Crimea is in Chaos, But its Dance Festival "Republic" Kazantip Doesn't Give a Shit

What with having a duration of several weeks, and declaring itself a temporary, independent republic (complete with ministers and a Segway-riding "President"), Kazantip has long been one of the weirdest and most interesting festivals in Europe. It is also based within Crimea, the formerly Ukrainian peninsula forcibly annexed by Russia last month.

This has led to much speculation on the festival's future, so we thought it would be an opportune moment to check in with President Nikita to ask how plans for this year's festival were going, in these presumably rather invidious circumstances. As documented over the years in many articles - and a VICE film - Kazantip has always been a magnet for Russian citizens ranging from the fresh-faced and care-free, to the unsavoury and terrifying, so it was always unlikely that the festival would suddenly become some kind of bastion of protest against Putin's recent actions on the peninsula.

What we didn't expect was the extraordinarily forceful, pro-Russian rhetoric of Nikita's answers, which extend to calling the region's recent, barrel-of-a-gun referendum an example of "free choice" in action, and labelling Ukrainian grief over the loss of Crimea as "uncontrolled jealousy and hysterics".

It makes for extremely interesting and frequently bizarre reading and, if nothing else, should put the minds of those fearing a cancellation to rest. With its President toeing Moscow's party line on this scale, Kazantip's only nasty surprise this summer might be the sight of a scantily clad Putin himself frolicking in the Black Sea waves.

THUMP: If you had to sum up Kazantip in one sentence, what would it be?

Nikita: I used to like someone else's expression "Russian-Ukrainian Amsterdam", but things have changed in the

recent years, and now Kazantip Republic visitors are citizens of 106 different countries. And in general, Kazantip is not what you think, but sometimes, what you dream about.

Do you feel that Kazantip has already realised your aim of creating a new and improved society, or is there still work to do on this?

Nikita: Society consists of people, and I don't idealise people. Without any doubts, Kazantip as a state ranks first in the world in number of happy people. But the behaviour of these people is sometimes not perfect. I'd like to see people in the world become kinder and more intelligent. It's something that can and should be continuously worked on, and not only by myself.

Apparently Burning Man is the only music festival you respect. How much inspiration does Kazantip take from that festival?

Nikita: Yes, I don't deny that Burning Man inspired me for many years. But after visiting it, I realised one very important thing: all these installations are absolutely nothing compared to the people I saw there. It was like I believed in people once again. I believed that one can (and should) draw them into the game deeper and wider; creating the favourable environment for self-realisation of thousands over thousands, instead of trying to surprise the whole world as a small team of Z wizard illusionists.

Now I possess both a huge experience and almost limitless resource to make a hyperspace jump. You can be sure that we will make it, and then Burning Man will be proud to be sometimes compared to Kazantip, the new world mecca. With its concept of everything being temporary and built from shit, Burning Man is doomed to remain just a sweet gypsy camp in a dusty desert.

How important is the music at Kazantip? Is it of central importance, or is it rather a small element in the wider whole of the republic?

Nikita: Music is only a background, absolutely. But it has to be flawless and up to date - or better even, represent the future. I regret that there are no dynamic, quality and revolutionary changes in modern electronic music scene. Currently our musical priorities are almost identical with the top chart of Resident Advisor, but we also have to meet the tastes of other music Z minorities (trance, drum 'n' bass, hardcore techno, as well as a live music platform offering indie-electronic). Music is cool, but let's agree that the life of a modern person has a lot more interesting and meaningful things. That's the direction to look in.

Given the upheaval in Crimea and Ukraine, was Kazantip ever in danger of not happening this year?

Nikita: For me, absolutely not. Yes, I assumed that the showdown between the West and Russia may be slightly delayed, but was always sure that it will not go beyond rhetoric. I'll tell you a secret: there's nothing interesting and meaningful in Crimea except Kazantip.The reason for controversy was initially about an another Republic. Kazantip is a unique inexhaustible source of the most important energy, and it is needed by all countries and every person - at least once a year.

Do you know a lot of people who have been affected by recent events in Crimea and in Ukraine? Do you think Kazantip can be an even more valuable escape from reality for Ukrainian people this year?

Nikita: I agree that the situation outside the borders of our Republic is much politicised. Ukrainians are suffering

the loss of Crimea, and especially of Kazantip, very painfully. It's something like uncontrolled jealousy and hysterics rather than common sense. We are ready to heal them.

Do you foresee any difficulties this year with Kazantip Republic setting up inside Russia instead of Ukraine?

Nikita: So far, I only see endless opportunities in the changed reality. Facing default, destitute Ukraine was not able to solve the problems of Crimea. Could not, and would not. But Russia is able and ready to do it. Now, Crimea is destined to prosperity. The question is what they will make of it - the new "Las Vegas," "Monte Carlo" or "Singapore"?

The only issue this year is the necessity to obtain a Russian visa to visit Crimea. Sure, in the future, this region will have a simplified visa regime. Temporarily, as long as the international community is shy to accept Crimea and Kazantip as free entities, people have to take flights via Moscow, but at the same time, the tickets have become twice as cheap.

What is the thinking behind offering free citizenship to Crimean and Ukrainian women?

Nikita: Knowing now how hard it is for the Ukrainian people, Kazantip was the first who came to aid. Make sure you notice that we've done it before the rest of the world, ahead of both prosperous Europe and USA. We were the first who fraternally lent a helping hand to each Ukrainian girl granting them ViZa (entrance ticket) for free.

Why just girls? We believe that Ukrainian guys should not be distracted by dancing. They must keep fighting for their freedom, breaking through the door to Europe, battling for power, or just sit down and consider why the fuck did they start with this circus, and whether there is even the slightest benefit from these sacrifices and privations?

Do you think Kazantip will remain in Crimea in years to come, or might it move back into Ukraine?

Nikita: Are you kidding? Kazantip had never belonged to Ukraine. It belongs to me. As the USSR collapsed, I used

the opportunity to grab a piece. Since then, I've been building my own state on it for many years. In order to avoid too much attention, I pretended that it's kind of a festival. Moving to Ukraine? What an unexpected idea. Honestly, I never thought about that. Why should I?

Will this year's Kazantip include any element of protest against Russia's actions in Crimea?

Nikita: You got to be kidding me again, right? What protests? Kazantip Republic recognised the legitimacy of the final outcomes of the Crimean referendum long before they became established. Let's agree to respect the right to fight for freedom for all nations, not only for the Ukrainians. The people of Crimea made their free choice. And of course, we are happy for them.

Are visiting dignitaries from other nations welcome at Kazantip? What would you say if Vladimir Putin wanted to visit?

Nikita: It is odd that Vladimir Putin yet has not found time to visit us, but we have a lot of mutual friends who come to Kazantip every year. Each time they return, they are probably sharing all the positive impressions, photos and souvenirs with him. I have a proposal to move all official summits from Sochi to Kazantip, because it's a magical place of power.

Furthermore, I demand that Kazantip must be included into the superpower states community, so they stop pretending that we do not exist on the world map. Yes, we are not the biggest nation, but we know how to cure everyone; to reconcile the people of the world, and to resolve global conflicts. We are ready to share the Kazantip Great Nation Strategic Secrets of Happiness with the inhabitants of the earth.

You can follow Kit Macdonald on Twitter here: @kitmacdonald