Fortuna Jazz Club - a new venue

On Saturday evening I ventured forth to the Fortuna Cafe, (which used to be known as the Alabama Cafe).

Although I have been there several times before, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.  I know that they have done some renovations and have been holding a number of special events, but this was the first night of their new venture: the Fortuna Jazz Club.

Now I can’t claim a real afficiando of Jazz, but I “know what I like” and do find it interesting so I decided to go and see what it was like.

I had been told that the opening would be at six o’clock … and was running late due to a small crisis at home and then losing my telephone, spending twenty minutes looking for it.  Then I happened to choose the wrong taxi; there was nothing really wrong with it, just that the driver really had no idea where to go and had to ring the head office for directions … which all took time.  Still we made it and I rushed in breathless expecting to be met by a wall of sound.

I needn’t have worried of course.  This is, after all, Central Asia where clocks and watches often appear to be mere items of jewelry rather than something which dictates your actions.  Although most of the musicians were in place, apparently some still had to arrive … which was just as well because most of the audience were running a lot later than I was.

As it happened, it matter too much because it gave everyone plenty of time to chat and get to know each other; that is, if they didn’t already, although it seemed to me that most people seemed to have than just a nodding acquaintance with each other.

I was on my own, which could have been a bit awkward as there were tables set for four people, six and eight.  (It’s a cafe, after all, and not a concert hall).  Everyone was very friendly, however, and I certainly didn’t feel out of it as several people struck up a conversation with me.

It was a small room, just six tables with seating for about thirty, but well lit and not the sort of smoke filled dark room that old black and white movies might have led me to expect.  It also seemed somewhat cozy … friendly without being “too intimate” or imposing.

Bishkek is quite well endowed when it comes to jazz musicians and performing in the sets were musicians from two of the country’s, (no, they are generally held to be Central Asia’s), best Jazz groups: Salted Peanuts and JazzOK.  There were a saxophonist, pianists, drummers, guitarists and a couple of vocalists.

Now, according to  the saxophonist Ahmad Alaadeen, “Jazz does not belong to one race or culture, but is a gift that America has given the world.”  That may be, but this particular gift is not universally admired.  Although I thought about taking the kids, I can’t see them exactly reveling in an evening of Jazz; Andrei likes Rock and Maxim prefers easy listening, softer music.

What’s more, Jazz is a constantly evolving genre and there are lots of different types of Jazz.  The music on offer this night was a mix; not what you might call “heavy” or pure jazz, but easy listening.  Unlike in most of the venues I have been to in Bishkek, it wasn’t too loud and didn’t interfere with the conversation.  Although the programme was quite varied, I couldn’t help comparing it to an evening of Dave Brubeck, where the music can can be enjoyed but is not oppressive.

One of the guitarists was certainly enjoying his solos, judging by his facial expressions; rapt in concentration, involved with and enthralled by the various cadences, (the balanced rhythmic flow), filling the room.  The one complaint I might have is that it was sometimes difficult to hear the lyrics that the vocalist was singing, but if it had been any louder then it might well have interfered with the general atmosphere, so it wasn’t a crucial disadvantage.

All in all, I had a pleasant evening.  I’ll certainly go again, but I am not sure that I will make every night.  They are planning five nights of Jazz a week, (Tuesday to Saturday), but I might well go on a Sunday night when they are planning to hold Rock Evenings.

Maybe Andrei will join me.

An invitation to the "Micro cherez Macro" exhibitionj

Victor Rehemaye is a computer engineer who works for us as a contractor.  He is also an avid photographer.

A few years ago I was called into the office by one of our managers who wanted me to see some of Victor’s photographs.  They weren’t just ordinary photographs, they were some examples of his 3D spherical panoramas.  He explained how he stood in one spot and made about thirty different photographs and then “stitched the together” in order to create an image which showed the view from the spot through 360 degrees, as well as look up to the sky and down to the ground.

I was impressed, but wasn’t sure at that time how it we could use such images.  The photographs are distorted, like those taken through a fish eye lens, and need a special computer program in order to see them properly.

However, we kept in touch on the issue and over the course of time he showed me not only the images, but also the variations that he was able to introduce.  For example, he was able to produce a tour along Prospect Chui in Central Bishkek, with symbols to show where the next panorama in the sequence was taken.  We talked about producing a tour of the hotel but I was worried about how to use it on the internet given that the files are very large and would take a long time for a user to download.

We were, however, able to use his panoramas in a number of places, especially on the Kyrgyzstan Infopack CDs which we produced.  Victor has also produced a number of special CDs for us: of the Russian Orthodox Church here in Bishkek and the one in Karakol and also Tash Rabat.  We have also sent him off on a number of trips around the country to take panoramas and he put together a special CD featuring several places on the route between Bishkek and Torugart.

Eventually we established www.see.kg where you can several of the panoramas and get an impression of what Kyrgyzstan has in store for the visitor.  Of course, that’s all a photograph, (albeit a 3D Spherical Panorama), can give … an impression.

Quite often Victor will call into the office and tell me he has something to show me … a new panorama.  “I was passing *** and had half an hour to spare; the sun was shining and so I thought I would stop and take some photographs … and this is how it turned out …”.

Sometimes, however, it doesn’t work out.  Once we on the way from Son Kul down to Naryn and had stopped in order for Victor to take his snapshots for making a panorama when the heavens opened and it started to pour down.  We ran for the bus had to give up on that particular occasion, although he did manage to get some spectacular results on another trip.   (He was able to stitch together some of the photographs that he did manage to get, however, and the results were quite spectacular; it was possible to zoom in on the high resolution master photograph and actually see the raindrops.)

On another occasion he was photographing a night scene on one of the busy street corners in downtown Bishkek, (at the intersection of Prospect Chui and Manas), and car whizzed past.  When he came to work on stitching the images together he noticed that he had only half the vehicle in the photo.

Sometimes there are some amusing moments.  When taking one panoramic set with a tour group he managed to get the guide twice; once in one shot pointing in one direction and then again in another pointing in another.

But Victor doesn’t just take panoramic shots.  Photography is a passion and he often brings me photos to show me that he has taken on a wide variety of topics.

Another aspect of photography which he practices is called Macrophotograpy – which ironically means photographing very small objects.

Once, example, he showed me an image which seemed to be a set of hexagons, and I looked somewhat bemused at it; wondering what I was looking at.  It turned out that it was an eye … of an insect.  That was pretty spectacular, but some of the other photographs of the insect were a bit more disturbing … after all, creepy crawlies tend to send a shiver down the spine.

He often turns it into a sort of guessing game: “What do you think of this?”, he’ll ask and I have to work out exactly what I am looking at: a snowflake; the stamen on a flower; the milling on the edge of a coin; a detail from a banknote; sugar crystals; an eye; a fingerprint; a piece of thread; the eye of a needle; a drop of water nestling on a leaf …

Well, last week Victor brought me an invitation to the opening of an exhibition featuring some of his photographs and those of another photographer, Igor Ananyevo.  The exhibition is called “Micro Cherez Macro”, (“cherez” is Russian for “through”).

It’s being held in the Frunze Museum, (on Frunze Street), and although it is quite small, (just 10 boards in the room, each with nine photos – one has just six photos), the detail on the photographs are quite striking.

The local press turned up and the exhibition was featured on the news on local television and Victor gave an interview, which attracted the attention of several of his clients.

The exhibition will be held until the end of January, (although not on Mondays – all museums here seem to close on Monday), so if someone finds themselves just passing by with half an hour or so to spare, like Victor often does, it’s well worth a visit.

Remembering that it can only give an impression, here’s a 3D spherical Panorama package prepared by Victor during the opening of the exhibition:

Click on the Green Arrows to move to a new location

Concert playbill

The other day, one of my staff walked into my office and asked me a question which drew me up short: Could I name some famous British composers?  He went on to explain that he knew lots of French and German composers … and, of course, Russian composers but he had realized that he couldn’t name any British ones.

After a few moments thought I rattled off a short list: Elgar, (who used to live just up the road from where I was born in Malvern – but I am not sure that this impressed him); Benjamin Britten; Arthur Sullivan; Andrew Lloyd Webber; Howard Goodall, (whom I used to teach – but I don’t think that impressed him either); Henry Purcell; Ralph Vaughan Williams; Henry Wood; Michael Tippet; William Walton;  Peter Maxwell Davies;  Sir Hubert Parry; Thomas Arne; William Byrd; …

I could see that he wasn’t impressed with this long list, (although I was), even with my “personal connections”, saying that he had never heard of them.  I tried to point out that many foreign composers like Handel and Haydn also had connections with Britain, but this didn’t help.  So I told him to go away and “wiki-it”.   He did and Wikipedia came up with an even longer list, (most of whom I have to admit I have never heard of), and I was surprised to see that it came up with names like Samuel Coleridge Taylor and William Wordsworth, (whom I would never have associated with music, thinking of them just as poets).  It also came up with Gustav Holst, whom I thought was German, or Scandanavian.

Later that day, as it happened, I received a notice about a concert by the Chui Chamber Orchestra to be performed in the Phiharmonia tonight.  I immediately printed a copy our and showed it to him … the concert will include Benjamin Britten’s ”Simple Symphony” … perhaps he would like to go and hear it.

Now, to be honest, I don’t know the work.  I have never heard it, and I have no idea whether he will like it.  On the other hand, the title implies that it shouldn’t be too heavy; he has a fairly catholic taste in music and I do know that the Chui Chamber Orchestra are good; so I felt reasonably confident about the recommendation.

The Chui Chamber Orchestra has been around for 17 years.  It was originally founded in March 1994 and consists of some 20-odd like-minded, young – many of them either students or graduates of the Kyrgyz National Conservatory – enthusiasts.

Although they call themselves a “chamber orchestra”, they actually have quite a wide repertoire, from Baroque to contemporary modern music.  As well as a wide variety of well known foreign composers, they perform works by Kyrgyz composers and someone posted this short clip on youtube of them playing a piece by Toktogul Satilganov:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyJ4GcmISdw

As well as the concerts they give here in Bishkek, (in concert halls – including charitable concerts in support of, for example, the Red Crescent Society and the International Children’s Fund project “Meerim” – “Altyn Balalyk” – but also in nursing homes, orphanages, and military units), they have also performed abroad; in Germany, Russia, Turkey and Kazakhstan.

Tonight’s programme will feature well-known works by the seventeenth and eighteenth century composers Johann Pachelbel, George Frederick Handel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as well as works by twentieth century composers Benjamin Britten and Semuel Barber and the Kyrgyz premiere of Giya Kancheli’s “Largo and Allegro”.

To be honest, (and here I am probably showing my ignorance), I have no idea who Pachelbel, Barber and Kancheli are, but I know the others and, for my colleague, I noted their connection with Britain.

Unfortunately, I can’t go … I have a meeting at that time, so I’ll have to wait for their next concert.

For the record: The concert is being supported by the Ministry of Culture and Information, the Chui oblast administration, the National Philharmonic Society and is sponsored by the Microcredit Company, “Companion”, (a “community development financial institution” established by Mercy Corps Kyrgyzstan in 2004. Which works throughout the country providing services to almost 120000 people – which makes it the second largest financial institution in Kyrgyzstan as measured by the number of customers), and earlier this year they also sponsored a CD of seven classical works performed by the orchestra.

The Orchestra have a website, (in Russian only) which gives a brief history, news of forthcoming events, a list of their extensive repertoire, press notices, a photo gallery as well as contact details and a guestbook for users to leave comments: http://www.chko.in.kg/index.shtml

]]> http://ianbek.kg/?feed=rss2&p=6306 0 http://ianbek.kg/?p=6116 http://ianbek.kg/?p=6116#comments Thu, 03 Nov 2011 01:00:40 +0000 ian http://ianbek.kg/?p=6116

The Savitsky biography

Igor Savitsky was a painter, archeologist and art collector who is remembered for the collection which bears his name and is housed in a museum in Nukus in Karakalpakstan.

Karakalpakstan ?! … Land of the black kalpak?

It is a region in Uzbekistan – the largest region occupying a third of the country.  In the south of the region, near the Amu Darya river and the border with Turkmenistan is the city of Nukus.  Once a small settlement it grew into a major city during the Soviet period, but because of its chemical research plants it was “closed city”, inaccessible to foreign visitors.  It is now home to about quarter of a million people.

But, Karakalpakstan is at the far West of the country, as far away from Kyrgyzstan as you can get and still be in Uzbekistan.  So, why on earth would I be interested in writing a Postcard from Bishkek about  someone who lived there and, as far as I can tell, never visited Kyrgyzstan?

Poster for the film

Today, at six o’clock, in the Hyatt there will be a showing of a documentary film, “The Desert of Forbidden Art”, about the Savitsky Art Collection which is housed in the Nukus Museum of Art, (or more properly, “The State Art Museum of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, named after I.V. Savitsky”).

To be honest, I had never heard of Satvisky until about a year ago when I was asked about placing an advert on a Savitsky calendar which was about to be published.  I turned the suggestion down, but intrigued I did a little research and the story of Savitsky and his collection is quite interesting.

I was planning to go and see it even before I received this message from the States, attached to a copy of the notice about the screening:

” If you haven’t seen this film, I highly recommend it! “

Igor Savitsky was born in Kiev in 1915.  He visited Central Asia as a student during World War II, when the Institute in which he was studying was evacuated to Samarkand.  In 1950 he came to Karakalpak as the artist on the Khorezm Archeological and Ethnographic Expedition, and, basically, fascinated by the culture and people of the steppe, he stayed on after the expedition finished in 1957 – a bit like me here in Bishkek.

He took the opportunity to explore the region and started collecting Karakalpak carpets, costumes, jewelry, and other works of art and artifacts.  In the 1960’s he persuaded the authorities that they needed a museum to store and exhibit them and in 1966 he became its curator.

He also collected drawings and paintings of artists linked to Central Asia and, deciding that he could not simply stand by and watch an entire generation of Russian culture disappear, he began collecting thousands of works from all over the USSR by avant-garde artists, (many of whom had gained recognition in the West but were actually banned in the Soviet Union).

Our impressions of Soviet Art are often coloured by its official use as a propaganda tool, promoting ideas of an ideal society, decorations for celebrations and political campaigns.  The “socialist realism” style became de rigueur, (there was even a government decree on what forms of art were acceptable), whilst other styles were dismissed as “formalism”, with works of art not only banned but often destroyed, with the artists suffering repression and even persecution.  .

Ironically, he used public funds in order to make his purchases, even though many of them were officially banned.  As a result, the museum in Nukus became the home of the second largest collection, (after the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg), of the Soviet avant-garde art.

It’s possible that he was only able to do this simply because Nukus was so remote, far from the eyes of the watchful KGB.  The authorities knew it existed and over the course of time, following Stalin’s death, the reputation of Stavisky and his collection grew.   In the 1960’s there was even an exhibition organized which toured the Soviet Union.

Igor Stavisky died in hospital, in Moscow, in 1984.  He left behind as his legacy a massive collection which is now recognized as one of the world’s leading depositories of modern art.  Apparently the museum, and its famous collection, are far from secure, facing economic hardship and strict surveillance from Uzbek authorities, who have sharply reduced the collection’s exhibition space by closing one of two museum buildings.   Apparently, it is under threat of closure and dispersal.  According to one of the filmakers behind “The Desert of Forbidden Art”, it is hoped that the film will “function as an advocacy tool and a catalyst to protect this unique 20th-century cultural institution.”

The connection with Bishkek, (the film showing), is somewhat tenuous …  it’s basically a marketing ploy, a showcase for the calendar and the recently published biography of Savitsky by Marinika Babanazarova, (his successor as Director of the Museum since his death in 1984) …  but the film, (with the likes of Ben Kingsley, Sally Field and Ed Asner provide the voice-overs quoting the diaries and letters of Savitsky and the artists, intercut with recollections from the artists’ children and rare archival footage), has got good reviews and it looks like being an interesting evening.

Here’s the trailer:

What’s more, I thought that the story was worth telling.  It reminded me of the story of Klavdia Antipina, another Russian who came and settled in Central Asia and made a valuable contribution to our knowledge of cultural history.

You can find out more about Savitsky and the museum on their website.

Also, here’s an inspiring post form the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree about the museum.

Incidentally, if anyone is in London on Wednesday 9th November, there will be a book launch and signing by the author  at Pushkin House, (5A Blooksbury Square, London, WC1A 2TA).

All sales proceeds go directly to the Museum to support the maintenance and preservation of the Savitsky Collection.

Website of the Public Fund "Central Asia - Arts Management" (CAAM), organizers of the Jazz Autumn 2011 Festival

I remember going for a walk through the city centre back  on my first visit to Kyrgyzstan, (back in 1994 – when I came here for a two week holiday), and walking past the Opera and Ballet Theatre hearing one of the singers practising her scales.  My friend, Tony, who was with me and had already been bitten by the “Kyrgyzstan Bug”, turned and said, “See, it’s not the back of beyond, they even Opera and Ballet here … and they’re not bad!”

At that point I hadn’t yet caught the Kyrgyzstan Bug, (the infectious affection that the place instils in many visitors for the landscape, wild life, history and culture), and had yet to be convinced.  Now, however, I have to admit that the cultural life in Bishkek is often full of surprises … and it is those surprises that helps to foster in, both, visitors and ex-pats like myself a lasting endearment to the place.

Another one of those surprises landed in my Inbox last week – a message about an event to be held tonight called “Jazz Autumn“.

I have written before about Jazz Festivals held here in Bishkek.  They strike me as an example of what I often say, that “in Kyrgyzstan there is something for everyone.”  We not only have a wide variety of restaurants and different forms of entertainment … including Opera, Ballet, Classical Music, Disco, Rock, Pop, Rap, Traditional Folk Music representing a wide variety of ethnicities … and, of course, Jazz.  The biggest problem is, however, that unless you know where to look, many events pass under the Radar.  Therefore, I was very pleased to be be given at least a week’s notice of this event.

It’s being organized by the Public Fund “Central Asia Arts Management”, (CAAM), who have organized three previous festivals – in Spring 2007 and 2009 and in Autumn last year.  The event is also being supported by the American Embassy as part of the “Rhythm Road” program, (run by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, which aims to introduce American music to different communities around the world and promoting cultural exchange and understanding between peoples), and the Christensen Fund.

The main event will be a concert in that same Theatre of Opera and Ballet tonight.  The “main attraction” will be a performance by the group “Paul Beaudry and Pathways” from the USA, but they will be supported by two local Jazz groups: “Vikram Ruzahunova” and “Salted Peanuts”, (both of which have performed at previous Jazz Festivals in Bishkek),

Paul Beaudry and Pathways were formed in 2008 and has four talented and experienced members: Paul Beaudry himself, (a guitarist, composer, producer, singer and teacher who is originally from San Francisco, but now lives in New York where he teaches at Columbia University); Tim Armak, (from Los Angeles but who also currently lives in New York, who plays the clarinet, saxophone and flute as well as being a singer); Tony Jefferson, (a drummer from New York who also occasionally sings);  and Bennett Paster, (who grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but currently lives in New York, and plays the piano and other keyboard instruments).  Last year the band released their first album and toured Latin America.  They also have their own page on MySpace, so it is possible to get a feel for their music.  They will be performing some of their own compositions as well as arrangements of other pieces. 

The Kyrgyz Drama Theatre

The other day I was walking back to the office from a meeting in the Hyatt, and happened to walk past the Russian Drama Theatre.

Outside there were some large posters advertising forthcoming attractions and one caught my eye. It wasn’t difficult to do so.  It was hug – about 3 meters tall and 10 meters long.  I thought it was advertising a performance of Romeo and Juliet and, as it’s one of my favourite of Shakespeare’s plays, I thought it might be nice to go along and catch a performance.  The fact that it would be in Russian would not be a handicap as I already know the play quiye well.

Then I took another look … “Something’s wrong,” I thought to myself.  ”Yes, that it!”  It was advertising a play called Romeo and Juliet Dva - Romeo and Juliet 2.

Review of Romeo and Juliet 2 on the theatre's website (in Russian)

Apparently, it’s exactly what the title suggests – a sequel to Shakespeare’s play.  It’s a new play based on an earlier one by the Russian playwright Grigory Gorin called “A plague on both your houses” which saw its première here on Independence Day, (August 31st.  It’s a tragic comedy which follows the Montague and Capulet families following the events outline by the bard in his masterpiece.  If you thought the two families might be reconciled following the deaths of the star crossed lovers, the author of this piece doesn’t agree.  The families have been long nurturing enmity and he sees this continuing despite the Duke of Verona tasking them to find a couple to unite them in marriage.

As I walked up the side of the theatre I saw another 15 or 16 posters advertising the various plays in the repertoire for the company’s 77th season.  They were smaller than one that had originally caught my attention being only about two and a half meters square, and included on for Shakespeare’s original play.

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Before the October Revolution of 1917, there was no professional Kyrgyz theatre.  Popular entertainment was provided by the traditional manaschi, akyns and musicians such as komuzists.  It was in 1926, with the creation of the Kyrgyz Musical-Dramatic Studio, that professional dramatic entertainment can be said to have been established. 

On the basis of the Studio, in 1930, the Kyrgyz State Theater was established.  In 1935 the company of the Russian Drama Theatre was established and the following year that of the Kyrgyz Theatre.  The first performance was “Capital”, a play about the construction of the Moscow Metro, and it was followed by a premiere.  The companies often perform premieres of new plays, especially by local authors – such as Chinghiz Aitmatov, but they also include in the repertoires a wide range of classics, including Chekhov and Shakespeare.

In 1938 a puppet theatre was opened in Bishkek.  There is still a puppet theatre in the capital and another in Osh.

During the Second World War, the actors of the Kyrgyz Theatres performed for the troops at the front.  Troupes have also performed in a number of festivals abroad. 

Throughout the Republic there are currently 9 Drama Theatres, 6 Musical Theatres, 2 Puppet Theatres, 3 Philharmonia Concert Halls and the Circus … There are also a number of other concert halls and staged areas (such as the Kojumkol Sports Palace in Bishkek).

In Bishkek there are a number of theatres:

• Russian Drama Theatre – named in honour of the Soviet actor Krupskoi – The theatre was established in 1935, but the current building, in Oak Park was built in 1982.  Currently it is the only Russian Drama Theatre in the country.  The company performs a range of local and international plays – but performances are in Russian.  
• Kyrgyz Drama Theatre – Panfilova Street / Abdumomunova – the company performs a range of local and international plays – performances are in Kyrgyz or Russian.  The plans for the building were also used for construction of the theatre in Osh.
• Bishkek City Drama Theatre – in the Chernevsky Library – between the Theatre of Opera and Ballet and the Russian Drama Theater – a small, intimate, theatre – the company performs a range of local and international plays – performances are in Kyrgyz or Russian. Often hosts visiting international troupes as well.
• Youth Theatre – in the Pioneer House on Michurina.
• Puppet Theatre – on the corner of Sovietskaya and Michurina – performances on Sundays at 11:00am. 

Performances normally start early: 4:00, 5:00 or 6:00pm

The Kyrgyz Diary test site

We have a new web based project: Kyrgyz Diary.

At the moment it is only in a test format … because we are trying to work out the logistics of how it will work … and we have a question for you: What would you like to see on the site?

Although there was a travel website which claimed that “Kyrgyzstan isn’t exactly full of festivals” … this is not exactly fair and, in fact, the people of Kyrgyzstan enjoy a celebration or festival as much as anyone … however … it can, sometimes, be difficult to find information about events in Kyrgyzstan.

We’ve discovered several problems with the idea as we have worked on this test site … but the most important question still remains … what do people want to see there?

For example … one of the crucial questions to bear in mind when designing a site is “who is it for?”.   This would have an effect on what we aim to include …

Well, we run a tour company, so one obvious answer to that question is “potential tourists“.  It could be useful for to them when it comes to planning their trip.  We already have had, for example, several clients who have rearranged the dates of their visit to Kyrgyzstan so that they can attend a particular festival.   So, if the site is aimed primarily at tourists, then emphasis would probably be on festivals and tourist events.

Another answer might be “ex-pats” or other people living in Kyrgyzstan for a period of time.  I am often being asked, especially by people new to Bishkek, about venues – where’s a good place to go and eat?, what concerts are on?, what nightclubs are there? … and so on.  If we orientated our site towards this particular segment, then we would presumably want to include some other events which might not be of obvious interest to tourists such as concerts, plays, film festivals, sports events, cultural events like art exhibitions and even services in the local churches, (synagogue, or mosque …).

Then there are what could be termed, “locals“, whether Kyrgyz, Russian or some other nationality.  This would mean providing information about a much wider set of events – such as cinema programmes, trade fairs, events staged in nightclubs, sporting events and training courses, just to mention a few.

Personally, I think there are already several different ways for them to get this sort of information, websites, newspapers, TV and Radio, not mention posters and word of mouth.  If we are going to provide information for this segment, then there ought to be versions in Kyrgyz and Russian as well as English … but then, what I think is not the point – what would people who visit the site want to see there?  Hence the question …

What about other languages?  We have some of our websites in French as well … so, should we produce a French version of this site as well? … what about German? … or Japanese? … or … ???

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So, the question is … can you help us?  Can you tell us what you would like to see on the site?

I am not saying that we will be able to fullfil everyone’s wishes and desires … but it will help us to develop a site that we hope will be of use to as many people as possible.

You can post comments here on this page, or write to me at ian@ianbek.kg.  I’ll be glad to hear from you.

During the last few days I have been somewhat spoiled with lots of people fussing over me.  Everyone has been very kind and attentive and one my neighbours has been preparing jars of compot, (boiled fruit juice), and saucepans of Chicken Soup for me. That’s one of the advantages of being ill, I suppose, but, to be honest, I would rather that it wasn’t necessary.

Compot is OK, but I get tired very quickly of Chicken Soup.  A few years ago I was ill and the doctor wouldn’t let me eat anything but Chicken Soup for several weeks whilst we were waiting for the results of various tests.

Sometimes people are surprised when they hear that I don’t have a cook, but would rather cook for myself.  I’m not particularly good at cooking Chicken Soup, even though it is pretty straight forward.  It’s just not one of my specialities.  I tend to cook things that are more spicy.

I have often thought, however, that I would like to learn to cook some of the local dishes, but never really got round to learning.   I was particularly interested on Tuesday, therefore, when I received a notice about a special event being organized at one of the local universities in order to raise funds to help a group of disabled people to take part in Fashion Week in March – a special Cooking Master Class.

The Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University has a School of  Tourism and Hotel Management.  It is quite a good institution and prepares students for work in the Hotel and Restaurant Industry.  They run special courses for hotel and restaurant cooks and this promised to be a very interesting and useful class.  The fact that it was also going to be in aid of helping disabled people was an added incentive.

Unfortunately, however,  as is often the case here, the organizers didn’t give us much notice … the course takes place on Saturday and it’s necessary to sign up by Thursday evening.  I don’t know how long the class has been in the planning stage, but it doesn’t seem unreasonable to ask that they give us a couple of weeks notice, so that we can plan our weekend accordingly.  As it happens, I am not sure that I am going to be able to make it this weekend, so it looks like it might be another missed opportunity.

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The event is conducted as part of a fundraising campaign  for the Public Association of Women with Disabilities who are planning to take part in Fashion Week along with famous designers.  Money raised will cover the cost of buying fabrics, yarns and trasnsportation costs for disabled people in order to participate in Fasion Week.  The motto for the campaign is “Equal Opportunities for people with disabilities.”

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Fashion Week is an event which is hosted a couple of times a year by Kyrgyzstan’s Garments industryin order to showcase the work of some of Kyrgyzstan’s talented Designers.

The textiles industry in Kyrgyzstan is quite an interesting aspect of the Kyrgyz economy.  It has developed largely as a result of indiviual initiative, without any government encouragement or interference and with little foreign investment.  Furthermore, in the first decade of the twenty-first century, it has been a success story with rapid growth in production, most of which, (estimates range from two thirds to 95%), goes as export to Russia, Kazakhstan and other neighbouring countries.  It has been acquiring a good reputation in various markets – even in the high-end boutiques in Russia where it used to be sold with fake labels of foreign quality brands – something which led to an international investigation.  Nowadays, however, it is just as likely to be marketed under a ”Made in Kg” label.

The industry is not exactly new to Kyrgyzstan.  In the Soviet period there were several large manufacturers operating factories which turned out garments to Moscow’s orders using cotton from Uzbekistan:  During the Second World War, the production of clothing in the republic made an important contribution to the overall war effort;  The marble facade on the Western side of Ala Too square in Bishkek is just that – a facade, constructed to mask a clothes factory, (Ilbirs – which still operates today), and create a unified, impressive, symbolic architectural ensemble suitable for the main square in the capital of the USSR’s constituent Republics;  There was, and is, a silk factory in Osh, but it is in need of modernization – the equipment dates from the Soviet period and can only produce narrow skeins of material.  The collapse of the Soviet Union led to drastic falls in output and many of the workers were laid off in the economic upheavals in the following years and factories closed.

It is hard to give accurate statistics for the current state of the textiles industry because, (as in many places around the world), it is basically a cottage industry which for many years was operating largely in the Shadow Economy.  The government has introduced some special reforms and initiatives in an attempt to improve transparency and bring the industry out of the “shadow” - and views differ as to how successful these has been.  It is estimated that in the Bishkek region alone, approximately 35000 small companies involved in the clothing industry employ about 150,000 people – or 15% of the population – and, it is said. 10,000 sewing machines were sold in Bishkek in 2007 alone.

Despite the strength of the local industry, most of the local production, (about 95%), and the local market is dominated by imported clothing – especially from China and Turkey.  The items available in local markets tend to be cheap and poor quality and counterfeit items abound.  Specialist shops exist, especially in the capital, which offer better quality goods, but the costs are normally quite high – as expensive or more so than in the West.

About 80% of the exports are female garments.  In particular, there are a number of fashion designers, (often specialising in combining traditional materials and styles with modern ones), and several modeling agencies that often organise fashion shows which are popular.   Designers also participate in a number of trade fairs, for example in Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkey.

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If anyone is interested and would like to participate, here’s a copy of the announcement, why not give Ainura a call and get some further details.

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This caught me by surprise.

Although I was  aware that we grow a lot of apples here in Kyrgyzstan, I was intrigued as to why someone would want to travel all this way to see the orchards when we grow an awful lot of apples in the UK as well.  Indeed, in our garden we had four apple trees of different varieties, (two “eaters” and two “cookers”) which almost every year bowed on the weight of the plentiful fruit.  Many fell to the ground before we could get to pick them – and one of my regular jobs was to rake up the “windfalls” and sort them into ones that could be salvaged and others which were to be composted.

So I went off and did some research.

To my amazement I discovered some learned articles in a variety of journals that seemed to suggest that, although the apple was now found virtually throughout the world, it’s origins were thought to be deep in the Tien Shan mountains.  As it turns out, deep in the Kazakh Tien Shan, not the Kyrgyz part of the range – a little bit to the East of the modern republic.

The research seems to show that the modern apple evolved from seeds which had blown over the mountains from China many millions of years ago and then seeds were transported westwards over a period of time – naturally at first, (for example carried by migrating birds or simply blown by the wind), but in more recent times, (over the last 10,000 years),  with the assistance of human intervention.  Everywhere, the fruit proved to be a popular food and the cultivation of trees began with grafting and new hybrids were developed wherever mankind settled.

For the record: As it happens, it’s not just the apple that it thought to have originated in this area.  Central Asia turns out to have been a real melting pot in the world of flora.  Rhubarb and the tulip, for example, are also thought to have their origins here.  Surprisingly, the walnut, for which Kyrgyzstan is particularly well known as it hosts the world’s largest extant of wild walnut forests, probably didn’t originate here – but it probably the source of the European walnut.  Alexander the Great is supposed to have found the tree when he conquered the region and sent some back to Macedonia where it thrived.  Oddly enough, they are still known in Russian as Grecheskiy Orecky – Greek Nuts – which is the cause of a little annoyance locally.

Anyway, in Kyrgyzstan there are numerous varieties of apple – varying in shape, colour, size and sweetness.  For several years there has even been an Apple Festival organized by the Association of  Orchardists and the Gardens and Plastic project, (the first one being held in 2005, and it has been held annually, in October, ever since), to commemorate and market the fruit – giving people the opportunity to taste and purchase some of the wide variety of organically grown produce, products made from apples (and other food and beverages), as well as giving people the chance to have a good time.  The Festival has normally been held in the Issyk Kul region, but this it was held in Kochkor, in the Naryn oblast.

In fact, I hadn’t heard anything about this year’s festival – we received no leaflets or posters, unlike in previous years.  So the first I heard about this years’s event was when I received the latest issue of the IBC Monthly Newsletter, which included the following article:

Singing an ode to Kyrgyz apples

Communities of Issyk-Kul and Naryn oblasts and the “Nur-Omur”Association, with the support of Kompanion Financial Group,Mercy Corps and the Kochkor District Administration held the 5thAnnual Apple Festival on October 30, 2010 in the Kochkor villageof Naryn.

This year’s Apple Festival brought together about 400 people from 40 villagesof Naryn and Issyk-Kul regions to celebrate this year’s harvest. The day wasfilled with exciting contests and competitions for adults and children, humoroussketches and jokes, musical performances, as well as the traditional andthe most delicious part of the holiday – apple tasting and the display of originaldishes made with apples.

In addition, to further the development of organic horticultural practices andagricultural market linkages, event organizers facilitated round tables to providecommunity members an excellent opportunity to discuss and identify important ecological and economicissues at the local level for further joint development.”

The tradition of the Apple Festival was born in 2006. This year’s Apple Festival is held in the Naryn region forthe first time. Communities of Kochkor took the initiative to introduce gardening experience that serves as agood example for others, “- says Erkinbek Zhumabayev, Kompanion’s Chief Liaison Officer.

There was tough competition in the fight for the title of the “Biggest Apple.” A juicy fruit weighing 700 gramstook first place. Among the vegetables, the winners were: a 4 kg beet; a 12-pound pumpkin; and a huge potato,weighing 1.6 kg.

I am used to receiving announcements of different events just before, (say a day or two), before they are going to happen, but this time, the first I knew about it was three weeks after it had happened.

What a waste … I would have liked to have gone – and I can think of several others who might have enjoyed the day out as well.

These events are normally small scale – something approaching a village fete back in the UK, but they are fun all the same – they get me out of the office … and you never know quite what you might come across.  Last year, for example, at a similar festival I found several jams that I had never tried before – including Pine Cone Jam – a speciality of the Issyk Kul region.  It wasn’t bad … tasty and interesting.  (Nothing, incidentally like the Greek wine Retsina which is fermented in Pinewood barrels and often credited with tasting like disinfectant – which is a little unfair.  Although Retsina is not my favourite wine – and if there was a choice I would choose the alternative – it is not too bad.)

Unfortunately, this is not the first time that something like this has happened – that we have learned about an event only after it has happened.

Why does it happen? – because there is a tendency here to “do, nothing, do nothing, do nothing” – and then – “rush, rush, rush” as the appointed date becomes imminent.  I keep saying to people that if they want their events to be well attended then they need to market it – and if they want us to try and encourage tourists to attend, then we need to know about them well in advance … preferably a year in advance, so that we can include them in our planning and marketing and offer them to clients as part as part of their itinerary.

For example, the clients with whom I opened this postcard would have been delighted to have gone along.  When they came to Kyrgyzstan – it was the wrong week for the festival and although they saw lots of fruit orchards – especially apples -the trip wasn’t exactly what they had in mind.  It didn’t stop them, however, recommending a similar to some of their friends who also wanted to undertake a pilgrimage to the “home of the apple” this year.  However,  for various reasons – something to do with a revolution back in the Spring – that particular trip was restricted to Kazakhstan … although they say that they may come back to visit Kyrgyzstan next year.  Maybe, we’ll be able to arrange a trip to the festival for them if they do come.

Anyway, this year I missed the chance of weekend out.  What is really annoying, is that I passed through Kochkor that weekend – twice … on my way to Naryn, and back.  It would have been nice to have taken the opportunity to call in.

If only I had known!