ERA OF UNCERTAINTY. There was yet more weirdness to be uncovered. After numerous attempts, Theroux finally obtained a rare visa to travel around the closed Central Asian nation, before the death in December of President Saparmurat Niyazov. The best horses of the breed, distinguished by shimmering coats, long delicate necks and legs and popularly revered as "the wings of the Turkmen," will be chosen "to promote the glory of the heavenly racehorse worldwide," the decree said. Best TV Actors and Actresses from Each State, Back to the Future Trilogy: Top 30 Vehicles, 50 Most Heartbreaking Moments from the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: Ranking the 67 Best Characters, Ranking All 50 Episodes of Game of Thrones, 50 Biggest WTF Moments in Star Wars History. So if you're looking for people who are propping up the regime, it would be everyone who does this essential work. But that pretty much sums up why people watch Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. And even then, there are not many details. The death of Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov ends an era and begins a period of great uncertainty in Turkmenistan....(more). Passport: When it was a Soviet republic it was just a neglected place. In America, it's not so strong. They're involved in a lot of things. That's the really the horrible thing about Niyazov -- he took all this money and used it for himself. Everything about it I found worthy of interest. The family is a very strong unit in Turkmenistan. You have to see that he's part of a tendency. I was recently in Houston, Texas, and the airport in Houston, Texas, is the George H.W. There is an interesting fact that foreign businessmen used it for their own benefit by translating "Rukhnama" into their own languages. And she was not an unhealthy woman. The President of Turkmenistan and his grandson have appeared together in a bizarre music video dedicated to the leader's favourite horse. And they're not even the countries like Zimbabwe, [which], of course, is badly governed, or Kenya, or Zambia. What interested me about Turkmenistan is that the Turkmen people are very rarely involved in the technical areas of natural-gas exploration. And I'll probably never be invited back. New satellite images highlight the disappearance of the Aral Sea. It would be so easy because they have so much money. They know where Turkey is, vaguely, but Turkmenistan is an unknown place. There's no end to it, because there's an almost unending supply of natural gas. Wearing … Apparently one animal does get the Turkmen seal of approval: horses. They were also named after him. And just when you thought the piece was coming to an end with Berdimuhamedov’s horse racing fall, Oliver extends the segment on the human rights violating strongman DJ with a horse obsession. Guinness World Records can be cool and can be interesting. And a very common theme is that people talked about the families. Berdimuhamedov, an avid equestrian, wrote a 2008 book about Turkmen horse breeds. ", To comment on a portion of text or report a mistake or typo, select the text in the article and press Ctrl + Enter (or click. As in other dictatorships, Turkmenbashi announced himself to be a writer, and his books were published. One of the biggest mistakes that can be made in any country is to name an airport or name a river or name something after a living person. So you can't criticize Niyazov too much. Turkmenistan leader’s latest obsession: horses, The Game That Ruins Friendships and Shapes Careers, America’s Pandemic War Games Don’t End Well, China Backs Off From Fight With K-Pop Fans, How a Biden Presidency Could Hurt Netanyahu—and Help Him. And their next question is... RFE/RL: "Where is that?!" If there was an embargo on natural-gas workers, the country would fail. [Before] my piece appeared in "The New Yorker" magazine, lots of people said, "Where is it?" What is your vision of Turkmenistan in 10 years, let's say? I tried to explain to a student that Turkmenistan borders Iran, and the next question was, "Where's Iran?" Burma is an example. By using this site, you agree we can set and use cookies. Not that I'm putting [Turkmenistan] on the map, but it makes it more interesting. He cut people off. But I think you can assume she was very badly treated. I met more writers and students than I did other people, [such as] farmers, which I would have liked to have met -- farmers and, you know, horse breeders and other people. This is something that Niyazov did. Owning ten percent of the world’s population of Akhal-Tekes certainly qualifies as having an obsession, never mind the three books and questionable language describing horse-human relations. I never got any information [in Turkmenistan]. Or was your only learning about her from the outside? We have a very unpopular president who does things his own way. The countryside is rugged, but the people have found a way of living in it. The Akhal-Teke (/ ˌ æ k əl ˈ t ɛ k / or / ˌ æ k əl ˈ t ɛ k i /; from Turkmen Ahalteke, ) is a Turkmen horse breed. Many places are strange in somewhat the same way. It was just such a lot of trouble to get a visa. Theroux: Yes, that's ridiculous, isn't it? RFE/RL journalists report the news in 27 languages in 23 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established. So you have to think of Turkmenistan like that. Of course, Oliver is well aware that his show has a certain randomness to what the stories it features. Nobody could have predicted that Last Week Tonight was going to talk about the horse-loving authoritarian president of Turkmenistan and end with a record-setting marble cake. Berdimuhamedow, a dentist by profession, served in the government under President Saparmurat Niyazov as Minister of Health beginning in 1997 and as Vice-President beginning in 2001. Turkmenistan has marked its national Horse Day, an annual holiday celebrated with particular enthusiasm by authoritarian President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov. It's very hard to get a visa [to go] there. Some rudimentary guitar rifts also feature in the video, followed by some strange camera shots of Berdymukhamedov looking at his grandson. The race took place at the Equestrian Sports Complex near Ashgabat as part of nationwide events to celebrate the Turkmen Horse Day, which culminated in an annual horse-beauty contest. The President of Turkmenistan and his grandson have appeared together in a bizarre music video dedicated to the leader's favourite horse. Although people talk about regime change, I think it would be a big mistake if another country went in and said, "Well, this man is a fool and an egotist and he's insane, let's get rid of him." Turkmenistan has marked its national Horse Day, an annual holiday celebrated with particular enthusiasm by authoritarian President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov. When you were in America, I'm sure people said to you, "Jamal, where do you come from?" Knife throwing, firearm cycling, rapping, and playing the guitar in a cloud of smoke are just some of the hobbies Oliver shows us to start the segment. We provide what many people cannot get locally: uncensored news, responsible discussion, and open debate. The clips of Berdimuhamedov seem like something from a comedy about a cult of personality dictator. RFE/RL: As is seen in your descriptions, you were greatly impressed by the golden sculptures portraying the late President Saparmurat Niyazov that bore witness to his great personality cult. It's strange that people had to memorize it. It's a silly book. A lot of them are from England, from Great Britain. And that was the other thing that Niyazov did. Turkmenistan’s 5 million people celebrate the Akhal Teke horse as a national emblem — horses are often bestowed as gifts to foreign leaders and eating horse meat is especially taboo. So people don't trouble to find out. But as far as the "Rukhnama" goes, I think the book is merely a symbol of his stupidity and insanity. Think of all the money they have and how easy it would be to solve the simple problems of roads, communications, housing, hospitals in Turkmenistan. If you asked me what I think about this country, about the United States, or the Czech Republic, or Germany, or England, or India, it would all be how are they governed. Late President Saparmurat Niyzaov in 2005. She died in mysterious circumstances. But also other countries -- Venezuela. RFE/RL: I know in the Czech Republic, one of the businessmen translated the book into the Czech language. Ninety percent are Muslim, but they're not the stereotyped Muslims of the American demonized imagination. The respect within the family is unusually strong in Turkmenistan and, as you know in America, and also in Europe, the family is not a very strong unit. Even the best ones are not particularly well governed. I met very nice students. Theroux: That's a hard one. So I'm against that. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. Niyazov and his ministers stated that it is the people of Turkmenistan who glorified his personality cult. That's a tendency. You name a country. Well, to me, that's a bit like Niyazov. His book "Rukhnama" was the main book that should be taught at all schools. In his article, "The Golden Man: Saparmurat Niyazov's Reign Of Insanity," Theroux refers to Niyazov as "one of the wealthiest and most powerful lunatics on Earth" and describes the capital, Ashgabat, as "an example of what happens when absolute political power, money, and mental illness are combined." If someone responsible who cares about the people of Turkmenistan, who really cares about their welfare -- education and health -- spends the money to help them, it would be simple. So that helps. Oliver shows this certainly applies to the president of Turkmenistan, who is equal parts dangerous and odd. Everyone who does business with him, in fact. But the responsibility for his being in power, the ultimate responsibility, lies with the people. He's just flattering him. But anyway, that's why I'm a writer, to help people understand. The food is good. Paul Theroux: Her name was mentioned to me when I was in Turkmenistan -- Muradova. We'll never pass along your email address to spammers, scammers, or the like. Wearing dark sunglasses and a popped collared-white shirt, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov was joined by his grandson, Kerimguly, 14, who played the keyboard and sang on the track, which was broadcast on state media. Lebanon’s Saad Hariri is back by unpopular demand, IR scholars give Trump an F-, and Beltway insiders’ favorite board game. So it's a place where the technical workers that I saw come from outside the country and, of course, the money comes from outside the country. Berdymukhammedov narrowly escaped serious injury in a horse riding event in Ashgabat in 2013, when his horse fell after crossing the finish line, throwing him in front of other horses which only just missed him. Could Niyazov's Death Lead To Political Struggle, Instability? This was the cause for listing this achievement in the Guinness World Records. The history is very dramatic. The more you look at it, the less you see. The Akhal teke horse owned by President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov managed to cover the distance of 10 meters in 4.19 seconds on back legs. Late Night Television news from FanSided TV, Saturday Night Live throwback: Celebrating recurring characters, Late night: Five guests to get excited for this week – August 12, John Oliver explains prison labor, how prisoners spend money, and who profits, John Oliver's Turkmenistan segment takes a turn with a very massive cake, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver explains Boris Johnson's rise in Great Britain. They simply don't know it. So if I write a piece like this -- this is a very long piece in a magazine that's read by millions of people. And you said, "Turkmenistan." Government officials in the country usually kept them in their offices and homes as a sign of loyalty to the leader. It's a symbol of his weak mind. But I would say that it all depends on the leadership. President's Death Brings Muted World Reaction, Energy Analyst Discusses Impact Of Niyazov's Death, Niyazov's Death Prompts Integration Hopes, Gas Worries In Russia. The money is still flowing in. That's a very hard one.