In the final part of our interview series, we talked about the ‘two legs’ the Institute of Oriental Studies stands on, as well as the mysterious, unexplored and beloved Socotra of Vitaly Naumkin.
– Mr Naumkin, I know that you are the only scientist specialising in Socotra in the world, an expert in the study of the Yemeni Socotra Island in the north-western Indian Ocean. What exactly attracted you to study life on an island known mainly for the rarest natural beauty on Earth?
– I always loved doing things that nobody else has done, broadening my horizons. This can be seen in my PhD thesis and my work on Islamic heritage. I am also an Islamic scholar, among other things. It so happened that I was simultaneously engaged in several specialties, from political science and international relations to linguistics and ethnology. This is not surprising for an orientalist. Maybe it would have been better to do just one thing, like some of my colleagues. For example, if you are an archaeologist, you go to excavations and focus on that. For me, it is different.
When I was sent to work in Yemen, I had some faint idea of it. None of my colleagues, with whom we trained top personnel for the Yemeni Socialist Party, knew about Socotra at that time. The thought of visiting this island haunted me.
– But the island was absolutely closed to all foreigners!
– Yes, the locals were real radicals, battle-hardened revolutionaries who fought the British for four years in their meagre jungles, about which I wrote my doctoral dissertation and a book (more than one) on the history of the national liberation armed anti-colonial struggle.
I longed to discover the secrets of this isolated island. By the way, there were no matches on Socotra, they made fire with two sticks, I have some in my desk now. I have been trying to master this process, though without much success.
I do not wish to exaggerate the Socotrians’ fatigue. Every society, even one that is very archaic, has its advantages and its own characteristics that must be respected. I always struggle with the condescending colonial attitude towards such societies and believe that such people, due to the circumstances of their life, should be respected and loved. Then you get a lot in return. I have learned patience and kindness from Socotrians. They live peacefully, they do not have any weapons.
– And this is despite the fact that tensions were high in nearby Yemen? In 1986, there was an attempted coup.
– I had just arrived at that time to prepare a report on what is happening. I will tell you a short episode. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union presented the Yemeni Socialist Party with a massive building for their Central Committee. And now, imagine, in the midst of hostilities, they are shooting at each other with grenade launchers.… When I went there, they always gave me the same apartment. I went in there and was horrified to see that there is a projectile sticking out of the plywood blue door leading to the kitchen. Fortunately, it turned out to be a dummy. But it was still scary.
I was very friendly with the prime minister and minister of defence, Ali Nasir Muhammad, who later became secretary general and president. I conducted individual political literacy classes with him (and not only with him, but with the entire leadership). We are still in contact with him, we correspond. He is one of the pillars that connects me to my past. I came to work in Yemen in the early seventies, more than half a century ago. I studied the history of the armed struggle, was friends with their leadership and travelled all over the country.
I got to Socotra thanks to Ali Naser Muhammad. There was no connection there then. It was possible to get there either via fishing boat or a small airplane, which changed garrison once a quarter. There was a small field on the island that was used as an airfield.
I begged to be taken on this plane. I arranged at the embassy to be released ‘at my own expense’ for a while. To be honest, they looked at me like I was some kind of madman. Judge for yourself: there was no clean water, no light, malaria…
– How was the island defended?
– Caponier-like holes were dug, several of our old tanks were buried there. They were no longer driving, but the cannon was working and pointed towards the sea. I do not think they had ever even fired a shot. There were no normal roads and transport, there was practically nothing.
– I understand that you have vividly recalled your adventures on the island in many different interviews. Nonetheless, please share with us one such episode.
– So I was going to Socotra. Before that, Ali Nasir Muhammad said that he had sent a telegram and that I would be met there. But the telegram did not arrive (laughs). The local governor arranged a meeting for me, as a result of which they locked me in a hut and checked to see if I was some kind of pest, which they were very afraid of.
– So they needed to make sure that you did not pose a threat to the national security of Socotra?
– Well, of course! They’re revolutionaries, they pounded the British for four years!
Some deaf and mute locals brought me food. Two days later, the door opened, and I saw four white people standing there. And just so you know, even the Yemenis looked like foreigners to them. It turns out that our Russian scientific research vessel Izumrud went there to replenish water supplies, having received permission from the capital. And so they decided to show the group from this ship, led by the captain, an interesting thing: me (smiles). Then they could also check to see if I am really Russian and if they are really Russian. What if we were British spies?
I was wearing only a skirt called a futa, which is worn by the inhabitants of this island because it is very hot on the coast and cold only in the mountains. We were introduced and saw that we were exactly who we said we were. The governor immediately ran in, an old radical revolutionary who had a portrait of Engels hanging in his hut for some reason. We boarded a boat and sailed to the ship, as it could not approach the shore, there was no port or harbour. And we went to drink alcohol. That was when my friendship with the governor, and then with his children, began.
– How often do you visit Socotra?
– Constantly. The last time was last year. I probably will not go now, I am older now, but I created an entire school of studying Socotra. I have trained young people who work at the Higher School of Economics. We have published several works, mostly abroad.
The world’s largest Orientalist publishing house is Brill in the Netherlands, and the units dealing with rare languages of the South Arabian group of the Semitic family maintain contacts with their young colleagues from Russia. I would call it an academic thread that continues to connect us.
– You mentioned malaria…
– Malaria has been completely eliminated in Socotra. Fortunately, I did not get sick, but some of my colleagues got infected. One almost died. He was a speleologist, explored caves. By the way, I have been to caves too. In general, I must say that the vegetation there is simply unique, fantastic.
– Are tourists currently allowed to visit the island?
– Yes, there are exclusive tours for daring people. Two or three years ago, I met a group of tourists from Latvia there, they were mostly ethnic Russians.
– Mr Naumkin, you visit countries studied at the Institute you head. What is the most memorable thing about these visits? What is the first thing you notice when arriving in a country?
– We say that our Institute stands on two legs. One leg is classical: Socotrian language, Arabic, Chinese, literature, ancient history, archaeology, underwater archaeology… For example, there was an ancient-abandoned city underwater in the Mediterranean Sea, the results were very interesting. We also study ancient manuscripts. Our director, Alikber Alikberov, deals with Islamic and Caucasian manuscripts. The whole Caucasus is our area of scientific expertise, and so is Transcaucasia. For example, the first Abkhaz president, Vladislav Ardzinba, ‘grew up’ at the Institute of Oriental Studies, became a scientist here, defended his doctoral thesis.
Our second leg is foreign policy, defence research and regional security issues. Thus, we have people who are immersed in researching current issues and those who are engaged in excavations.
If we talk about what attracts me the most when I visit Arab countries, it is the people. I love watching them, including the women. There are very ‘cool’ women in the Middle East. We often think that, for example, Iranian women are very closed off. Absolutely not. In general, they are very modern, bold and quite relaxed. Especially the journalists (smiles).
– On this positive note, let us finish our talk. Dearest Vitaly, we once again wish you a very happy birthday and wish you and the Institute of Oriental Studies, where you are the research supervisor, prosperity!
Interview by Yulia NOVITSKAYA, writer, journalist, correspondent for New Eastern Outlook