How Aesop’s fables fostered a secret language of protest in Russia
Coded tributes to Alexei Navalny reveal the long afterlife of Aesop’s fables
In late February 2024, rubber ducks started landing in unlikely places. One was spotted peering through roses in St Petersburg; another was illuminated by plastic torches next to a tributary of the Volga river. When Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition leader, was alive, rubber ducks symbolised his fight against corruption. Since his death on February 16th, they have played a different role: to protest against the regime that murdered him, while evading censorship.
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This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “The duck and the dissident”
Culture March 16th 2024
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- How Aesop’s fables fostered a secret language of protest in Russia
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