May Mongol Naadam ‘amaze’ the world
We’re told to make lemonade when life throws us lemons. Mongolia is preparing to do just that with the upcoming National Naadam Festival despite underlying risks of COVID-19.
In spite of the virus knocking right outside our door, the organizing commission of the Naadam Festival is resolved to create a world-class content out of the festival’s grand opening in an effort to attract foreign tourists and support the tourism sector. The hefty task of directing the opening ceremony has befallen on Director of Hero Entertainment B.Baatar, one of the most sought after directors in Mongolia who is well-known for hit shows like “Mongol Tulgatny 100 Erkhem”, which have significant social impact. B.Baatar’s shows have won the Crystal Pen award in 2012 and 2013, the best program awards of the Golden Rose and Goo Maral Television Festivals.
The director has declared to preserve the grand opening as a promotional video for attracting tourists under the title “Mongol Naadam”. He says he wanted to do this for several years and now he’s gotten his chance to “amaze” locals and foreigners eagerly anticipating Naadam. He’s keeping most of the production a secret but revealed that the ceremony will be live streamed from the 13th Century Complex, a micro “kingdom” built in Erdene soum of Tuv Province, to allow people to experience the traditional nomadic lifestyle Mongolians had during the Mongol Empire. This practically confirms that the theme is connected to the Mongol Empire (13th to 14th century), Mongolia’s proudest time in history during which one of the world’s greatest leaders, Chinggis Khaan, unified the scattered nomadic tribes and extended his empire across Asia to the Adriatic Sea.
The government has spared no expense in producing a grand ceremony for the festival this year. It has granted 3 billion MNT in spending for the centuries-old festival, which is the largest budget Mongolia has approved for a festival. This is fourfold higher than it was 10 years ago and is roughly the same cost as six luxurious five-room apartments in Ulaanbaatar’s most expensive neighborhood.
Naadam spending has certainly seen jawbreaking rises over the years, increasing from 640 million MNT in 2010 to 1.3 billion MNT in 2011, slumping down to 870 million MNT in 2012 before reaching 1.5 billion MNT in 2013. After hitting 2.2 billion MNT in 2014, Naadam spending remained at 2.9 billion MNT between 2015 and 2019.
If we break down the government’s expenditure on the 2019 Naadam, the majority was spent on cultural performances, the opening ceremony and organization process. To be more specific, 991 million MNT (34 percent) was spent on cultural performances and opening ceremony, 731 million MNT (25 percent) on organization, 576 million MNT (19.7 percent) on decoration and landscaping services, 336 million MNT (11.6 percent) on awards and prizes, and 278 million MNT (9.5 percent) on enforcing the law.
As mentioned above, the government has budgeted 3 billion MNT for this year’s Naadam. Some are calling it “Lord’s Festival” and “Naadam for the Rich” as they suspect the organizing commission will plunder the budget. There were posts and reports about B.Baatar’s link to Cabinet Secretariat L.Oyun-Erdene, who is the director’s younger brother and 50 percent stakeholder of Hero Entertainment, and that President of Mongolia Kh.Battulga owns around 8 percent of Genco Tour Bureau, which owns the 13th Century Complex. The facts cannot be denied but we shouldn’t forget that the 13th Century Complex is probably the only place with a big enough ger set up and open space to organize a large-scale event. To create a new gigantic ger, reminiscent of those used by past emperors, would cost much more than renting. Let’s not forget that the Central Stadium, which traditionally hosts Naadam grand openings, is also a private property that is rented out to the government during big festivals and events.
This year’s Naadam will be different from any that came before. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the grand opening will have no audience for the first time in history and instead, will be broadcasted live, large gatherings are strictly prohibited, and catering services will not be available. This rules out most of the expenses, as well as income, from the national festival. Other expense the government will need to cover are wages for police officers who will patrol the city and elsewhere in traditional deels this year, and COVID-19 measures to be placed. Authorities will take certain actions to prevent COVID-19 risks such as checking temperatures and health conditions of wrestlers and staff, prevent public gatherings, and stop travelers from going to Khui Doloon Khudag, where horseraces and other competitions take place. However, the expense most likely wouldn’t compared to the amount saved from not hiring volunteers and workers to service audiences during Naadam.
This still leaves a hefty budget for the grand opening and given the divided public sentiment, it will have to be worth it. Mongolia is yet to demonstrate its capability to produce high-quality, long-lasting and impactful content, especially promotional video. With most people around the world under lockdown and scrolling for entertainment, Mongolia should take advantage of this situation and produce an amazing Naadam grand opening that can draw in international interest to the country. We’ll be able to see for ourselves whether the expansive budget was worth it by watching the grand opening on Saturday morning.