Ukrainians want village named after Michael Jackson

KIEV (AFP) – Residents of a Ukrainian village want to rename it after the late pop superstar Michael Jackson, a lawmaker who represents the village told AFP on Wednesday.

Oleg Kislitsyn, a deputy in the regional parliament, said villagers in Oktyabrskoye, located in the Zaporizhia region in the country's southeast, had approached him with a proposal to rename the village "Jackson".

"There are many fans of Michael Jackson there. They want to immortalize him," said Kislitsyn, adding that he was in favour of the proposal.

"They want to create a house-museum and collect his records there. This is a depressed region, all the factories are closed. They hope this will attract tourists," he added.

Kislitsyn's advisers went to meet with villagers on Wednesday to discuss the proposal. The village's municipal council is to consider the plan in August.

When asked what links existed between Oktyabrskoye and Jackson -- whose death in Los Angeles last week prompted a worldwide outpouring of grief -- Kislitsyn said the world was in the process of "globalization."

He added: "I am not a fan but I respect his work. He had an iron-clad will for victory."

Oktyabrskoye is currently named after the October Revolution of 1917 which swept the communists to power in Russia. The name dates back to the Soviet era when Ukraine was under Moscow's control.