Behind the Jimmy Choose, Chanel and more- the life of ordinary Azerbaijanis

Some time ago, when President Aliyev came to Turkey on an official visit, the local newspapers put aside the official language of the meetings and preferred instead to focus on the first lady. The headlines were all about the impeccable taste for fashion of Mehriban Aliyeva. So seeing this piece few days ago, wasn't surprising. After all, they are the daughters of a fashionista. But at what cost? A pair of Jimmy Choose for instance can cost anything from 848 to 125EUR according to the company's official website. Chanel bags, often adorning first lady's shoulder (in all colors and sizes) are between 15,000USD and 2,600USD according to this website. Of course the list of brands and products can go on and on and so can their prices. They are the President's wife and daughters but can a pair of Jimmy Choose really cover up the behind the fashion scenes of average Azerbaijanis?

Baku has become an expensive city to live in. It has also changed. New restaurants, cafes, boutique shops pop up here and there. But they are not cheap. I think it was my mother's birthday. We had a wonderful time but when I paid the check and we were about to leave, something that she said touched me. Being a doctor of some 40+ years, dedicated to her job, she said to me that she would have never afford coming here given the check was around half of her monthly salary. And there I was, surprised and yet frustrated that I, with some 5+ years of experience, could afford a life style not just my mom, but many of our older generation folks cannot afford (and this is just a simple dinner, at a decent restaurant). 

Then came the time when I had to take care of my mom when she had a stroke. One of the shots she had to be given, cost quarter of her salary. She needed these shots every day.

So here we are, with my mom being just one example while there millions of moms like mine struggling, surviving, depending on their children (if their children can actually take care of their parents) and our fashion and brand conscious first lady and her daughter, who apparently like to wear lots of mascara and wear their hair down. 

Surely, its not just about fashion and brands. When a big chunk of the country is looking for jobs, or trying to get by on daily basis, isn't it a bit obnoxious to pretend that lots of mascara is all you need? Or when majority of our over-50 elders, struggle with their monthly pensions to simply have a life?

Perhaps the family needs to look beyond the shoulders of their advisers and pretentious officials? I am sure instead of a pair of Jimmy Choose an average Azerbaijani would prefer a good supper on a table, and a worry free life about tomorrows.

'Hypocrisy'

'Hypocrisy' is a short promo video about Azerbaijan and the hidden "treasures" behind Eurovision glitz and glamor.

Baku- a year later, changes are there but what about conscience?

My heart was racing. I was standing at the passport control at Haydar Aliyev International Airport. I was nervous. After being called a traitor, an agent and many other negative things by our beloved media, it was my first time home since my last visit to Baku in December of last year. I was nervous and millions of unpleasant thoughts for pacing through my mind. 

Few minutes down the waiting line, a woman in crispy uniform with a pretty smile said "Welcome home!" and stamped my passport. I was smiling too. Now when I think of that moment, I can feel the heavy weight lifting off my shoulders. 

I was excited to be back. 

But Baku didn't change. Apart from new constructions, a bit of usual glitz here and there everything was the same. The sad and stern looks on people's faces were everywhere- on the streets, on public transportation. The daily concerns did not disappear as quickly and as easy as some parts of old Baku destroyed for new construction projects and other mind blowing changes planned for the new Baku.

And though this may sound too dramatic, it felt like I was back in a country that had no future. Yes, and you might not agree with it. You don't have to agree with it. But, we, the citizens of Azerbaijan have no future because our future is being taken away from us. The life, the standards, the country we could possibly have one day, remains a distant dream, hidden inside of people like Bakthiyar Hajiyev who is still serving his unjustly given sentence in prison. 

I thought of the people sitting behind their desks up there watching their Baku and ours, taken apart piece by piece, people forced to misery- all aware of where we have come. Surely, these officials are also aware that no matter how many new buildings they construct, or facades build, they will never cover the reality- poor health care, deteriorating education, non- existent social care and most importantly human relations (you might say how is that relevant, but it is. If you suffocate people so much, no one is going to care about others, its all going to become one big survival of the fittest struggle, if not it has already become so). 

New Baku looks nice, but who is it for? You can "renovate" as many schools as you want, as many hospitals as you want, but if those who work there hold on to their old habits, all of this "beautification" is pointless. If young men on the metro don't know how to behave, if people litter the streets, if no one respects a line in front of an ATM machine- then none of them are going to understand the new Baku. They simply don't care! And why would they- if they struggle with their daily lives, if they need to take care of sick parents, if they need to pay a bribe at their local school or university...

Its just sad. Seeing how much is wasted, the potential human resources, and most importantly the potential future we might have. Its recklessly going away as if we are eternal, as if what have is infinite. We all are going to leave this world one day, but its the next generations who are going to stay behind and struggle with what we are leaving behind. 

Albert Camus once said "by definition, a government has no conscience. Sometimes it has a policy, but nothing more". Today Azerbaijani government has a policy- arrest, silence, forget, bribe, renew, rebuilt and don't look back. The question is, what policy will it have tomorrow? 

In case you are down...

In case you are down or need just tat bit of inspiration or simply want to read something nice and positive, check out Neil Pasricha's 1000 Awesome Things that I discovered just now as I was watching Neil's TED talk. 

And here is his talk: