Tajikistan to Build $100 Million National Theater

According to the Guardian, Tajikistan will soon have a national theater. President Emomali Rahmon's office has announced its intent to build the largest theater in central Asia. This project is expected to cost around $100 million, a large expense for the poorest country of the former Soviet Union.

Tajikistan has long had to depend on foreign aid for basic services. The U.S. State Department has contributed $30 million for Tajikistan just this year. This is not the first expensive building project Tajikistan has undertaken. In the past several years they have built what they claim is the largest library, teahouse, museum and flagpole in central Asia. Many residents do not approve of such an extravagant project while there is so much poverty and hardship in Tajikistan.

Many also question the need for a national theater. Tajikistan's existing theaters struggle with low attendance. The Dushanbe's Abulkosim Lohuti Academic Theatre's 500-seat hall is often almost empty according to one of their cashiers. Other theaters in the capital have the same problem.

Amal Khanum Gadjieva of the Bactria Cultural Centre says that if the government wishes to support the arts, building a new theater is not the answer. The drama troupes and art schools in Tajikistan have been underfunded since the fall of the Soviet Union. Many in Tajikistan are uninterested in theater due to the poor quality of their current productions.

Khabib Sulaimoni of the Culture Ministry's Arts Department says that every country has a national theatre and Tajikistan should be no exception.

President Rahmon's office has said that the new national theater will have three concert halls and be the most beautiful theater in central Asia.