Remember the legendary Baba Raya, who managed Kamarouka's Instagram? She disappeared — her "granddaughter" continues the work
The official version: Baba Raya went to conquer the world, and her creator went to a new job. We tell you who was hiding behind the image of the grandmother from Kamarouski market.
Photo: probusiness.io
The Kamarouka account appeared ten years ago — in February 2016. Then the market's general director Mikalai Khmialnitsky ordered his subordinates to create a page — and forced his relatives to be the first to subscribe to it.
Ivan Tkachuk (at that time he was the head of the social development department) undertook to implement the idea. It was he who promoted the account from scratch through the image of Baba Raya.
Ivan Tkachuk, who worked in the image of Baba Raya. Screenshot of the video
Why her specifically? The answer lies near the famous sculpture by Aleh Kupriyanau, which stands near the entrance to the covered rows. Officially it is called "Seed Seller", but informally, the bronze woman has long been called Baba Raya. According to local legend, there once truly was a seller with that name at Kamarouka, and she was much loved by both children and adults.
Ivan approached the work with soul — he recorded reviews of various goods, talked with sellers. He was interested in people's stories, he was personally acquainted with everyone who brought their goods for sale.
The man understood what would interest the audience now: before March 8, he showed tulips, for Easter — buns.
And — for what he was especially loved by buyers — he promptly answered questions about prices. People also turned to Baba Raya when they wanted to find some exotic fruits or vegetables for Belarus. Ivan willingly helped to find everything, as he knew Kamarouka well. He said that a book could be dedicated to this iconic place in the capital.
In his interviews, Ivan compared the market to a theater, noting that buyers often go not just for goods, but to a specific seller — just as theatergoers go to the theater for an outstanding artist: "A trip to the market takes at least three hours: to wander, to haggle, to choose. And to talk, of course! Every seller knows a lot about their regular buyer: the names of their children, what they're up to, what they're interested in. I see this as a whole ritual, in which there is a spiritual aesthetic."
And the stories in Kamarouka's account traditionally began with the phrase: "Good morning, my dear friend." Subscribers loved Ivan for his sincerity and charisma. By the way, almost 83 thousand people are currently subscribed to Kamarouka's Instagram.
Last year, back in August, BelTA published an interview with Ivan (he had already become the deputy general director for development). But in September, a strange post appeared on Instagram, explaining why Kamarouka had been silent for so long — because Baba Raya had left: "Our beloved and experienced Baba Raya, the one who knew all the secrets of the most delicious strawberries, crunchy cucumbers, and the chattiest seller, sends you a big greeting. They say she went in search of ingredients for that very salad from childhood, the recipe for which was passed down from her great-grandmothers. Or maybe she just got tired of Instagram and went to warmer climes to perfect the recipe for her signature kvass there. Who knows! May these mysteries remain with Baba Raya, and we send her our big greeting!"
The official replacement for Baba Raya was also announced — the torch was passed to her granddaughter. But the girl did not receive such love. And to this day, Belarusians periodically complain on social networks that Kamarouka's Instagram has lost its soul.
In the comments, people asked if everything was alright with Ivan. In response, they were told that he simply found a new job.
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