Russian TV brain-teaser gains ground in Palestine

The popularity of the brain-teaser “What? Where? When?” that has enthralled a generation of Russian TV-fans is spreading. The addiction to this ntellectual challenge has travelled thousands of miles to the heart of Ramallah.

While the game has teased some of the best Russian minds for 30 years, in Ramallah it has baffled brains for the better part of a decade.  

It was brought to Palestine by Riad Mustafa who studied in Russia and developed a taste for the intellectual exercise.

“I have finished my studies in the Soviet Union and I saw on the TV the Russian game, it was a very nice game and it was my dream to play in it, but unfortunately because of the language, it’s not easy to be there with the people,” Riad Mustafa pointed out.

Since the start of the second intifada six years ago, travel has become increasingly difficult for ordinary Palestinians.  So the game offers a perfect escape and a possibility to relax.

“First of all it’s fun and we gain so much more information – things we have never heard about. We read books, prepare for the game to know the answers to questions that come in here,” contestant Lina Abdel-Qader said.

In Ramallah the traditional Russian game has its own particular traits. If in Russia one team races for the answers against the viewers, in Palestine up to twenty teams compete against each other.

University students to pensioners are drawn to the game for the great fun and  prizes, including cell phones, DVDs, televisions and straight cash.

“In Ramallah it’s quite popular because a lot of people in the streets talk about it, who wins the quiz night,” another contestant, Diana Abdel-Qader, remarked. 

Riad Mustafa has big hopes and dreams. 

“Maybe I will not play in the Russian game but maybe, if we have a good team, we can send a team from here to play in the Rssian game,” he mused.