Tajikistan has recently been creatively engaged in the revival of cultural heritage. On March 21, President Emomali Rahmonov publicly announced that he is abandoning the Russian suffix “ov” from his name, because he wants to be known as Emomali Rahmon – the original name of his father, which reflects the Persian roots of his family. Soon after this statement was made, the President rather spontaneously demanded the British Museum return the Oxus treasure, an ancient Persian collection of silver and gold found long ago on the territory of today’s Tajikistan.

Tajikistan has many problems. More than half the population in Tajikistan live below the poverty line, and the country experiences large deficits in both electric power and natural gas. Labor migration is another huge problem. Yet the President, now Rahmon, has chosen to focus on the revival of cultural heritage and thus embarked on a course of traditionalization. On the holiday of Novruz, which traces its origins to Zoroastrianism, Mr. Rahmon announced his new name, ancient and venerable.

President Rahmon explained this by his desire to be known by his father’s name, and he also encouraged the people of Tajikistan to reconsider their surnames, as well as the names of historical places and monuments of national value. Although national media claims that it was only an advisory gesture to the general populace to de-Russify their names, there is speculation that the reform of names will soon become mandatory in Tajikistan. Given the high level of labor migration from Tajikistan to Russia, a country which is unwelcoming towards immigrants, it is actually beneficial for Tajik citizens to have a Russian suffix. For instance, many people find it easier to register their documents in Russia with Russian surnames. Nevertheless, there was already an order at the civilian registry office to register newly born children without Russian suffixes “ov’ and “ev”, but rather with Persian alternatives.

In another move, Mr. Rahmon in early April demanded the surrender of the Oxus treasure, which belongs to and is part of the British Museum’s collection. The President gave a rigorous public speech that was broadcast on national television emphasizing that the Oxus treasure was found on the territory of present-day Tajikistan, and should be given back to the country. The British Museum never received a formal request from the Tajik government on the subject. Hence, this appears to be another act of demagoguery on the part of President Rahmon, seemingly an attempt to remind and draw public attention to the glorious past of the Tajik heritage.

Are the President’s reforms undertaken to unify the country and draw Tajikistan geopolitically closer to countries such as Iran and Afghanistan that share a common language heritage? Or is this a strategy to distract the public from larger, more pressing economic and social problems in Tajikistan? A pertinent question is why there is such an urgent need to abandon the Russian suffix now, when a law allowing people to change surnames has been in place as early as 1989. The sheer dimensions of the Tajik state bureaucracy and its corruption make the prospective reformation of names seem utopian, at least beyond the level of media-induced patriotism.

An additional plausible explanation for President Rahmon’s need to change his name is dissatisfaction with the work undertaken by Rusal, one of the world’s largest aluminum producers, closely connected with the Kremlin. Tajikistan and Rusal are participating in a joint venture to construct the Rogun hydroelectric station on the Vaksh River. When constructed, the station will not only have the potential to make Tajikistan self-sufficient in energy, but also to make the country one of the main exporters of electricity in Central Asia. Emomali Rahmon’s presidency has greatly focused on ways to increase the production of electric power, which can foster economic growth in Tajikistan, but already in August 2006, Tajik officials complained that Rusal was slow in respecting the agreement to finish construction of the hydroelectric station by 2009. At present, the construction of Rogun is further postponed due to disagreements about the dimensions of the dam, as well as other technical issues between the two sides.

Such public ways of showing Tajikistan’s dissatisfaction with Russia are bold and risky moves on the part of Dushanbe, because Russia has a significant role in the development of the country. For example, it would take nothing more to lead the country into chaos than a new restriction on the quota of labor migrants, that now officially is 600,000.