From today until 28 February, on the Facebook page of the ‘Gift of Life’ Cancer Treatment Foundation (www.facebook.com/kingitudelu), an auction is taking place in which dolls of famous Estonian politicians are being sold off to the highest bidders. The dolls were provided by the Tänapäev publishing house and Terje Annusver, the author of the book Crochet Yourself a Politician Doll.
Dolls of Mart Laar, Lennart Meri, Arnold Rüütel, Kersti Kaljulaid, Jüri Ratas, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Andrus Ansip, Jevgeni Ossinovski, Kaja Kallas, Yana Toom, Jürgen Ligi, Kadri Simson, Siim Kallas, Mart Helme and other famous politicians can be bought at the auction in support of cancer patients. The starting price of each doll is 10 euros and all proceeds will go to help cancer sufferers.
The book’s foreword states:
“When elections are approaching, it is as though the people are alienated from politicians and refuse to believe the promises that are made to them. Once the elections are over, it is as though politicians are alienated from the people and refuse to do anything that is expected of them.
There seems to be a huge, insurmountable divide between those who voted and those who are voted for, yet both want life to be better and for us all to get along with one another and for there to be more love than hate.
Politicians are of course seen on TV and heard on the radio more often than a hard-working locksmith or seamstress, which is perhaps why politicians seem so distant, so grand and so imperious. However, politicians are not wondrous beings, but completely ordinary people with all their virtues and faults just like me, you and Uncle Arthur the truck driver. Incidentally, Uncle Arthur even stood in the local elections once, so technically he is also something of a politician. We definitely can’t do without politics and politicians, but we can bring them closer to the people. Unfortunately, no matter how talented and capable a politician is, they can’t manage to get everywhere and knock on every person’s door. At the same time, we need politicians quite close to us – even so close that we can cuddle them.
What better then than the help of crocheting as a simple, pleasant and effective art to make our own soft, cuddle-worthy politicians? Every time you cuddle a crocheted politician, play with them or doze off with them in your arms, some of your traits become stronger and some of your skills become better. The politician will simultaneously feel the love that becomes part of their doll-shaped twin, and will become even more human, even warmer and even ore lovable.
It’s like voodoo, but even better!
Cuddly politicians can be taken to school, work or on holiday with you. They can be given to friends, enemies and relatives, as far along the line as third cousins twice removed! You can form your very own parliament with your cuddly doll politicians, or bring all the soft populists and happy reformists together around one table to fix Estonia once and for all.”
For the duration of the auction the dolls will be on display in the Rahva Raamat book store in Viru Keskus shopping centre.