Toy Story, or the Journey of French School Students into the World of Pushkin and Gagarin
They say that dolls are a miniature version of the world. For the students of the MLF French School in Ashgabat, it's also a world created with their own hands from what adults call "recycled materials." Plastic bottles, old socks, and scraps of yarn are transformed into a theater troupe, led by the school's director, Mr. Chouikha.
Recently, this unusual "puppet army" paid a diplomatic visit to the Joint Turkmen-Russian School named after A.S. Pushkin.
The guests brought a fairy tale film, "The Magic Violin," created in the school workshop. The most interesting part was left behind the scenes: the students and teachers from the French school not only brought the puppets to life, but also translated the script into Russian, voicing the characters themselves.
When the fairytale character's punch sent the birds spinning on the screen (a classic effect from old animation), the audience in the second "g" section erupted in laughter. At that moment, it became clear: genuine emotions don't require translators.
And then the puppets emerged from their boxes into the real world. Young puppeteers walked between the desks, allowing the "Pushkinites" to touch those who had just appeared on screen. The puppets, made of plastic bottle and papier-mâché, felt warmer and more captivating than any factory-made toys. The second-graders peppered the guests with questions: "Is it hard to be an actor?", "How do you make a puppet smile?", "When are you coming back?"
A tour of the Pushkin School was a revelation for the MLF guests. From portraits of Gagarin in the hallways to rare gold-bound books in the school library, the French schoolchildren eagerly absorbed another culture. And it all ended with the most universal form of communication—a game of hopscotch and labyrinths right in the schoolyard.
They didn't want to leave. It turns out that finding common meaning doesn't require complex engineering bridges—sometimes a magical violin and a pair of puppets made of ordinary plastic, but with an unusual presentation, are enough.
Ayna SHIROVA
