Transforming a Fly into an Elephant: our Russian Colleagues have an Official Hymn! While CIPR in the UK grants Chartered Status to 25 professionals

….And it’s true, my friend, we can even do miracles,
create a legend; turn a fairy-tale into reality,
transform a fly into an elephant, a donkey – into a camel,
and throw the negative into the dust of a street…

You won’t believe it, but if you click here you will listen to these verses as they are sung by our Russian colleagues, in the context of the public relations hymn celebrating the 15 year anniversary of RASO, the Russian Public Relations Association.

I am not joking and, if you don’t believe me, visit Raso’s official website here where you may read, in Russian of course, the whole hymn.

In fairness, here follows a translation of the full text kindly provided to me by my excellent student Marianna Kosheleva.
It was she who brought up the issue in class last saturday here at the NYU master course on global relations and intercultural communication as we were conversing with our guest, the reputed scholar Katerina Tsetsura, about public relations in Russia and Esatern Europe.
I am indebted to her for this ‘scoop’ I am sure will raise more than one eyebrow amongst our readers, but at the same time does indicate how our Russian colleagues look forward with some joy, rather than other western Europeans like me, who only indulge in spleen and a pervasive sense of decline…..
Here goes:

Everyone knows, that a star in the sky
will not shine without external efforts.
And together we always remember that,
and act, and act, of course!

Brands, cities, artists,
politicians, events, heroes:
Correctly, easily, brightly, and purely,
We build the history of the country and the world.

Chorus:

The community of pragmatists and sceptics,
practitioners and theorists,
talented and progressive,
together we are a great power!

And it’s true, my friend, we can even do miracles,
Create a legend; turn a fairy-tale into reality,
transform a fly into an elephant, a donkey – into a camel,
and throw the negative into the dust of a street.

And the person who says loudly and cynically
that the end always justifies the means –
is not one of us; we commit to decency,
and this is why we will reach perfection.

While our Russian friends celebrate their 15th anniversary with a hymn and I abstain from comment…

our British friends from Cipr have instead three recent current and surprising events to remember:
a- the announcement to members of a huge (5-700 thousand pound?) deficit in their 2009 accounts, mostly due, as far as one can understand, to unsuccessful office location movements in recent years;
b- a pretty fierce battle which also become rather public (not in the british way of doing things…) between two candidates, both from the public sector, for the chair elect position of 2011;
c- most importantly, the acceptance of the first 25 chartered professionals in line with the program and gradual move of public relations practice in a regulated area.
I know many of you do not agree this is so (see post and comments here ), but as other countries are also moving in that direction, you can bet that the Cipr case will be used as a point of reference…and in my perspective this is where we should be moving…

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