Turkmenistan now has opera — but real change?

[GlobalPost Moscow correspondent Miriam Elder recently traveled to Turkmenistan where she reported on the country's new leadership, below, as well as its stability and the battle for its natural gas resources.]

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan — When one of the world’s most eccentric dictators died two years ago, many hoped the Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan would become a new country.

Saparmurat Niyazov — better known as Turkmenbashi, or “Father of all Turkmen,” a name he gave himself — ruled the country with an iron fist. Critics, be they close advisors or random Turkmen speaking freely, were jailed. Travel restrictions were tight, and government officials were forbidden from traveling abroad.

Two years into the rule of President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, health minister under Turkmenbashi and the longest serving minister in his cabinet, things have changed — at least on the surface.

The photos of Turkmenbashi that adorned offices, stadiums, theaters and the facades of buildings around the country have been taken down. They have been replaced with photos of Berdymukhamedov, standing in front of a traditional Turkmen rug and staring longingly at a white dove.

Berdymukhamedov lifted the ban on opera enforced by his predecessor — but the ban on ballet remains. The names of the months have been changed back to the original. Turkmenbashi had named them after himself and his mother, who died in a massive earthquake when he was just 8 years old.

Women stand on Ashgabat's main square practicing for the annual independence day parade. (Miriam Elder/GlobalPost)

In a two-for-one shot, Berdymukhamedov pleased foreign investors by redenominating the country’s currency, and pleased himself by removing Turkmenbashi’s face from all the bills, except the highest denomination, 500 manat ($175). Rumors in Ashgabat, the capital, hold that Berdymukhamedov plans to print a 1,000-manat note and put his face on that.

“He seems to be becoming his own person,” said one western diplomat. “Even more so recently, he’s got this confidence to exude.”

Berdymukhamedov spent the first year of his presidency taking some steps to opening up the country, aware that foreign investment and expertise would be needed to develop its massive gas reserves. Estimates vary on how much gas Turkmenistan actually holds, but experts agree that it ranks among the world’s top-four national gas reserves.

He eased travel restrictions inside the country, lifting checkpoints, and made it easier for all to travel abroad. He himself took about a dozen official trips during his first year in office.

In a much-touted move, Berdymukhamedov brought internet access to Turkmenistan. Yet internet cafes are sparse and — like nearly everything in the country — are state-owned. Clerks write down users’ identification details, and a video camera adorns every room. Certain websites known to turn a critical eye to the regime are inaccessible.

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