Russia is one of the 15 Soviet republics
Each republic has its own language and culture
From Islamic tradition, Azerbaijan is the communists’ summer camp SUMMER IN AZERBAIJAN
Hello, dear Brazil spectators,
once again with you, your reporter Ernesto Varela.
After taking this plane in Moscow
and flying across 2400 km,
we’re now landing in the city of Baku,
the capital of Azerbaijan,
a republic down here in the Soviet Union’s map.
How do we call someone who was born in Baku, huh, Waldecy?
Bakunian or Bukunanian?
Look! It’s such a coincidence,
also disembarking with us,
there’s Aliyev saying hi.
He’s Soviet Union’s 2nd strongman in the government.
He’s the president of the KGB!
As you all know, the USSR,
Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics,
is not the same thing as Russia.
Russia is just one of the 15 republics
that form the Soviet Union.
There in that mural we see, in the first place,
Russia, then Ukraine, Belarus, Uzbekistan,
Kazakhstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, where we are now,
Lithuania, Moldova, Latvia, Kirgizstan,
Tajikistan, Armenia, Turkmenistan and Estonia.
The Soviet Republics form a big country,
almost three times the size of Brazil.
There are 12 time zones and, nevertheless,
some images repeat through this hugeness.
Azerbaijan is the Soviet Union’s number 2
oil producer – only behind Siberia.
8.5 million of Azerbaijanis live here
most of them are Arab and Persian
descendants, of all of those people that
live in the Middle East.
This place is called the “Fire Temple”.
In this place, the ancient people,
not knowing what oil was,
used to worship fire as a god.
This is a temple dedicated to the fire cult.
Believe it or not,
Baku is a touristic city, a summer camp city.
It’s like Guarujá, to the Paulistas, or Cabo Frio,
to the Cariocas.
These are images of the promenade that meanders
by Baku’s seashore.
The Soviets are really generous.
While we film, we’re being followed,
I mean, helped,
by a 5 people staff, right, Wadelcy?
There are 4 guys inside the bus,
from the Moscow TV,
and one more here, next to me, from the Baku TV.
No, I didn’t miscount it, this is the atmosphere in here,
it’s like a surveilled freedom.
They don’t speak Russian here in Azerbaijan,
they speak Azeri.
In the USSR, by the way,
approximately 150 languages are spoken,
dear spectators.
Do you want to hear how different Azeri is
from the Russian they speak in Moscow?
Speak some Azeri, boss.
It’s impressive,
I don’t get anything
of the words he’s saying.
This is the famous samovar.
Not just the English like tea.
Here in the Soviet Union,
everybody loves tea.
Tea! Tea! Tea! Finally we found a word that’s similar.
On a Sunday like this,
people in Brazil just have an ice cold beer,
while you just take a hot little tea, right?
Yaxsi? Yaxsi!
For those who don’t know, “yaxsi”, in Azeri,
means “horosho” in Russian.
And “horosho”, in Portuguese means “very good”.
We’re now going
to visit a bar in Baku
where they don’t sell alcoholic beverages.
After all we’re in a region of people
with Islamic roots.
As you read in there,
this poster up there is saying
“Battle against alcoholic beverages”,
and on the poster below it’s written
“This is a self-service service”.
They have pancakes,
fried eggs,
tomato salad,
and some sweets, like donuts,
yogurts, many types of yogurts and juices,
hard-boiled eggs,
coffee and milk.
You don’t have any cachaça in here, man?
You don’t have vodka?
Let’s make our little meal then,
let’s sit there, Waldecy.
Gorbachev’s new government
has been making some anti-alcoholic policies.
It seems that the Russian have been drinking a lot
lately.
Today, for example, pubs had
their working period reduced,
besides the fact that they also reduced the amount of pubs
specially those that were near
workplaces.
Another policy from the new government
was to cut Christmas bonus salary
of people that were arriving drunk
at work.
Now we’re going to take look in a fair that
here in Azerbaijan, they call “bazaar”,
a Persian word.
I don’t know if the shops are state-owned
or if they’re private.
Are you a shop owner, mam?
We’re from a “kolkhoz”,
we work in a collective farm.
From the “kolkhoznic”?
The “kolkhoz” are the Soviet Union’s
collective farms.
They’re members of the farm
and produced the amount
they had to give to the state
and now they’re here selling
the surplus to the population.
Is this peach good, mam?
Let’s see if it’s good…
How much is a peach, sir?
A ruble? For 1 kg? A ruble for a kilo?
This is how the Soviet economy is like:
in Moscow, with 10 rubles, 10 kg of peaches, you can pay your rent, housing, electricity and water.
Chicken?! Chicken?!
A ruble? It’s cheap!
There’re many good things in this fair.
Grapes, plums, watermelons, tomatoes! Look, look.
They all look pretty good.
A melon… How is the melon?
“Horosho”, this melon?
“Horosho”, he said that the melon is good!
There’s a fruit in there, look, very interesting,
look, Waldecy, show it.
It’s like a tangerine without the peel
let’s find out what it is.
Hey, boss, what is this little fruit?
What’s that?
Shamamor? Is it from Azerbaijan? Azerbaijan?
How am I suppose to eat it?
Hum, it smells good.
Can I bite it?
It’s a pity you can’t feel it
but it smells very good.
Can I bite it? No?!
Oh, it’s not for eating!
You have to hang it your house
to perfume the environment.
And this? Ok, “horosho”.
Just as the Brazilian people,
the Soviet people is composed
by a mix of many races.
Baku is the Caucasus’ little princess.
Here, near the city,
there are many summer camps
where the Soviets come to spend
their leisure time.
I and my little Soviet crew
that grows bigger and bigger now,
are going to take a little walk in the beach.
Vamos a la playa, guys?
– How are you. – I’m good.
“Pajalusta” means “how are you?”.
In this place we have a very interesting point of view,
dear spectators.
If we look and would go swimming
that way, we’d get to Iran.
To the other side, that way,
estaríamos indo para uma outra república we would get to another Soviet Republic.
Back here is Turkey
and above it all, there’s Lenin.
So, dear spectators,
we arrived in a beautiful beach called…
What is the name of this beach, Nazin?
– Ganjilik. – Ganjilik.
To get the beach people in a good mood
they hang a speaker up on an iron pole
and they play some cheerful music.
Let’s go there talk to those babes,
Waldecy. Let’s go.
What’s the last summer trend here in Russia,
I mean, Soviet Union?
The less clothing, the better.
The lesser?
The lesser you dress?!
The bathing suit? The clothing?
We’re still being photographed
and observed in here, dear spectators.
Actually, there’s not much difference
from the Brazilian beaches.
Except for the sand, that’s a bit darker
and harder.
People are sort of the same
we see in the beaches down in Brazil.
There’s only a wall back there, dividing the beaches…
Hey, Nazin, excuse me.
Why is there a wall separating the beaches?
Because each beach belongs to a different spa.
So there’re not streams of people…
Everything is organized.
Yeah, everything is organized and controlled.
If you’re from the oil producers syndicate
you can’t have a bath with the guys from
the potatoes producers syndicate.
They’re very organized, but, just like in Brazil,
there’s always a way to get things.
Let’s go there and show the summer camp, Waldecy,
come here.
Easy there, Waldecy.
The KGB is photographing us. And now we’re on the other side of the wall
where the beach is even busier.
Also here in the Soviet Union
there’re these young men playing with
their undesirable little balls.
Look, Waldecy, though it’s a Soviet beach,
there’s a little soccer game going on, look.
The “central back”, as you can see,
is that strong, blonde, 1,85m tall woman.
Do you want to play, Waldecy?
Let’s go, let’s show the Soviets
how this game is played.
Are they letting us play?
And now, the art-soccer supremacy…
The supremacy of a spectacle-soccer was unquestionable…
Now it’s Waldecy’s favorite part:
when everyone just sit, and drink their little
their little… their little tea?
– Are you a Soviet? – Yes, I am.
What do you do for living?
I’m a French and Czech speaking touristic guide.
Do the soviets can go wherever they want
in their vacations, are they able to travel,
they don’t need any special authorization?
Of course, it’s normal for us to visit other republics.
That is: you can go anywhere you want to
since you don’t leave the Soviet Union.
Let’s talk to a Soviet family in vacations.
This is Igor, he’s a welder,
this is his son, Okostia and Tania, his wife.
Do you travel every year during vacations?
Almost every year, I rarely stay in my city.
Is it hard to get a place
in a summer camp like this?
How long do you have to stay in line
to get it?
There’s no line. I just buy a train ticket and come.
Every Soviet citizen has the right to vacations, it’s in the Constitution.
I’m asking you all those questions
because in Brazil, it is very difficult
for a metalworker
to spend his vacations in such a cool beach
like this, in Baku, here in the Soviet Union.
Alright, dear spectators,
this is all for today,
And the number of Soviet friends in our table
only gets bigger and bigger.
This week you saw the Soviets’ vacations.
Next week, I’ll show them working.
– Right, Nazin? – Yes.
Perfect.