An outline of planned Yurtyzstani cultural growth

Greetings, People and Friends of Yurtyzstan.

Throughout the campaign prior to the 1 May election, Prosperity for Yurtyzstan focused strongly on two areas of policy: free market capitalism and cultural development. This first objective was addressed first -- all of the major legislative items were drawn up by the first plenary session on 17 May, and all were passed 26 May, less than one month after the election. After three months of preparation, Yurtyzstan is now less than a week away from completing the privatisation of most state-run enterprises, beginning circulation of a stronger currency, and enacting stringent regulations to protect the people's rights. With the market reforms an unequivocal success for Yurtyzstan, our focus now shifts to the second component of our platform.

Cultural development, to be more specific, involves consulting a wide array of macronational (and sometimes micronational) influences to develop a comprehensive and distinct culture in order to further justify the nation's independence and sovereignty, to promote nationalism and citizen activity, and to give the nation substance and legitimacy not afforded to purely political states. I have divided my plan to accomplish this into several objectives:

• Arts: the development of a national fine arts community producing original and innovative work, influenced especially by modern art;
• Tradition: recording of and promotion of Yurtyzstani customs, and cultivation of institutions for the Kikami faith;
• History: a focus on awareness of Yurtyzstani history and its influence on present Yurtyzstani society;
• Language: implementation of a frequently used national constructed language;
• Media: proliferation of independent national media covering all aspects of life from a Yurtyzstani perspective, regular circulation of print media, and wider access to radio, television, and the Internet in Yurtyzstani territory;
• Promotion: promotion of this development to the micronational community.

Each of these objectives will be addressed in a separate piece, all of which will be published by the end of the month. In addition, I will be touring the country itself extensively and meeting with other Yurtyzstanis this month to gather input on the programme.

Asynchronicity and the Weekend for Workers protests

It occurred to me, after writing an article about the Weekend for Workers protests in New Light of Yurtyzstan today, that perhaps my account of the protests will be perceived by readers in the community as less than credible. When a micronationalist publishes a claim of a major event in which a high level of activity is sustained over a significant period of time, without any photographic documentation, it is often perceived as false, and it probably often is.

The statistics of a changing Yurtyzstan

Under the Onward Yurtyzstan Plan, which was approved by the Yurtyzstani Republic Provisional Government this past September, the economy remains under tight government control until Independence Day 2013 to ensure stability. Printing and circulation of Yurtyzstani currency -- when it commences -- will be strictly limited, wage and price controls are in place and heavily enforced, and all businesses are currently nationalised. On 22 September 2013, all of this will go away in an instant and the Yurtyzstani economic landscape will shift dramatically. This is what the change will look like on paper. 

Trees: the spiritual ancestors of Yurtyzstan

I was inspired to write this article after reading an excellent cultural commentary by M. Lucas Campos published on the Sacerdotium blog. I wondered, "Why does Yurtyzstan not have mythology? Should I begin creating one?" After some thought, I realised that Yurtyzstan has provided an answer -- trees.

Departure from collectivism: a new form of civil cohesion in Yurtyzstan

 As the nation rearranges itself following July’s governmental collapse and the four-month reunification, it has become apparent that the Yurtyzstani demographic has changed considerably. The Yurtyzstani people have become more individualistic, more creative and intellectual -- as a result, nationalist spirit and physical development are no longer sufficient to hold the nation together, as it has been in our past. There are some in Yurtyzstan, members of the rapidly receding ‘old left’, who wish to continue to pursue this state-enforced collectivism; as I will demonstrate, however, this is not the right path for our nation to follow.

Cultural significance of yurt-building in Yurtyzstan

Yurtyzstan has suffered a fair amount of criticism in the past for our construction of yurts. It has been called “silly”, derided as an activity not reflective of seriousness or adequate cultural development. I certainly do not hold any grudges against our critics in this area; I merely hope to show that yurt-building is in fact a deeply cultural affair.