustafayev, chairman of the Development and Peace nongovernmental organization, subscribes to this point of view. He brought together talented children, young artists, and asked them to choose three favourite fairy tales which they would like to illustrate. Of course, they read the fairy tales in the Azerbaijani language.
As always, this undertaking too started with a simple idea. In 2006, Namazali Mustafayev, who speaks English, decided to translate the Azerbaijani fairy tales into English. The idea of popularizing Azerbaijani folklore was received well by his fellow linguists too. It is very important for the oral folklore of our people to be understood and loved by foreign children too.
The most popular fairy tale character in Azerbaijan is Cirtdan, which in Azerbaijani means tiny or dwarf-like. There are many fairy tales about Cirtdan, who has natural originality, quick wit, courage and bravery. He can be a lazybones, making the country boys carry him to the forest when he wants fire wood, but he can also be very brave when he meets another popular character of Azerbaijani fairy tales, the Div (a monster or giant). Then puny Cirtdan demonstrates lion-like gallantry and bravery and proves to be the most courageous and nimble of the kids. It is possible for children in other countries too to learn about tiny Cirtdan, the hero of Azerbaijani kids. Maybe children from other countries will also learn how to be small but very able thanks to the Azerbaijani boy Cirtdan. Translation of the fairy tales to English makes this all possible.
"The Azerbaijani fairy tales relate different aspects of the history and rich cultural traditions of our people, its rites, customs, ethical values, and it is highly important for all this material to be accessible to the children of the world. By becoming accessible, it will be firmly engraved in their memories, and this will leave no room for distorted facts about the history and culture of the Azerbaijani people, especially when our neighbours, Armenians, keep trying to appropriate, for example, Azerbaijani Melikmammad and prove that he is a character of their fairy tales. This is precisely why the Azerbaijani Agency for Authorship Rights joined our work. Furthermore, we have to keep in mind that as a literary source, fairy tales are of interest not only to children, but also to adults, who can find a lot of information about the past of a people in them. As for our children, Azerbaijani fairy tales in English will soon become all but the best aids for them to study that language, which is more than necessary in view of the increasing pace of our integration into Europe. And it is very important that children do useful work for the good of Motherland," Namazali Mustafayev said.
When most of the textual material for the translation of the fairy tales was ready, it became clear that they would lose some of their magic if they were not illustrated. And who could be more up to the task if not children? Who can imagine a better drawing for a favourite fairy tale than a child? So children were invited to illustrate the fairy tales. A contest was announced for Azerbaijani folk fairy tales with illustrations by children, with the participation of children from the Tofiq Ismayilov Creativity Centre for Children and Youth and the Humanitarian Lycee at Baku Slavic University. Some children took up paints and brushes for the first time in their lives. Young artists surprised professionals not only with the richness of their imagination and fantasy, but also with their surprising command of colour and depth of their knowledge of the content of the material. There were children who drew several illustrations for one fairy tale, creating a series of drawings. When the choice was made, an exhibition of children's paintings was organized at the V. Samadova Gallery in 2009, where the illustrations for Azerbaijani fairy tales were on display. The project found support among prominent Azerbaijani artists - Togrul Narimanbayov, Aga Ali Ibrahimov, Fuad Salayev, Oqtay Sixaliyev, Arif Huseynov and others. In October-November 2010, an exhibition of children's art was organized as part of the "Azerbaijani Folk Tales With Illustrations by Children" contest in Ganca, at the Children's Art Gallery, in cooperation with the Ganca branch of the Union of Artists of Azerbaijan. An even more important event was the release and presentation in February 2011 of a bilingual English-Azeri calendar for 2011, "Azerbaijani Fairy Tales Through the Eyes of Children," with organizational support from the Union of Artists of Azerbaijan and Agency for Authorship Rights. The purpose of printing the calendar was rewarding the work of talented children, young artists, and presenting it to the general public. During the event, the organizers presented paintings that were included in the calendar after summarizing the results of the artistic contests for children in Baku and Ganca.
Honoured Artist of Azerbaijan Rafael Muradov was one of the initiators of the project, and he has volunteered to work with children by conducting master classes for them. What can we say? His enthusiasm and lively interest in this work are not in vain. The children take to their art, listen to his every word and watch every gesture. At the same time, Rafael Muallim is trying to guide, but not correct, the work of talented youngsters. Any hasty attempt to interfere in this wonderful realm may affect an unusual talent, daring in choosing colour, in the ability to highlight what even professionals may not always notice. "I am amazed how children who possess no profound or even rudimentary knowledge of visual arts can find surprising methods of depicting a plot or choosing colours which even I, a professional artist, should desirably have in my arsenal. And they manage to accomplish this with ease and facility, as if this was natural. This is amazing," the artist said in conversation with our correspondent. Esmeralda Tagizada, head of the Esmeralda Art Studio, also supports the initiative of the Development and Peace nongovernmental organization and provides guidance to children when they work on illustrations for fairy tales.
Natiq Isayev, head of the Agency for Authorship Rights, believes that organizing and conducting the Azerbaijani Fairy Tales Through the Eyes of Children projects and translating Azerbaijani fairy tales into the English language are forms of combating the "terrorism" in the field of Azerbaijani intellectual property, which is practised by Armenians. As for the children, participation in the project makes them more interested in arts, sciences, knowledge and reading and plays a positive role in identifying young talents. But most importantly, it is these children that are real and potential defenders of Azerbaijani national culture and folklore.
An R+ correspondent has interviewed participants in the My Favourite Fairy Tale project too. Looking at them and listening to them, you begin to realize that the future of our country is in good hands: their work and their keen interest in the national culture that teaches them spirituality, kindness and mercy - categories which have become almost a luxury these days - testifies to this.
Ilkin Cafarov is one of the first participants in the Azerbaijani Fairy Tales Through the Eyes of Children project. He is one of the talented students of Tatyana Kesar, a member of the Artists' Union of Azerbaijan, at the Children's World gallery where he has been attending classes since he was a third-grader. After reading many Azerbaijani folk fairy tales and successfully passing all the selection phases of the project, Ilkin drew four graphic works for the fairy tale "Shah Suleyman and the Ant". The young artist paints on canvas very well too. He drew four illustrations to the fairy tale "A Fox and a Wolf" on canvas. All these drawings were on display at the My Favourite Fairy Tale exhibition of children's art. Today, Ilkin is in the 11th grade at Secondary School No 82. He considers his love for graphic arts a hobby. "I relax when I draw. The most important thing for me is work. But drawing is more like a hobby for me." In the future, Ilkin wants to work in business or finance. For 10 years now, he has been studying computer-assisted design and was the third best in a contest which was organized by the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry. He designs web sites. "I think that I must achieve everything on my own in life. I want to be always in control of my life, and my loved ones should never be in need." Ilkin spends most of his time with his grandfather, Azerbaijan's first academic typographer Saddat Cafarov. He helps him as a volunteer.
Esmer Suleymanov is one of the most single-minded participants in the project. She is 17 years old. Esmer studied at Susa's Secondary School No 1. Her native town is occupied by Armenia, and her school has been temporarily transferred to Baku. Esmer has been studying at the studio of Tofiq Mammadov, a member of the Artists' Union, for several years. She has been drawing her native landscapes and still lifes since her childhood. Esmer is a frequent participant in exhibitions on Youth Day, Day of Commemoration of the Victims of Xocali and other events. She took part in the My Favourite Fairy Tale project with seven graphic works of illustrations for "A Lion and a Hare" and "The Brave and the  Cowardly". In 2009, Esmer joined the A. Azimzada Arts College. Esmer has a dream: After the liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani territories, she wants to go back to Susa and paint the landscapes of her native land, which are so dear to her heart. As for professional growth, Esmer wants to be a fashion designer. At present, her favorite designer is Faxriyya Xalafova.
Farida Agayeva is 10 years old, and she is in the sixth grade of the European Lycee in Baku. She also studies at the children's Esmeralda Arts Studio. In the My Favourite Fairy Tale project she participated with illustrations for "Aliyar and the Hare". "I like drawing very much. I have a lot of studying to do, and drawing means a rest from all that for me," she said. Farida loves to draw still lifes, horses and landscapes. She does not know yet if her future occupation will be associated with the graphic arts, but at present she and her parents do their best to make her a well-rounded and educated person.
"I want to have some other options when I choose my occupation. I was into gymnastics, I am a member of the school dancing company where they teach us Azerbaijani and European dances. Recently, I danced one of Michael Jackson's dances," she said. Farida is a good student and believes that she should achieve success in life by working hard.
Cabrayil Aliyev is eight years old, he is a third-grader at Secondary School No 6. He, too, is Tatyana Kesar's student at the children's art gallery Children's World. Cabrayil took part in the project with his illustrations for the fairy tale about Cirtdan. He likes to paint abstract pictures and, despite his young age, he has already decided that he will be an artist.
Nargiz Bayramova is 12 years old, she is in the seventh grade at Secondary School No 47. She also studies at Tofiq Mammadov's studio. Nargiz participated in the project with her illustrations for the fairy tale "A Rider and His White Horse." She also wants to be an artist.
Children have created richly illustrated material for Azerbaijan with help from adults. It is time to start developing a new project: to produce animated films using the series of children's drawings that were based on Azerbaijani fairy tales. For example, Nargiz Bayramova painted illustrations to several different plot lines at once when she illustrated "A Rider and His White Horse": "Narbal and His Brothers," "Narbal and the Birds" - and she is not going to stop her work in this area. And after producing animated movies, we can start taking part in different international festivals of animated films. What better way to popularize Azerbaijani culture and folklore can there be?