11.4 - Contributors

Winter 2003 (11.4)

Contributors

Artist Eldar Babazade, who painted our cover of the hoopoe (shanapipik) bird often draws upon metaphors from folklore and religion. A social critic, he warns against following tradition blindly and challenges his viewers: "Wake up! Get a brain! Shape your own destiny." See also pages 57, 58, 63 and 64. Contact him directly at (994-12) 76-26-86 (studio), 71-18-15 (home), or (994-50) 353-1293 (mobile). His works may also be viewed at AZgallery.org where more than 160 Azerbaijani artists and 3,000 works are on display.

Dr. Nadia Diuk defines herself as "almost a true Brit", except that her parents were World War II Ukrainian refugees. Now serving as Director of Europe and Eurasia at the National Endowment, she's helping to define the New Generation that is growing up in the former Soviet Union, specifically in Russia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan. Her survey concludes that Azerbaijani youth, like their counterparts, are still under the influence of some Soviet-style assumptions of their parents' generation. Her new book is coming out soon. Page 36.

What do some of the older generations think about the youth of today? Azerbaijan International magazine's Baku Manager Arzu Aghayeva interviewed her father
Dr. Mehman Aghayev about his impressions. In his 50s, Dr. Aghayev identifies advantages to growing up in both periods-the Soviet as well as the contemporary independent period. But all in all, he's optimistic about the future, under one condition - more job opportunities need to be opened up for the youth. Page 70.

Brilliant in her fluency in English, it was Sona Abbasova who provided the energized simultaneous translation between Dr. Alik Zeynalov and AI Editor Betty Blair that facilitated the depth and personal perspective for the article, "Soviet Collapse: The Thirties Generation: Changing Horses Midstream". More than any other age group, youth in their 30s, who had grown up in the Soviet system and were suddenly confronted with a totally new political system as they came of age, have had to be extremely savvy in their life choices. Page 42.

Drawing upon friendships among her university classmates at Baku State University, Aynura Huseinova, Editorial Assistant at Azerbaijan International, has compiled a list of contemporary slang to identify sensitive issues of youth. Her analysis shows that Azerbaijanis in their early 20s have similar concerns to most young people worldwide - gaining independence from parents, becoming individuals in their own right, and particularly not being viewed as stupid by their peers. It's just that the metaphors in Azeri are different as in: "Go make your own yogurt!" or "Your donkey is dead!" Page 56.