SHUSHA: THE DAY OF RETURN

"We are back!" This enthusiastic and fervent exclamation concluded the keynote address of Yadigar Muradov, director of the Shusha State Music and Drama Theatre, actor and director, Honoured Artist of Azerbaijan before the start of their new performance of The Adventures of the Vizier of Lankaran Khanate. The open-air event took place in Shusha, amid the natural scenery—in the mulberry grove surrounded by trees and covered with soft green grass. The area was also covered with the Garabagh rugs and cushions for the audience to sit on, who also played the role of vizier's guests. There was something in this stylistic move invented by Loghman Kerimov, the stage director, the Honoured Artist and Honoured Culture Figure, that was similar to a performance by a street theatre! It blended organically into the ambience of the event, the natural landscape and the logical course of contemporary history.

Premiere

After thirty long years, the Shusha Theatre returned to the land from which it had been expelled. It returned to mark its return to the cultural space of Garabagh with the premiere of The Adventures... The event marked the 200th anniversary performance of the play in the land of Shusha, for the first time in 30 years! Here, among the mulberry trees, in the open air, the entertaining story of the vizier of the Lankaran Khanate looked like a fairy tale for adults. It was attended not only by the actors of the theatre, but by the representatives of the theatre community of Azerbaijan, staff of various departments working on the restoration of Shusha, servicemen, and ordinary workers. The opening night of the first performance in 30 years created the atmosphere of a family-like and confidential celebration, where the joy of return was the same for everyone. This day will definitely go down in the history of the theatre as the Homecoming Day, and as the Day of Theatrical Revival for the theatre community. Not just in Shusha, but throughout Garabagh. Because throughout the entire journey from Baku to Shusha and back, which lasted for almost 20 hours, we could often hear ‘We’re back!’ as a proof of that feeling of joy one experiences upon return to where he’s long been away from.

What comes next? Rethinking of ourselves, affiliation with the cultural past and present of our ethnicity. Pride of our army led by the Commander-in-Chief to fight for justice. Understanding that we, who live on this bountiful land, can only be strong together, by holding each other's hands. Our warriors who stormed the steep cliffs of Dashalty have already proved it. We all looked from above down to the eponymous village trying to imagine how the brave soldiers sacrificed their lives to tame the cold abyss in early November 2020 to fulfil their mission and to capture this enormous height called Cıdır Düzü. Those who have never been in the mountains cannot understand how difficult it is to fight in such conditions, let alone to move around, even walk with measured, unhurried steps. What about climbing up the steep mirror-like surface of cold winter cliffs with arms? Just try to take a look into the abyss and you’ll understand that it is not for the faint-hearted!

Revival

In a short time the state of Azerbaijan has restored the destroyed roads in Garabagh. All settlements along the Baku-Shusha route are now connected by a perfectly paved, two-lane, comfortable highway. It is designed for all types of transport, including both light and heavy vehicles. The works on the upgrade of roads continue. Some completed works in Shusha include the restoration of the Vagif Mausoleum, the once-famous rose garden, the central street of the city leading to Cıdır Düzü, the Yuxarı Gövhər Ağa Mosque, and so on. In short, life in the cradle of arts of Azerbaijan is reborn. Intensive works are carried out without any fuss, gradually and with quality to restore historical monuments which constitute the national wealth of our nation. The damaged land is coming back to life with lush green vegetation, blooming meadow herbs in Cıdır Düzü, trees that sprout through the roofs of destroyed houses—everything stretches towards the tender sun that surrounds everything with its love. Life has returned to the war-torn city. It came back to stay here forever. As did the Shusha State Music and Drama Theatre, whose premiere performance marks not only the theatre’s return, but also the rebirth of life, culture, art, infrastructure and faith in Shusha. Faith that all the best is ahead of us.

"We're back!"

That’s what the theatre’s director Yadigar Muradov said in his keynote address. He was joined by Loghman Kerimov, theatre's chief director and author of the play, Prof. PhD. Aydin Talibzade, theatrical historian and Honoured Artist of Azerbaijan, as well as all the culture and art professionals delegated by the Ministry of Culture, who were congratulating each other and praising our army and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief with the victory and the great return to Shusha. We have indeed returned to spread the vivid music and rhythms of our songs and dances at Cıdır Düzü, the surrounding mountains, and the ravine above the precipice... We have returned to see and enjoy how all the actors, servicemen, staff of the theatre and representatives of the theatrical community of Azerbaijan join their hands in a dance to celebrate the successful ending of the performance. It seemed that the life-affirming rhythms were rising up, enveloping the mountains and penetrating the stone blocks of rocks to blend into this space forever! This day will definitely go down not only in the history of the Shusha Theatre, but also in the history of Shusha and the national theatrical community as the Day of Azerbaijani Renaissance.

Konul Jafarova, head of the Theatre Sector at the Department of Art and Intangible Cultural Heritage, shared her views on the role of the Ministry of Culture in the process of reviving the theatrical art:

“Our ministry has initiated the development of a set of proposals for the construction of theatre buildings in Shusha, Aghdam and Fuzuli. I hope that very soon these ‘refugee theatres’ will return to native lands. Their legal addresses are not just a bunch of locations on the map. They are symbols of strength and energy that inspire creativity. You have seen this for yourself by watching the performance: space determines not only the form, but also the artistic essence of theatre. It was possible to ensure the return of the Shusha Theatre thanks to the joint action plan developed and implemented by the Ministry of Culture and its sponsors; it has a special meaning and significance for us. For the first time in 30 years, the state theatre of Shusha has staged a production in the homeland! To date, the Ministry of Culture has developed many projects to continue this tradition. Our soldiers, our defenders returned our historic lands to us by demonstrating heroism and courage. Now it is our duty to revive culture and the arts on these sacred lands.

They fought for homeland

Before leaving Shusha, we looked once again at the mountain tops, the lush greenery and... the workers who were carefully and lovingly laying paving stones along the repaired streets of Shusha. We just thought that it must be the new road that would bring in new life to Shusha. The lives of those who died for the freedom of this land were not sacrificed in vain. After all, for many centuries this blessed land has been absorbing the blood and bodies of innocent victims. No statistical data is available. But the mighty mountains—mute witnesses of human life on Earth—remember everything: both good and bad. Unfortunately, they do not speak to people in their language. Otherwise they would have told us about how senseless are wars and extermination of human beings of each other. That story would have been scarier than any thriller movie.

Four young men who came with the delegation to attend the premiere of the play are the eyewitnesses of the 2020 war to liberate Garabagh. Although they did not take part in the Shusha offensive, their experience in liberating Fuzuli, Kalbajar, Sugovushan and Aghdam gave them a chance to depict with artistic authenticity exactly how the events took place to feel once again their contribution to the victory.

These were our contemporaries standing in front of the ancient mountains, on the land repeatedly drenched in the blood of our ancestors. And it was clear that the phrase by Shahrabanu-khanim, one of the main characters in Mirza Fatali Akhundov's play Monsieur ussier Jordan... "We do not want someone else's land, but we will not give up our own either" is not just a beautiful phrase. It is the principle of a warrior, defender. Perhaps these mountains still remember how the heroic ancestors of these young men—the Qajars, the Javanshirs, the Vezirs—once stood here; they remember Molla Panah Vagif walking by composing his poems and contemplating matters of state importance. And now this place sees their descendants, who stand here, on the land of ancient Shusha and pay due tribute to the historical memory of their homeland—Shahmar Mammadov, actor of the Ganja Drama Theatre, Shamil Mammadaliyev, chief director of the Ganja Puppet Theatre, Tarlan Askerli, artist of the National Academic Drama Theatre, and director of the Youth Department of STD, Daghlar Yusif, theatrical critic—as guarantors of strength, courage and love for Azerbaijan. Our children. Our boys. Our warriors. Our defenders. The chain of times has closed. There's no break in it anymore. We are back!