November 18, 2020

Putting the "Fun" in "Prison Camp"


Putting the "Fun" in "Prison Camp"
We're sure screeching rugrats won't undermine the somber atmosphere. YouTube, Vesti Karelia

Kids misbehaving as quarantine drags on? The Russian solution is to send them to camp.

A Russian NGO is preparing to open a recreated WWII prison camp in Karelia, near the Finnish border. The camp will host events for schoolkids to promote patriotic education.

The nonprofit, Otkrytye Vozmozhnosti (Open Opportunities), received a presidential grant to turn a film set into an open-air museum, which will tell the story of children and families interned in camps like this one during the Second World War. Its planned opening is December.

This project comes as part of a massive campaign by the Russian government to instill patriotic feelings through various historical projects, some goofier than others.

While many of us have good memories of camping, we're not sure this sort of thing is on our tourist to-do list.

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This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

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