The Truth About Turkmenbashi, The Happy Dictator (Waldemar Januszczak Documentary)

Deep in the heart of Central Asia lies one of the world’s most secretive countries – Turkmenistan. Run until recently by a crazy dictator whose megalomania spawned a personality cult to rival that of Chairman Mao, this unlikely desert republic has earned itself a grim reputation as ‘the North Korea of Central Asia’. But since no one is usually allowed in or out, the truth about Turkmenistan is impossible to separate from the rumours and the legends. Until now. In this quirky and highly entertaining documentary, well-known critic Waldemar Januszczak journeys to Turkmenistan to investigate the myth of the now deceased Turkmenbashi the Great who retained absolute control over the country, forbidding photography, reporters, dogs, cinemas, circuses, car radios and ballet! Posing as a tourist who goes to Turkmenistan for a stag weekend, Januszczak goes undercover in this bizarre country to separate the facts from the fiction. And he’s taken his camera with him… Subscribe and click the bell icon to get more arts content every week:    / perspectivearts   Perspective is YouTube's home for the arts. Come here to get your fill of great music, theatre, art and much, much more! From The Happy Dictator Content licensed from ZCZ Films to Little Dot Studios. Any queries, please contact us at: [email protected]