Ilham comes to Ganja

Yesterday Ganja was graced with a visit from the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliev. I explained some about him before but in case you haven’t read that entry I’ll explain a little about him. His father is the immortal Heydar Aliev, the former president before he took ill and died in 2003. His son, Ilham miraculously was elected to succeed his father. Regardless of how legitimately he came into power he is still the president and there had been a flurry of activity around the city for about a week in order to prepare for his arrival. It was quite incredible. The men in this country were actually working!!! I wish I had had my camera to capture this rare moment on film. Suddenly a fresh coat of paint covered the lines on the roads, the curbs and the park benches. Patches of sidewalk were finally repaired. Apparently this happens in every city before the president comes. For months no improvements or beautification projects are undertaken but as soon as word gets out that the president is coming towns suddenly look like a post card.
I also learned that there would be no school and university classes were canceled so that students could be taken by bus to stand and greet Ilham at the airport. Not only were they forced to go to the airport but they also were requested to purchase their own Azeri flag. This was probably no big deal since most people here already own several flags. The city was also providing free transport to the airport for anyone else who wanted to go. As the buses were leaving at 7:00 AM I decided to pass on that one.
However I wanted to get a feel for this occasion. Around 9:30 when I walked outside there were already people making their way towards the main boulevard, where the motorcade was scheduled to enter the center of town. Large groups of school children and teachers were waiting patiently on the curb with Azerbaijan flags, plastic flowers and giant posters of Ilham and his father and the police were trying their best to control the traffic.
After a while larger groups of school kids flooded into the streets. Apparently these were the kids who had been bussed to the airport and now they were quickly being bussed back into town in order to greet the president again. The directors, teachers and even some police officers were trying to maintain order and orchestrate proper ‘curbside standing and flag waving’ What was interesting is that they were lined up only on one side of the street. I thought this was a bit odd. But I find lots of things odd in this country. Then a while later after everyone had been standing around for a good hour or so, one man came along and gave us all a clapping lesson. What amazed me really though is how people just patiently waited. I know most everywhere else I’ve been after maybe half an hour of nothing, people would just say f-this and leave. But here everyone just stood and waited, and waited and waited.
It was also pertinent that the streets remain immaculate. Several street sweeping ladies clad in yellow cloaks were positioned all along the road so that when the wind blew and even one leaf fell on the road or some guy threw his cigarette butt onto the pavement they would hobble out with their mini-brooms and immediately sweep it up.
Finally after another 15 to 20 minutes Ilham’s motorcade sped by at about 100 miles an hour. I don’t think the kids even had enough time to put their hands together even once he drove by so fast. Immediately after he drove by everyone sprinted to the other side of the street and got reorganized. And then 15 minutes later the motorcade took another pass at 120 MPH. There was another half handed clap. And then that was it- or at least all that I cared to see. Ilham did lay flowers at the foot of the statue of his father (Did I mention that there is a stature of Heydar in EVERY city in Azerbaijan and almost every night on T.V. there is a news clip of Ilham placing flowers at the foot of one of these statues) and he went to the grand opening of the new swimming pool in town which I’ve heard that women are actually allowed to go to.
That was yesterday’s excitement now it is back to life as usual and things will remain pretty much as is, with little to no progress until the next time the president comes.