Kyrgyzstan
Screen capture from video of unrest in Osh from neweurasia's Mirsulzhan Namazaliev.
Editor’s note: It has been one year since the terrible events in southern Kyrgyzstan, particularly Osh. neweurasia’s Marat reviews what he sees as a year of avoidance and wrongful finger-pointing. “I believe [reconciliation efforts] will not work until someone legibly explains the disproportion in the numbers between Uzbeks and Kyrgyz of those killed, raped, shot, tortured, convicted and forced to flee,” he says. “I’m sorry, but my countrymen must confront this fact.”
That the June 2010 events would leave a deep scar on Kyrgyzstan’s face was clear from the very first days after the clashes, no matter who started it and who responded. But it was not clear how neighbors — far and near — would respond to it.
The first response was Tashkent’s permission to let tens of thousands of ethnic Uzbek refugees fleeing rape, arson and killings to enter Uzbekistan for a brief period of time. Then came a statement from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and later from Moscow, the “verdict” of which — “it is Kyrgyzstan’s internal affair” — dashed the last hopes people had that the superpowers would intervene and put an end to the atrocities.
After the initial “fog of war” settled by early July, the power centers in Osh and Bishkek sent contradicting messages. While one side would blame the ousted president and his supporters for staging an “act of revenge” for his eviction from power, nationalist figures put the blame squarely on shoulders of “separatist Uzbek” citizens of Kyrgyzstan. Most of the blame was (remains) advanced against the self-exiled business figures of Uzbek ethnicity.
But if there is one thing politicians in both power centers agree upon, it’s that everyone else but themselves are guilty. For some reason, nobody talks about the dire economic situation in the region where unemployment is high; nobody talks about the tensions that were present between the two ethnic groups; nobody talks about how the government has mismanaged the national economy or how local officials mismanaged interethnic relations.
Soros Foundations in Central Asia organize “Youth in the 21st Century: Debating and Producing Media” summer camp that will last for 12 days (yahoo!) with young brilliant people aged 17 to 25.
So here is a deal:
Apart from age, the following thing is the last requirement: participants must be young people from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to be eligible for applying.
“This is a regional series of workshops that will be held during the summer and early autumn of 2011 for young people throughout the world. These workshops teach youth to be effective producers of media information by equipping them to produce and package content towards creating a better society,” Soros Foundation’s press-release says.
Editor’s note: Too often among Kyrgyzstan’s impoverished people, love and marriage are used as tools of social and economic leverage. neweurasia’s Kamilla recounts the struggles of Alaigul, raped by her uncle and twice married, once by bride-kidnapping, arranged by her parents so as to pay for their debts, and once by deception, as a man sought revenge against another woman. Tragically, Alaigul was blamed for the crimes committed against her. Translated from Kamilla’s post (RUS). The image above is a screen capture from Petr Lom‘s film Bride kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan, which we at neweurasia recommend our readers to watch.
It is finally summer, the end of the semester. After all this urban mess, you want to get away to anywhere rural — fresh air, serenity, nothing to bother about. While visiting my relatives in the countryside, I met a young 19-year old girl, a neighbor of mine, whom I shall call Alaigul. She told me her life story, which literally made me shake. For personal reasons she asked me to change the original names.
“I finished the ninth grade of school in the village and dreamt of leaving for a city to enter pedagogical university and become a teacher. I naturally love children; I guess that’s because I grew up in a family with many children, wherein the oldest ones had to take care of their younger siblings while the parents were working. We lived very poor, hardly managing to survive on the money my parents could earn. We’ve always been short of money.
Translator’s note: The first Social Innovation Camp in Central Asia was held in Issyk-Kul on May 27-29, 2011. During these 3 days over 80 participants generated ideas of creative web-projects and simultaneously ran them. Here is a special reportage from the venue. Translated from sergey’s post (RUS).
Watch the video or read the transcript below.
Aibek Baratov (SICAMP CA 2011 Coordinator):
The main goal of SICAMP CA is to bring together young people and active people of different age groups in general from all across Central Asia. These are mainly representatives of four Central Asian republics – Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. Bringing young people together is initially based on the ideas of the projects they have submitted for consideration.
Beishen Dayirbekov (SICAMP CA 2011 Coordinator):
All of the projects have shown interesting models, including original design from the technical point of view and also for their commercial application. I sat with each team for about half an hour; it was nice to see dynamic discussions in each of them. We have eight projects: (1) stopping blackmailing in schools, (2) recycling project, (3) project on individual rights as a foundation for individual freedom, (4) “Internet-radio”, (5) “Aching together” project, (6) KG news via SMS, (7) “Dobro” (Integrity) by our Tajik team, and (8) “Ketsin SMS”, which was later renamed as “Kelsin SMS”.
Neweurasia: What are future plans in the light of this event?
Dayirbekov: We, as coordinators, participants, jury, are also learning at the moment, we don’t know what comes next; it will depend on the teams. For example, Internet-radio team has an interesting project and tomorrow they will have their first broadcast. They are going to take interviews and display the results before the jury. So each team has definitely something interesting to show.
Neweurasia: What would you like to wish to all the SICAMP participants?
Dayirbekov:Not to stop doing what they are doing.
Neweurasia: What results do you expect?
Lira Samykbaeva (Information Program Coordinator at the Soros Foundation Kyrgyzstan):
It is a good question. Similar big events are usually expected to finish with some kind of grand social project, which would of course be socially important. We believe that most successful projects will be supported by our fund, and there is also a chance that they would attract other sponsors in future.
Video is also available @ YouTube (here)
For the past ten years, around this time of the year, more than 30 thousand high school graduates participate in the National Testing – a set of written exams necessary to enroll in universities. Launched as a pilot project with the support of USAID, the National Testing proved to be an effective tool to choose the most capable students. On the 10th anniversary of the nationwide exams, let’s take a look how these exams are conducted.
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Translator’s note: Translated from Nuraika’s post (RUS)
A very common problem in Central Asia are the ways in which governmental press services link with the mass media. While being part of the same office, separate departments/offices search for the same information, having no idea that this same process could be done much easier and effective, if it were all integrated into a common information system. In the end, information consumers — whether they are public servants or journalists — end up guessing as to the function of the press services.
These and many other topics have been discussed at an OSCE seminar held in the Dostuk Hotel during 19-20 May. It was entitled, “Politics and Media Relations: Problems and Opportunities”.
US Air Force’s aircraft C-17 Globemaster is III flying over the small lake near Manas International Airport, where American Transit Center at Manas is located.
Transit Center at Manas helps coalition forces in Afghanistan, and as it’s website states, has four missions: Air Refueling, Airlift, Onward Movement of Troops and Humanitarian Assistance.
Residents of villages neighboring to airport have often complained about the air and sound pollution produced by the US Air Force jets taking off and landing at the airport.
The Kyrgyzstan Inquiry Commission (KIC) completed its research into the tragic events that have taken place in the southern Kyrgyz town of Osh in June of 2010. The bloody events have left over 400 persons (officially) dead, thousands of homes belonging to “one ethnic group” burnt to ashes or looted and hundreds of service-based institutions destroyed. The KIC included several international (hence independence and impartiality) politicians and researchers under the leadership of the Finnish politician Kimmo Kiljunen. The KIC researched into these events—traveled to Southern Kyrgyzstan, interviewed both ethnic groups and officials, and carried out other activities—and has released its report early May. Reading the report one is left with an impression that the then interim government, which includes many faces in the current government, assisted the assaults on the largest ethnic minority’s living quarters in Southern Kyrgyzstan. The report suggests that the interim government offered no serious resistance to the illegal acquisition of arms by one ethnic group to be later used against another; assisted mobs to assault mahallas with APCs breaking through barricades and advancing to make way for looters, criminals and thugs to strip houses of property, kill its inhabitants by beating to death or burning alive. The report pictures one group as a hostile assaulter and the other—helpless defendants that did not make any political demands that could provoke hostility.
The Aigine Cultural Research Center is planning to conduct a Seminar on Manas on 1-12 July 2011, aimed at preserving and developing the Manas epic. The event will be carried out with the financial support of The Christensen Fund.
The main goal of the seminar is to render methodological and spiritual assistance to novice narrators in becoming Manas epic chanters. The event will be attended by novice narrators, experienced Manas narrators and other spiritual practitioners. The seminar is intended to alleviate “Manaschy’s disease” and help novice narrators become cognizant of the narrator’s mission through indulging into the world of the epic and exchanging spiritual experiences and live stories.
In this regard, Aigine CRC is delighted to invite anthropologists, cultural studies and folklore experts, and those who are interested in Kyrgyz culture, to use this one-of-a-kind chance and take part in the seminar as a participant observer. Within the framework of the seminar, you will be able to have a glimpse at, and get a feel of, the greatest epic Manas which continues to develop by itself. You will also have a chance to experience and become familiar with certain spiritual practices, make a pilgrimage to sacred sites around Lake Yssyk-Kul, and pass an intensive Kyrgyz language course.
Deadline for applications is 1 June 2011. For more detailed information concerning logistics and financial issues please contact us at + 996 (312) 664832/661952/661952 or offie(at) http://www.facebook.com/l/86ddedG87HOGKGsYhi_P8VWKYEg/aigine.kg OR cholponai(at) http://www.facebook.com/l/86ddedG87HOGKGsYhi_P8VWKYEg/aigine.kg
Recently, Bishkek hosted an “international” exhibition titled “Kyrgyzstan 2011″. As far as I understood, the exhibition was supposed to display goods produced by 75 Kyrgyzstani companies. However, it turned into a temporary market in downtown Bishkek with lots of goods that have almost nothing to do with our country (except that it’s sold here). Anyways, see it for yourself below:
For some reason, the exhibition is called "International".
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