In the mid 1960s, Frunze, (as Bishkek was then known), witnessed an incident described by one source as “unbridled violence”.  It was one of a series of anti-police riots that took place at about the same time in a number of Soviet cities, such as: Shymkent, Jambul, Stepanakert, Chisinau, Tula and Slutsk.

Although I wrote a brief postcard about the events back in 2010 but recently a newspaper published an account, (it’s in Russian), with more details, by one of the witnesses who lived through the events, I thought it was worth revisiting.

The author, Karpek Kurmanov, is now a lawyer but at the time of the events he was a student finishing graduate school.

One of the interesting facts that emerged from this was the date … previous accounts I have seen referred to it happening in 1967, but this account clearly puts in a year earlier in 1966.

The fact that the media was kept under strict control at that time, it’s difficult to get corroborative evidence to support either date – but I presume. Being an eye witness, that Kurmanov is probably correct – 1966.

According to Kurmanov, it was on May 17th, at about 10 or 11 in morning, that two soldiers appeared in the area of the town market (which was on the site of what is now Victory Park – or Park Pobeda).

The surrounding area now has several high rise buildings, apartment blocks and offices, but at that time, the area around the market featured a large number of walled cottages and was called “Shanghai”.

According to Kurmanov, the soldiers went from house to house, (according to some reports, they were drunk), knocking on doors and windows calling for someone called Nadia.  Some of the neighbours told them that Nadia was not at home and told them to stop their noise, but they carried on shouting and the neighbours called on the police patrol based in a trailer in the market to restore the peace.  The senior officer on duty sent a couple of policemen to deal with the situation.  They arrived and detained the soldiers and escorted them back to the trailer, through the bazaar.

This was all in front of the townspeople in the bazaar and as they were walking to the trailer, someone in the crowd called out: “Brothers, look at the rubbish which have beaten the defenders of the Motherland”.  A large crowd gathered around the trailer calling for the release of the detained soldiers,  and as time passed, it grew bigger and bigger … and more threatening.

At one point a police motorcycle and sidecar which parked nearby was overturned and set on fire.

Apparently, there were those amongst the crowd that were shouting, calling for for violence against the police if they didn’t release the soldiers.  They began to hit the windows and hammer the door of the trailer.  Those inside managed to telephone their superiors in the local station and were told to “get out of there”.  Reinforcements arrived in a car to help evacuate them and backed up to the door of the trailer and the both the police and the detainees decamped and they drove off.

When they had left, the crowd broke into the trailer and ransacked it; smashing the phone, scattering the papers, breaking tables and chairs and … it was in the days of the Soviet Union … smashing the portraits of Marx and Lenin, eventually setting it alight.

At this point the crowd is said is said to have numbered a thousand people.

Now the cry went up move off to the city’s police headquarters, and the crowd moved off, growing in number as more people joined them en route.

Once they reached the three storey building, they found that the police inside had changed out of their uniforms and fled in civilian clothes.

A black “Volga” drove up; a prestigious Soviet vehicle popular amongst officials and a status symbol among the nomenclature.  Inside was the First Secretary of the Party Committee, who spoke to the crown in an attempt to persuade them to disperse.  The response he got was not what he expected.  Stones were thrown and he had to rapidly retreat.

In the absence of any resistance, the rioters pouched open the gates and rushed into the building, repeating the scene of mayhem and destruction that had earlier taken place in the trailer, setting alight anything that would burn.  Fortunately, however, they weren’t able to access the armoury.

The crowd then moved their attention to other police stations around the city – destroying two of them.

Troops were brought into the city almost immediately, and placed around the Government house and the burned out shell of the police headquarters.  Some of the rioters tried talking to them, attempting to persuade the soldiers to join with them.  These efforts weren’t successful and there were reports that in the clashes that followed several servicemen were injured.

It seems that the city became a “no-go zone”, with uniformed police absent from the city streets for about a week.   Where police were found they were often attacked and the trees were decorated with items of police uniform; a cap here, an insignia there and so on.

Within a month of the unrest, order and calm had been restored.  The authorities had identified many of those who had been involved and some 500 were prosecuted.

Moving amongst the crowd during the riot were operatives of the KGB who secretly photographed events and these photographs were later used to identify individual rioters and as evidence in the prosecutions.

Most were charged with “hooliganism” or “destruction of state property” but some of them were also charged with “incitement to disaffection” for trying to persuade soldiers to leave their post and join the protest.

Many of the cases were actually dropped, although the ones that did proceed resulted in heavy prison sentences.

According to some reports, the cause of the riot was that the soldiers were beaten when they were arrested and some of the surrounding shoppers had mistakenly thought that at least one of them was dead and so the they set upon the surprised policemen.  (It seems that the riots in Shymkent and Stepankurt were also sparked off as a result of deaths of people in police custody).

It has also been said that, apparently, the crowd included a number of Uighur and Dungan stallholders and the situation was further complicated by a general dissatisfaction about paying bribes … and, apparently,  it has been suggested that the riot was later represented as a “Chinese plot”.

Kurmanov, however, paints a different picture.  He says that the original protestors that surrounded the police trailer included out of work itinerants, (he actually uses the Soviet term tuneyadtzy -parasites), and other pravonarushitely, (“offenders”): thieves, pickpockets, thugs, alcoholics and others “who were fed every day at the market”.

It seems to me that although either of the accounts of the origin of the riot could be correct, Kurmanov lived through the events and although he admits that he wasn’t involved in the trials, he may well have had access to some of the legal material like court records, so we should give his account some credence.

What his account doesn’t tell us, however, is why if this disparate group of ne’er-do-wells were responsible for starting the riot in the first place, why it took so long for calm to return to the streets – and seemed to involve a wide variety of others.  The main “ringleader”, for example, (as he tells us), was a Russian who taught drawing and singing at a school in a neighbouring district across the border in what is now Kazakhstan.

Monument to the victims of Reoression

Some years ago, I wrote an article about Bishkek which began with the words: “Bishkek cannot claim to be one of the major cities of the world, like London, Paris or New York. It is, however, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan and does have a number of important and interesting buildings, monuments, parks, museums, galleries, theaters and other places worth seeing or visiting. “

I’ve seen this paragraph quoted in a number of places, but I am not going to claim copyright.  Sometimes, however, I think that a lot of things in Bishkek are overlooked or simply missed by visitors and locals alike.

Take the monuments, for example.  Bishkek can boast a huge variety of monumental art that lines its streets and adorns its parks.  Some of it is grand and other examples are less imposing, but perhaps that simply adds to their poignancy.

For example, there is a striking monument in a small area by the side of the Seitek Youth Center in Central Bishkek.  It’s easy to both miss and overlook, (if you do happen to come across it).  It’s on a street just off the old Central Square, opposite Oak Park, and is set back from the road, behind a low hedge and in the shade of a huge fir tree, with a children’s playground behind it.

A simple block of red rock on a small plinth covered with red marble tiles, and with a square plaque bearing a short inscription in three languages, (Kyrgyz, Russian and English), which reads: “To the Memory of victims of Mass Repressions”.

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Plaque containing the dedication

In what seems to be an example of understatement, simplicity and reticence, (especially when compared to the monuments to the glories of the Socialist Revolution, their grandeur, magnificence and prominence), this small monument, almost hidden away, seems to possess a special, poignant significance.

The phrase “mass repressions” is a synonym used here to refer to what are known in the West as the “purges” of the Stalinist period when “anti-revolutionaries” and “enemies of the people” were prosecuted by the Soviet authorities.

Although the term “purge” is usually associated with the Stalinist period, the first “purge” took place as early as 1921 when almost a quarter of a million people left or were expelled from the Communist Party, people who were perceived to have joined simply in order to be “on the winning side”.    The first “Stalinist purge” occurred in 1929-30 when membership of the party was literally decimated, (i.e. reduced by 10%), although there were also a large number of new members recruited from amongst the industrial workers.  Then in 1933 special Purge Commissions were established to examine members of the Party and which resulted in almost two million members leaving the party, almost one fifth of the party.

These measures, however, were probably aimed mainly at preserving the purity of the party.  Most of those who left the party or were deprived of their membership, suffered nothing worse than the loss of their Party Card and the privileges which is conferred.  That was to change, however, in 1936 when the full terror of the term, as we know it in the West, came into its own with the commencement of the Great Purge.

It was once thought that the Great Purge caused havoc in the Red Army, but it is now thought to have affected only somewhere between 4% to 8% of the officer corps instead of the vast numbers (anything between 25% and 50%) that we previously thought.  Even so, the senior leadership of the military was severely hit and the country lost three out its five Marshalls, 13 from 15 Army Commanders (Generals), 8 out of 9 admirals, 50 out 57 army corps commanders, 154 out of 186 Division Commanders, all 16 Army Commissars, and 25 of the 28 Army Corps Commissars.

For some, the effect of the purge simply to lose their Party Card, but for others the results were far more drastic … internal exile to a distant part of the Soviet Union, imprisonment in the Gulags, and even execution.  It was on June 11th, 1937, that eight of the top leadership of country’s military were executed following a “show trial” which made use of falsified evidence and forced confessions.

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Central Asia, (including the Kyrgyz Socialist Soviet Republic), was not to escape the ravages of the Stalinist era – which followed those of the Revolution itself and the civil war.  For example:

• there was a “gulag” in Naryn, (not far where our guesthouse now stands at the Eastern end of town);
• many public figures were accused, arrested, and executed for a variety of “crimes” as part of the “purges” and in his autobiography, Alexander Dubcek describes how they were taught to admire revolutionary heroes – who were suddenly declared villains, put on trial, and executed. He and his schoolmates were instructed to cut out the photos of these former heroes - ”the unwanted” and to cover-up their names where they occurred in the text.  Apparently the teachers carefully collected and counted the pages so that none were missed.
• many people were banished to Central Asia from other parts of the Soviet Union as a form of internal exile, (for example: Trotsky who was sent at one point to Almaty and the ethnographer Clavdia Antipina) and
• The largest known purge of the period in the Kyrgyz SSR took place in November 1937, at Chong Tash, just to the south of the republican capital Frunze (now Bishkek).  Chong Tash is now a small, low lying, ski resort, (and a favourite place amongst residents of Bishkek to while away a few free hours over a weekend).  Over two days some 137 people  (or possibly 138 – there is some doubt about the actual number) were killed by the secret police – executed by a single shot to the back of the head.  It is believed that this included the entire Supreme Soviet Central Committee of the day – and possibly some other notable characters such as Kasym Tynystanov – the linguist whose portrait appears on the 10 som banknote, and Torokul Aitmatov – father of the famous Kyrgyz author and diplomat, Chinghiz Aitmatov.

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Many scholars suggest that one reason behind the purges was the insecurity of Joseph Stalin who sought to remove anyone who could threaten his authority or position.  It is thought that over one and half million people were detained, just under half of whom, (about 700,000), were shot.

Ironically, many of those were later “rehabilitated” in the period following Khrushchev’s “secret speech” to the 20th congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in which he denounced the Personality Cult of Joseph Stalin, opening the events of these difficult times to the critical examination of History.

However, although the Stalinist period is known throughout the West as one of repression and cruel authoritarianism, of “Purges”, “Show Trials”, and the “Gulags”, there are some people in the countries of the former Soviet Union who look back on this period from a different perspective – as one of strong government and an orderly society.

It is sometimes difficult to determine the facts and obtain a realistic picture of life in these times because our hazy knowledge of this period of history is riddled with rumours, (for example about one official losing one of the southern enclaves to Uzbekistan in a card game); inconclusive research, (often written with one eye towards the censors and the “official” view of history), and contradictory accounts.  To many of the surviving members of the older generation who lived actually through those far-off days … it is sometimes a period of dim and distant childhood memories.

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It seems to me, however, that there is something that this small and seemingly insignificant memorial has to say to us today, and especially to our leaders, that History is watching us … the truth will come out no matter the cost, in terms of human lives and misery, of whatever steps we take to “cover our tracks”.

In the words engraved on other memorials: “Lest we Forget” and “People, Don’t forget the lessons of the past”.

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For the record: I’ve written a postcard about Clavdia Antipina, and will post some about some of the other characters mentioned here in the future.

I’ll also add some postcards about some of the many monuments that are to be found in Bishkek.

Tuesday was the “Ides of March”.

The Romans had a very strange calendar until Caesar decided to reform it in 46BC, (adding 46 extra days in order to bring it back into line with the seasons on which it was supposed to be based, and causing chaos and disruption throughout the Roman world).  His reforms, however, didn’t stretch to the ancient division of the 30-day month by the kalends, nones and ides.

The kalends was the first day of the month, (probably, originally denoting the day of the new moon), and the ides were 13, (or 15 days in the case of March, May, July, and October), were probably originally associated with the full moon.  The nones were probably associated with the half moon phase in the lunar cycle and occurred nine days before the ides.  The other days in between had no special names and were designated by how many days it was to the next kalend, nones or ides.   For example, my birthday, March 8th, would have been called “VIII ides Martius”, (8-ides, or “seven days before the ides of March”).

I’m not sure which is the most confusing, the calendar itself, or the fact that it survived and was the official dating system throughout Europe for something like two thousand years.  Even though there was a more logical calendar in use in Shakespeare’s time, he could freely write “Beware the Ides of March” and expect his audience to understand the reference.

On his way the theater, Julius Caesar was supposed to have seen a seer who warned him that harm would befall him not later than the Ides of March and this incident was immortalized by William Shakespeare in his play named after the Roman oligarch when the seer intones: “Beware the ides of March”.  (This line has since passed into popular culture and is used to express a sense of foreboding, of some impending calamity, doom and destruction and it is even quoted by the likes of Lisa Simpson in order to admonish “Homer the Great”, as well as serving as the title for a Postcard from Bishkek.)

According to Plutarch, on the fateful day  in 44BC, Caesar heads off to a meeting of the Senate in the Theater of Pompeii and encountering the seer responds jokingly with: “Well, the Ides of March have come”, to which the seer in turn replied “Ay, they have come, but they are not gone.”  Julius continues on his way and arriving at the senate is stabbed to death, (23 times), by a band of some 60-odd conspirators.

The next day, had Julius lived to see it, would have been XVII Kalends Aprilis: the first day of Bacchanalia, the wild festival in honour of the Roman god Bacchus, (or his Greek equivalent, Dionysius).  Apparently, the festivities were so wild that the word has come to mean any form of drunken revelry.

Originally the festivities in the grove of Simila, (near one of the seven hills that the city encompassed), were attended only by women but the Roman menfolk were later admitted to the rites.  The Roman historian Livy tells us that in 186BC the Senate acted to prohibit the celebrations as they had become the center of a wide range of crimes and political intrigue.

I suppose that the conspiracy of Brutus,  Cassius and the others to assassinate their head of state was the sort of conspiracy that might have been blamed on the revelers if the Bacchanalia festivities had been permitted in 44BC.

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Well, we’ve had more than our fair share of seers predicting doom and destruction here in Kyrgyzstan this Spring.  It is said that Spring is the traditional time for protest and upheaval here in Kyrgyzstan and I suppose there is some evidence for this, even if such claims are based mainly on just the two revolutions that we have experienced in the last few years.

The incidents and movements that are rocking regimes from Tunisia and Egypt to Bahrain and Yemen are also signs of people power taking the streets are reminiscent of what we experienced last year, but they seem to be more protracted than our revolutions, which seemed to be over in the course of single day.

That’s not true, of course.  The events of March 24th, 2005 and April 7th, 2010, when the White House was stormed, were simply the culmination of events which took place over several days, weeks and even months.  In 2011, it didn’t even mark the conclusion of the revolution as the president, Kurmanbek Bakiev, fled the capital to his homeland in the south, which prolonged the dénouement of events.

If only it had been a one-day event, or even a nine day event, but then came the events in Maevka, Djalal Abad and Osh.

What’s more, the rumours and counter rumours of further unrest persist, suggesting that all is not over yet.  Some have come from commentators and pundits in the media: in the local press, the foreign press abroad and from those working for international organizations.  Others have simply circulated amongst the population as rumours.  Some, however, have even come from official circles.

I am not sure if Roza Otunbaeva was aware of the significance of the date when she chose, at a press conference on this day, to respond to challenges calling for an explanation of her remarks, which she made made a month ago, about the possible escalation of the situation in the country.   She said that she was particularly concerned about two areas in Kyrgyzstan: Uzgen and Karasuu.   She talked about “a big panic of ethnic Uzbeks, who fear that Kyrgyz will clash with them”, adding that the people are very aggressive in Uzgen and are ready to retaliate.  Another issue which was cause for concern was that of land distribution in the Osh region, where the number of applicants on the list had increased tenfold to 60,000 since the events of last June.  Land distribution was the crucial issue which sparked the deadly riots back in 1990!

Some of the predictions we have seen, like those of Cassandra, (predicting the fall of the ancient city of Troy), have foreseen nothing but gloom and dark days ahead.  The seer who forewarned Caesar, (unlike Cassandra), was rather vague in his warning giving Julius little idea of what to expect, but at least he gave something specific data: the date.  In contrast, the prognostications that we have been treated to have sometimes been specific in both detail and date, but, fortunately, most of them have proved to be unfounded.

I am tempted to say that these predictions have become so commonplace that it seems that they almost a part of everyday life.  As each date has approached, nervousness and tension have mounted, then it arrives … and then it has passed and, finally, we have been able to utter a sigh of relief as one more hurdle has been successfully negotiated and we are able to return to our normal everyday lives and concerns.

At the recent Open Meeting of the International Business Council, (IBC), one of the speakers treated us to a quotation from the American author Ursula LeGuin: “The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next.”  The speaker pointed out that, although for is some situations such tensions might be stimulating, when it comes to business and investment they are far from welcome.  Business and investment “prefer clarity and predictability”.

It’s not just business and investment that benefit from clarity and predictability.  Uncertainty is destructive in many aspects of life and, in some ways, almost as destructive as if the events that are prophesied were to actually take place.

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Fortunately, however, the Ides of March have come and gone for another year.  Nothing dreadful had been predicted for this auspicious date in this particular year … and, I am glad to be able to say, nothing more calamitous took place than a sudden drop in temperature and another fall of snow.

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Tuesday, (March 1st), was Saint David’s Day.  It went, more or less unnoticed here in Kyrgyzstan … but then, there isn’t a large Welsh community here.

If I am asked about my nationality, then I usually say that I am pure English, but that it is hard to justify saying that with any confidence as we are hybrid nation with a mix of blood from the Angles, Saxons, Norse (the Vikings), Romans, Normans, German and goodness knows what other nationalities.  It’s possible, for example that I have a smattering of Welsh blood coursing through my veins but, frankly, I just don’t know. My mother’s maiden name was Jones … (it’s all right, I never use that as my “Secret Question” when it comes to password reminders, etc.) … which is a good welsh name and her family were supposed to have relatives in Swansea, but I have never met them and have no information about that possible branch of the family.

I do know one Welshman here in Bishkek, Nigel, and although he is proud of his heritage, (flying the Welsh standard outside his hotel in Issyk Kul – yeah … honest!), he is usually a solitary voice cheering for the Reds whenever England play Wales in the Six Nations … and takes a lot of ribbing for it.  I didn’t see him on Tuesday, but I did send him a belated “Happy Saint David’s Day” message with John, yesterday.

I thought about writing a postcard about St. David’s Day in Bishkek to mark the occasion … but as I said, it more or less went unnoticed here and as March 1st is also reckoned to be the first day of Spring here in Bishkek, I chose to write about that instead.  I also knew that a couple of days later, (today, March 3rd), there was another important day in Welsh history and the thoughts that I was thinking of including in that postcard could be postponed for a couple of days.

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So, a little bit of background:

St. David is the Patron Saint of Wales who lived in the sixth century and, unlike a lot of Saints and other people or events of the period, we actually know quite a bit about him – or at least we have a lot of knowledge about what people said about him.  One of the main sources of information about him, however, was written about five hundred years later and historians have doubts about many of the claims contained in it.

There are suggestions that he was born into one of the Royal families of Wales, the offspring of a violent assault on his mother, (who was canonized as a also a Saint), and was born on a cliff top during a violent storm.   This violence, however, did not shape his life and character.  He was educated and entered into a monastic life, eventually rising in the church hierarchy to become a Bishop and writing an order prescribing how monks should live.  He is associated with the foundation of several important churches, and even, in one tradition, with Glastonbury Abbey.

Although he was born, raised, died, (being buried in the cathedral in St. David’s – Britain’s smallest city), and spent most of his life in Wales, he actually travelled quite a bit, even going on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

To become a Saint in the Catholic tradition, one is supposed to be the cause of miracles.  There were several miracles associated with him, both during his life and achieved by prayer afterwards.  The best known is probably when he was giving a sermon and many at the back of the crowd were getting restless because they could neither see nor hear him, and in a scene reminiscent of the cartoon Avatar, the land rose underneath him raising him high above the congregation so that they could, and a dove alighted on his shoulder as a sign of God’s grace.  He is often depicted in art with a dove on his shoulder.

My favourite piece of “trivia” associated with David is a quote from one of his sermons which is now a “proverb” in Wales: “Do the little things in life.”  That strikes me as a fairly good motto, especially when you remember what Hugh Coulter, (of the Karakol Orphanage), always says: “A little goes a long way!”

Although we are not sure of his exact dates, there are several suggestions which have him being born sometime between 462 and 512, we are fairly sure that he died in 589 and tradition has it that it was on Tuesday March 1st, and hence that was the day chosen for his Saint’s Day when he was canonized by the Pope in 1120.

Although it’s not an official holiday in Britain, there have been several attempts to make it one and it has long been celebrated by the Welsh whether they are home or around the world.  They often wear a leek or a daffodil as symbols of Wales.  Here, although the days are noticeably beginning to draw out, it is still a bit early for daffodils and leeks are rarely seen, so Nigel, or any other Welshman, might have trouble finding one, but they could fly the Welsh flag, or the flag of Saint David, which are also regular features of celebrations.

Incidentally, the flag is a point of contention in that the Welsh flag depicts the Dragon of Wales on a green and white background.  The green and white may be a representation of the leek and the dragon is a an ancient symbol, possibly brought to Wales by the Romans.

Members of the Christian Church often complain that the dragon is a symbol of the devil and they prefer to associate the country with the flag of St. David, a yellow cross on a black background.

There is another point of contention in that the British standard, (the Union Jack) was designed to incorporate the elements from the flags of the constituent parts of the United Kingdom: the flag of St. George of England, St. Patrick of Ireland and St. Andrew of Scotland.  There is, however, no element representing Wales, or St, David.

The reason for this is tied in with today’s other anniversary associated with Wales.  The Statute of Rhuddlan was enacted on March 3rd in 1284 after the English conquest of the Principality of Wales, incorporating the principality into the possessions of the King of England, King Edward I.  He set about pacifying and brining order to his new domain.  Although some aspects of Welsh law remained in use, particularly in the case of civil law, and some parts of the land continued under the old system of administration, but effectively the country ceased to exist as a separate entity.  The Statute remained in force for some 250 years until the Laws in Wales Act of 1536, (which created a single unified legal system and realm known as England and Wales), was passed under King Henry VIII, (who, himself, hailed from a Welsh dynasty).

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When I was considering writing a postcard about Saint David’s Day, I thought about how the United Kingdom is a complex mix of at least four different countries, which together with the Crown Dependencies, British Overseas Territories, and not forgetting the Commonwealth, go to make up a family of nations sharing a common heritage.  Like any family, we have our disputes, squabbles and difficulties, but on the whole we manage cope with these tensions and recognize that we live together in a “great big melting pot”, as the old pop song put it.

You’ll understand from this that I am giving away the fact that I grew in the “Swinging Sixties”, under the influence of “Flower Power” and the Hippy Movement, and that, frankly, I don’t agree with the likes of Angela Merkle, who, (if it’s not taking her out of context), has apparently said that “multiculturalism is dead”.

Likewise, I have never been keen on Nationalism, of any sort.  I don’t sympathize with the various Nationalist parties of any country and although I used to like the catchy music of the American folk song, “This land is your land, this land is my land …”, I always had problems with the sentiment that it encapsulated. In my more religious days I would say to people, “This isn’t your land, and it isn’t my land … it’s God’s land and we are just looking after it”.  We don’t “own” it, we are just tenants.

Personally, I like the view of the native American Indians and the Australian Aborigines who held that, “the land does not belong to us … we belong to the land”.

This view seems to have become more prevalent in society as we try to cope with environmental problems, pollution, the extinction of species and climate change.  The Green Movement points out that we hold the earth in trust for future generations and should be held responsible for what we do with it.

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Now, in some ways Kyrgyzstan is like Britain, especially in respect to the ethnic diversity in the population.  As a result of its geographical position and history, (the Great Silk Road, the rise and fall of empires, the migrations of the Soviet period), it has an eclectic mix of nationalities within its borders, each with their own history, culture and traditions.  I have a lot of sympathy with the slogan which you saw everywhere in Akaev’s Kyrgyzstan: “Kyrgyzstan, nash obshe dom” – “Kyrgyzstan, our common home”.

Most of them the people in Kyrgyzstan are Kyrgyz citizens if not of Kyrgyz nationality.  They need to find ways in which they can celebrate their differences rather than breaking out into bouts of ethnic violence and dispute.

Although Britain may not be a prime example of racial harmony, perhaps there is something that we in Kyrgyzstan can learn from it, and other countries with mixed populations, such as South Africa, about “living together”.

Let’s see if we can learn something from the poor, downtrodden, Welsh.

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Incidentally, for anyone who is interested, there is a clip on youtube explaining the differences between the United Kingdom, Great Britain and England, which is well worth watching, even if the commentary is delivered at a frenetic pace.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNu8XDBSn10

The line most people associate with the film is Bogart telling Sam, the pianist, “Play it again, Sam” – but he never actually said it.  What he said was “You played it for her, now play it for me.  Play it.”  The song that he wants Sam to Play, and  which is always identified with the film, is “As time goes by”, written by Herman Hupfield in 1931.  Bogart and Bergman’s characters had a romantic encounter in German occupied Paris and it was “their song”, but Bergman abandoned Bogart at the railway station as they planned to run away together.  Bogart forbids Sam to ever play it again, until, that is, “of all the Gin joints in all the world,” Bergman walks into “Rick’s”, his bar in Casablanca.

Well, as the song puts it: Time goes by.

The weather has taken a turn for the better.  After last week’s cold spell it has got warmer, but not by much.  The temperatures still hover around zero (Celsius), but that’s a lot better than last weekend and the forecast for next week looks reasonably promising – about 7 degrees each day.  There is still some snow in the ground and in places it has compacted into ice and is treacherously slippery.  You have to be careful walking, or driving – we heard yesterday that one of our staff in Naryn lost her son in car accident as it skidded on the ice and turned over.  So, I need my black tie once more and the unfortunately ends as it began.

One of the side effects of the bad weather is that electricity consumption has shot up – it’s considerably higher than it was this time last year – and added to the amount that we are exporting, there is a certain amount of concern as the authorities note that water levels in the main Toktogul Reservoir is falling.

Still, Time goes by.

Another week has passed, and we still don’t have a government.  Given the debacle when the last coalition couldn’t even muster enough support to win the first vote in the parliament, the mandate to try and form a new one was passed to the Respublica party, (Ata Meken having declined to do so).  Consultations and negotiations are taking place and everyone waits to see what will come of them.  The leader of Respublica is trying to garner support from all five parties, and all have said that they are willing to talk … let’s hope that they can do more and actually reach an agreement that sticks.

No-one is sure what will happen if they don’t … some commentators have suggested that the vacuum will be filled by “militant Islam”.  Although Kyrgyzstan is, according to the constitution, a secular democracy and religious parties are forbidden, there was a lot of discussion before the referendum in June about whether the new constitution should retain this provision.  There are politicians who support and proffer a greater role for Islam.  The events in Afghanistan and neighbouring Tajikistan suggest that Islamic groups are poised ready to take advantage of the opportunities that the current uncertainty in Kyrgyzstan offers.  Everyone seems to agree, however, that there is still time as not much is likely to happen over the winter.

Apparently, Respublica wants to unite all five parties in the Parliament in the same way that the National Government united all sides under Winston Churchill in Britain during the Second World War.  Although Kyrgyzstan might well face a similar national emergency as Britain did at the time, the threat then was known, external and easily identifiable and that the population was more or less united behind Churchill as he pursued the war … which is not exactly the situation that we find ourselves in today.  Also, it has been pointed out that this would also mean there would be no Parliamentary “opposition” which would mean that the only way open to any opposition would be to take to the streets – and that could be extremely dangerous.

Time goes by and there haven’t been any embarrassing revelations from Wikileaks this week – or have there?  Whilst the attention of the world’s media has moved away from the leaks themselves to allegations of sexual misconduct, (I still can’t work out exactly what he is accused of – but, as I understand it, he hasn’t really been told either), the website was closed down and then reopened as it moved from host to host and controversy raged over the handling of financial transactions from people making a donation in order to keep the site open, and a small trickle of documents were released.  The most interesting release, (at least as far as Kyrgyzstan is concerned), came not from Wikileaks but via a Russian news site which published what purported to be cables written by an American diplomat outlining discussions with a certain Maxim Bakiev.  As well as [publishing the “translations” of the documents, the publishers promised “more details” with more startling “revelations” to follow.

Incidentally, I see that another British Royal is making an official visit to Uzbekistan.  I hope and trust that he avoids the same exposure that Prince Andrew suffered.

Time goes by, and the year has almost come to a close and people are looking forward to New Year.  Elsewhere in the West, of course, it’s Christmas everyone is preparing for.  Shopping for presents and cards, food and decorations.  There are school concerts, Nativity Plays and Office Parties to attend.  Trees are put up and homes and offices are decorated with streamers, cards and decorated Christmas trees.  Here of course, December 25th is just another working day – although this year it falls on a Saturday, so the banks and most offices will be closed for the day.  Orthodox Christmas falls on January 7th and the big holiday is New Year, and many of the New Year traditions here are similar to the Christmas ones back home.  Preparations are underway.  Normally, by now the shops would be busy with special goods on offer, Hotels, Cafes and Retsuarants would be circulating their “special” New Year offers, decorations would be going up and plans for parties and other festivities would be underway.  This year, however, it is a bit more subdued than usual, which is probably understandable given the year’s momentous events, but some things are happening.  For example, the large “Christmas” Tree has been erected in the main Ala Too Square.

As time goes by we mark more “special days”.  Yesterday, for example, was the Human Rights Day, commemorating the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10th December, 1948.  At the time, Eleanor Roosevelt expressed the hope that that the Declaration would become “the Magna Carta for all men, everywhere”.

I am not sure that she had read Magna Carta, which is quite an interesting document but defined the rights of barons rather than those of the common man.  In fact there it was renounced by King John almost as soon as the Baron’s had left, annulled by the pope, (who was hardly John’s friend and ally), rejected by many of the Barons and was in force for only a short time – maybe for as little as three months in 1215.  What’s more, there were several versions over the years with slightly different provisions, many of, (or even most of), which were repealed or amended in later legislation.  All this doesn’t detract from its historical status, however as “the greatest constitutional document of all times – the foundation of the freedom of the individual against the arbitrary authority of the despot.”

As usual, there were a number of events in Kyrgyzstan to commemorate the day including conferences, seminars and round tables – apparently including video conferencing.  One of these involved workers from various Human Rights Groups in the Historical Museum in the main Ala Too Square.

Time goes by and during the week education seems to have been a major theme.  Back in the UK students are protesting the government’s plans concerning fees and even Prince Charles and Camilla seem to have been caught up in the furore.  There has been quite a bit made of that ion the news here and several people have tackled me about it.

Here, there has been considerable comment over the fact that Kyrgyz school students have apparently performed badly in the Program for International Student Assessment, (PISA) – a worldwide evaluation of scholastic performance organized by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, (OECD).   The scheme assesses pupils in a variety of fields including Matrhematices, Reading, Comprehension and Science.  Kyrgyzstan managed to come in last place – well, I suppose somebody has to.  The assessment is carried out once every three years and the last time the ratings were published, in 2006, Kyrgyzstan also came bottom of the table – in 57th place.  This year, however, there were 65 countries in the survey and so I suppose the results seem worse.  The Ministry of Education, however, are putting a brave face on the publication of the results saying that even though Kyrgyzstan Students are holding up the rest of the table, there are signs of improvement in some areas and there are an awful lot of countries that did not take part in the Assessment.

All the same, the result has led to questions about why this has happened?  I haven’t seen any analysis but, as I said, someone has to come bottom.  In my experience, the education system is not all that bad.  Of course, it all depends on individual schools, teachers and pupils, but in general I am often quite impressed with the all round general knowledge and some of the topics that the kids learn.  One reason might well be the demoralized teaching force.  There is a huge shortage of teachers and many of those who are in the classroom are approaching, if not past, the normal retirement age.  Down South, some have on strike demanding more pay.  I have mentioned before the low level of teachers’ salaries, and the tendency towards corruption that this sometimes leads to.

Another might well be to do with the fact that a lot of children’s schooling has suffered considerable disruption in the recent past.  It’s not just the events in the South which have interrupted schooling and traumatized children.  The kids, for example, have not really returned to school since the half-term break, some four weeks ago.  The extended holiday is apparently the result of a fuel shortage and on the days when they have gone in for classes, they have been sent home again because of the cold conditions.  At first, they were delighted with the extra time off, but as time has gone by the realization that something is amiss is being to strike home.  Andrei for one is concerned about how they will fare in the end of term exams – just a couple of weeks away.

Well, Time goes by and it’s time for me to draw this week’s postcard to a close.  A little shorter than usual, but (just) within the word limit that I plan for.

Let me close by saying thank you to those who wrote in with answers to last week’s closing conundrum … between us we managed to come up with seven answers, which, for the record were: 1. Central African Republic, 2. Czech Republic, 3. Republic of Ecuador, 4. Seychelles, 5. Solomon Islands, 6. St. Vincent and Grenadines, 7. St. Kitts and Nevis.  We thought we had an eighth: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands – but that’s a colony, (a British Overseas Territory), and not a country – so we don’t think it counts.

Back in January, “Siberian air gripped Britain” as unusual High Pressure systems massed over the Atlantic from November 2009 onwards, blocking the customary Westerly winds that would normally bring mild weather to Western Europe.  The result was that they were replaced by Easterly winds which brought with them uncharacteristically harsh weather conditions that are normally associated with the more remote regions of the Russian Federation.

Well, it seems as if the same is happening now.

The chaos brought on by severe weather conditions seems to have brought whole sections of the country, and other parts of Northern Europe, to a standstill.  I particularly liked the satellite picture featured in the Daily Telegraph which seems to show the snow in all its glory: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/uknews/8176958/Brrritain-snow-causes-travel-chaos-in-the-UK-as-the-cold-snap-continues.html

The internet is a wonderful instrument for helping people to keep in touch and up to date about what is happening with their far flung friends and relatives around the world.  I see comments on Facebook and Twitter, for example, from people such as: “No point getting out of bed, we’re snowed in, no school and no way of getting out of the village”.  On the other hand, one person wrote ”beautiful morning; clear sky and mild wind”, but as he’s in Japan I suppose he’s got an excuse, but I am not sure about the person asked “is everyone happy now that there’s a tiiiiiny bit of snow?”.  Do I sense a touch of sarcasm?

There was certainly some sarcasm in the “cable” released on Wikileaks from the American ambassador in  Bishkek about a lunch hosted by the British embassy for Prince Andrew in 2008, where he had the chance to meet with some ex-pat businessmen to get a feel for the business climate here in Kyrgyzstan.  I am not sure that sarcasm is the right word, but the cable seemed to dripping with irony, mockery, derision, scorn, disdain and cynicism – and in my thesaurus those are all listed as synonyms for sarcasm.  For anyone who escaped the furore over the leak of official documents, this cable was one of two authored by the Ambassador about meetings that she had attended that you can find on the Wikileaks site.  In this particular one she described some of the Prince’s apparently “off the cuff” remarks, the obsequious attitude of “his mother’s subjects”, an “expletive deleted” and some harsh words about the French as well as some choice comments about investigations into corruption.  As far as I am aware, although there has been some considerable comment in the press on the affair, he has managed to keep a fairly low profile following the revelations.  I took a particular interest in this cable because, as it happens, as May Boyce used to say “… I was there!”  In fact, I happened to be sitting next to the Ambassador during the meal.  A few people, (including a journalist from a British broadsheet), have asked for my reactions to the leak.  I wouldn’t say, as some people apparently have, that it represents a conversation that never happened, as it does tally in certain respects with what I remember of the event.  It also includes things that passed me by completely.  (Remember she was writing her account almost immediately after it occurred, whereas I am having to rely on recollections of something that took place two years ago.)  One thing that did strike me about her account, however, was that it seemed to reveal more about her and her attitudes than it did about the Prince, or any of the other participants.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this controversy, at least to me, was to compare the different angles that were picked up and emphasized by the reporters for different papers.  One British newspaper, for example, seemed to accept everything in the cable as if it was “gospel” and was full of indignation – as one tweet put it, “The scary part is that media presents foregone conclusions as facts, be it in KG or UK or US.” – but maybe that is because the Prince apparently criticized reporters from that paper.  On the other hand, another chose to concentrate on the Prince’s “sense of humour” and how she had “totally missed the point”.  The New York Times gave the Prince what I thought was perhaps the most sympathetic treatment.

All that, of course, is “old news”.  Two years have passed since Prince Andrew’s visit and the situation here in Kyrgyzstan has changed somewhat – at least in certain respects.

During the election, there were those who said that nothing would change: that politicians are only interested in furthering their own interests; that election promises are easily given in order to gain votes – and just as easily reneged on once actually in office (and the recent experience of British students at the hands of the Liberal Democrats would seem to support this point of view); that tribal instincts are too inbred into the national persona … and so on.  Indeed, there are comments from various sources that suggest this is a fairly widely held point of view … and that there might be something in that.

There are, however, signs that things have changed.

We thought that we finally had a new government – well, it wasn’t to be.  We had a coalition agreement uniting three parties and the Parliament met to formalize the arrangement.  There was a lot of argument but when it came to the vote to appoint the Toroga, (the speaker), Omurbek Tekebayev, the only candidate for the post, needed to muster a majority of 61 votes to be confirmed in office and, as the coalition are supposed to have 67 members, (out of the total of 120), the result should have been a foregone conclusion.  In the end, however, he managed to gather just 58 votes – with 59 votes cast against him – and so he wasn’t elected.  It’s true that some people weren’t present for the vote, from both sides – but obviously more from the coalition, or else there were defections.  Oddly enough, it looks as if some of those were members of his own party that either abstained or voted against him, but who know – it was, after all, a secret vote.

Who would have predicted such a turn of events in the Kyrgyzstan of a few years ago?  Mind you, it’s how Akaev came to power in the first place – the compromise candidate to break a deadlock.

Hilary Clinton commented during her visit, following the OSCE summit in Astana, praising the “incredible resilience of the Kyrgyz people on the way to democracy”: “you don’t often see commitment to constitutional reform and democratic elections” after events like April’s revolution.  The trouble is, I am not sure there is commitment to constitutional reform – two of the five parties in elected parliament, and the one that only just missed out, are opposed to the concept of a “parliamentary democracy” for Kyrgyzstan and even campaigned on a platform of a return to a Presidential Executive.

Anyway, the debate in the parliament was, apparently, quite heated – with swearing and, according to one news report at least, almost breaking out into a fight.  But, on the other hand, as one commentator put it: “The only good thing is that all this bickering is confined to the JK building. I hope it will stay that way for many, many years to come.”

As a result of all the maneuvering, Almazbek Atanbaev, the designated leader of the coalition, has asked Roza Otunbaeva to pass the mandate for forming a coalition to someone else.  The irony is that she already announced that if he were to fail then she would ask Ata Meken to take up the task … which is led by none other than Omurbek Tekebaev.  How he is going to be able to arrange a coalition given these events is anyone’s guess.  She’s been having consultations and the leaders have been holding “conversations”.  One of the party leaders emerged from the meeting with the President and told the assembled press corps, “She asked for suggestions and I told her it was her job”, (to be fair those are my words – not his, but that seems to be basically what he said according to the press report … He did, however express some sympathy for her situation saying, “This is uneasy task for her” – and those are his words as reported in the press).  Another party leader’s comment on his discussions with one of his counterparts was, “I was just sitting and having coffee.”   Whoever’s given the job at the President’s Ala Archa residence today, has got a difficult task ahead of him, and if he fails, (which is not impossible), then according to the constitution all is not lost because the president, herself, can try to appoint a coalition.  If even she can’t do it, then it’s back to the hustings – more elections and more political uncertainty for Kyrgyzstan.

The other “big news” this week has been a bomb explosion outside the Sports Palace where the trial of those accused of the deaths during the events of April 7th was being held.  Last week I mentioned the breaking news that nine “terrorists” had been apprehended who were planning a number of outrages throughout the country.  Well, some more have been caught, and some killed in a shootout in Osh.  The bomb on Tuesday seems to have been one of those planned outrages, (although there are different possible scenarios), and has put everyone on their toes looking for suspicious people and packages.

Funnily enough, I was at the AGM of the International Business Council, (IBC), in the Hyatt on Monday, (the day before the explosion), and was talking to one of the other long standing ex-pats based here in Bishkek –he’s an American and has been here a few months longer than I have and we were exchanging observations about how things have changed in that time and the latest developments – and we discussed that very topic.  I was reelected to the management board of the IBC for another two year term, so that’s another thing that hasn’t changed, but, on the other hand there are some new members and so new blood and, hopefully, we will have some new ideas and vitality.

On a more personal note, I’ve made some changes to ianbek.kg – I’m still in the process of transferring all the old postcards, (not just the weekly “newsletter”), but there is a link to where we’ve archived the old site so they are still available.

Another change is that the kids have gone back to school – well, almost.  I still can’t get used to the long summer holidays they enjoy over here: three months.  Well, school started as usual on September 1st, and the first half term went more or less according to plan.  A couple of days before they were due to resume, however, there was a phone call to say that the school would remain closed after the half-term holiday because there was a problem with the heating system.  After an extra two weeks they got the call to say that classes would begin again this week … but the problems have persisted and they’ve been sent home again.

In a way, it seemed odd because last weekend when I went up to Naryn, (reputedly the coldest city in Kyrgyzstan where a temperature of minus 40 has been recorded in the past), the weather was fine.  During the day, when the sun was shining, it was actually quite warm, although the night was distinctly chilly.  There was some snow on the Dolon Pass, (at 3025m asl), and some small patches on the ground in Naryn itself. I managed to catch a chill, but Kyrgyz cognac and an early night saw to that, and on Monday I was full of beans and back behind my desk as usual.  However, we are promised two days of snow with temperatures falling well below zero.  The snow duly arrived on the arrived on the appointed day, yesterday, and the temperature is currently -13C … so I feel for what my fellow Brits are experiencing back home at the moment.

Andrei is worried that schools may close again because of bomb threats – there has been a telephone warning to one school already following Tuesday’s explosion, but it seems that the weather is going to prove to be a greater disruption than any terrorist threat.

And Finally … on a totally different note, you may be aware that I am a fan of “trivia”.  As I result I was very sorry to miss the first of the Quiz Evenings being organized by one of my colleagues on the IBC board … I was in a meeting that overran, which is, unfortunately, quite a common occurrence here.  Anyway, during the week I came across an interesting trivia question, and I posed it over dinner last night when the quiz master from the next round was present,  It’s part of a competition organized by the Travel magazine Wanderlust, and has stumped a lot of people – and stumped me: Can you name five countries whose name begins and ends with the same letter – but excluding the letter A, (Albania, Algeria, America – I presume that counts, Andorra, Angola… that’s five already, without Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia and Austria …and yes, I did get most of those without looking them up!) and Tibet?  (That’s presumably to stop repercussions from the People’s Republic of China – they get upset when people start calling Tibet a country!)  Anyway, there are a couple of other stipulations: the names must be in English – so Eire doesn’t count … sorry, John – and they have to be real names, not imaginary ones.  Apparently, there are six that fit the bill, but you only have to find five … I confess that, up until last night, I could only get three – and I wasn’t too happy with any of them – for example, one is Czech Republic … but round the dinner table our collective efforts found another two.  I am still trying to work out what the sixth might possibly be.

About half way through, the phone rang, and Lisa transferred it to me saying, “It’s a Mr. ****”.

Now, the name meant nothing to me.  It was obviously an Anglophile name -  so it wasn’t the police, (they had already called in connection with the bomb blast earlier this morning), or the Ministry, or anyone one else locally.  Perhaps it was a tourist … that happens from time to time, somebody wants to talk about an itinerary and don’t want to wait for the exchange of emails.  Maybe it was a guest stating in one of the hotels.   Still, I had a strange feeling in my stomach, and with a little doubt in my voice I said, “OK, put him through.”

He introduced himself straight away and told me he was a journalist and which publication he worked for.  My heart sank into the pit of my stomach as I prepared for an “interview” about this morning’s bomb explosion, wondering if and how I could put a reassuring gloss onto whatever I had to say.   I hadn’t yet prepared any short, pithy quotes that might be useful.

As it happens, he wasn’t interested in the bomb.  Maybe he hadn’t yet heard about it – or maybe, it wasn’t quite the right material for his particular paper.

He asked if I was aware of the recent “Wikileaks” saga and the revelations that were emerging out of the publication of “confidential” cables from the American Ambassador back to her bosses in Washington.  Now, as it happens, I did know a little bit.  It’s obviously been in the news for the last few days – and last night I watched Hilary Clinton deplore the leaks which could be damaging to American interests – as well as put some individual lives at risk.

The previous Wikileaks scandal was about revelations concerning the conduct of the war in Afghanistan – but this one seems to be much more wide ranging with a huge amount of detail, (a quarter of a million documents drawn from 274 embassies around the wolrd since 1966 – although only 290 seem to have published so far).

So far, there only seems to be two “leaks” from Bishkek.  Some of the commentators on Twitter are a bit upset about that – they would like to see a lot more revealed about what the Americans knew about the Manas Fuel deal, the events in April and June.

What they’ve had to settle for has been two short accounts of conversations – one, in 2009, with the Chinese Ambassador to Bishkek about the future of the Manas Airbase. In it she seems to suggest some rather unusual comments and admissions from her counterpart – suggestions of “revolution” at home !!! as well as a little “reading between the lines” – something like “he didn’t actually deny it”.

The second was the description of a lunch in 2008 when Prince Andrew visited Bishkek, when he met with a number of British expats living and working here – and that was where I came in … as Max Boyce used to say – “I was there!”

As it happens, I sat next to her at lunch.  It was the first time I had met her, although I had seen her once before at a function.

She was very pleasant and everyone seemed to get on.

So her account has come as a bit of a surprise and it has attracted a fair amount of attention in the press for its revelations about some of the Prince’s apparently “off the cuff” remarks, the obsequious attitude of “his mother’s subjects”, an “expletive deleted” and some harsh words about the French.

I won’t say, as some people have, that her account is totally unfair and represented a conversation that didn’t happen, but I will say that it seemed to me to be somewhat “coloured”.  I have to admit, however, that it all happened some time ago and whereas she didn’t make notes during the meeting, (I suppose she could have recorded it …) she did at least write her account soon afterwards, whereas I have to rely on my memory of what happened over two years ago – which could be at fault.

She makes a lot play, for example about him being rude – especially about the French … and although the French were mentioned, I didn’t come away, (or, at least, I don’t remember coming away), with the impression that anyone – including Prince Andrew – was particularly harsh towards our Gallic cousins.

She does point out that she had been invited, although her French and German counterparts hadn’t been – even though they are also members of the EU.  Frankly, if I as American I would have taken that as a compliment – although she seems to turn it into a slight … against the British.

There are some comments that she reports which I certainly don’t remember.  For example, the fawning “What a wonderful representative for the British people! We could not be prouder of our royal family!” at the end of the meeting.  I am not saying that it didn’t happen – just that I didn’t hear it … and it wasn’t me who said it.

(I don’t suppose any Americans will be obsequious towards Mrs. Clinton when she is here next week … and even if there are, there probably won’t be a Brit present invited to observe and comment on the fact. )

It seems to me that the account actually says more about her, and her attitude, than it does about the meeting, Prince Andrew or the rest of us who were there. For example, her backhanded compliment, “To his credit, he diligently tried to understand the Kyrgyz point view” and the sarcasm in “with a mock groan …” and her reference to him as the “cherished prince”.

Actually, I feel a little sorry for her … just as I feel sorry for Prince Andrew.

He was in, what he considered to be, what we all considered to be, a private meeting where we could have a free and frank discussion … but maybe we should have all realize that reports or summaries would be made – probably by both sides.

To be fair, she was writing an account to inform her colleagues back in Washington of her impressions of the conversation – and that is her job.  She’s meant to do that.  No-one should complain about that, although they might want to question the accuracy or interpretation.  What is more, she wrote her account of the meeting not expecting it to be made public.   At least, when I write here then I know that what I write is going into the public domain – she was writing observations which she thought would remain private- at least for the foreseeable future.

Anyway, the journalist asked me some questions about the event and what I thought of the Ambassador’s account.  He was particularly interested, of course, in one or two specific aspects of the report rather than others – such as the “expletive deleted” and the Prince’s apparent criticism of governments and the press.

Although the line was clear the conversation was punctuated by pauses.  Sometimes that happens with long distance phone calls that are routed through Satellites or when using IP telephony.   I wasn’t sure, but I couldn’t help wondering if he was waiting for me to say something … just to fill the gap created by the silence.  I tried to resist the temptation – and hoped that he was calling from Skype.

For anyone who’s interested, the cable can be found here:  http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/cable/2008/10/08BISHKEK1095.html

Before it had really go underway, I got a phone call from the hotel asking if I had heard, or felt, the explosion.

“Uhhh, No – what explosion?”

Now the hotel is about three blocks from the office, and it appears that there had been an explosion outside the Sports Palace, which is much closer to the hotel than it is to us.  They had felt it.  ”It was load and felt like an earthquake.  It it hadn’t been for the noise, we’d have thought it was an earthquake.”

So, I dropped everything and went to have a look.

The streets were quite crowded – but it was the morning rush hour so, I suppose, that was to be expected.  Everyone was going about their own business, so it looked as if the news had not spread, yet.  I did see two groups of people who obviously were in the know as they were standing back and watching.

The police had swung into action immediately, sealing off the area, much to the annoyance of the drivers who wanted to drive along the road that was now closed.  There was a fair amount of baton waiving and whistle blowing, and the drivers got the message and swung around to try and find a different route.

As I walked past the park at the back of the Sports Palace there were crowds of soldiers standing around waiting for orders.

Everything in the hotel was quiet, although it is easy to understand that there was only one major topic of conversation. Not entirely, however, as one guest was having a problem calling the States.

We reviewed our own security measures and discussed how to react given possible turns of events.  Eventually, I made my way back to the office and returned to work in hand.

In a way, the explosion shouldn’t have come as a surprise.  There had been some “warning signs” – but as is the nature of such events, you may be aware of the possibility, but as you never know when and where they will be realised, they always do end up surprising you.

Amongst the “warning signs” was the release of recordings of telephone conversations, allegedly between Maxim Bakiev and his uncle Janysh, when they supposedly planning further disturbances over the Summer.  Some disturbances duly happened, riots in Djalal Abad and Osh which cost “countless” lives, and there were suggestions that it wasn’t just the Bakiev clan behind the events – but that the criminal underworld and even militant Islamic revolutionaries with connections to Afghanistan were involved.   There was nothing, however, to suggest that that was all that the plotters had in mind.  On the contrary during the election campaign just over a month ago, there was evidence of further “mischief” underway in an attempt to influence the results.

Then, there was the fact that the Sports Palace is being used to house a highly controversial court hearing into the events of April 7th, when almost 80 people were killed outside the White House in the Easter Revolution.  There have been protests in and around the building throughout the hearings.  Emotions are running high on both sides.

Perhaps the most telling moment came last week when a number of “terrorists” were arrested – some, apparently, in Bishkek and others in Osh.  With them was discovered a quantity of TNT high explosive, including, so it appears, a number of home made bombs with mobile phones rigged up to act as detonators.  There were no official announcements of the arrests although the Security services went into a heightened state of alert, and Roza Otunbaeva cancelled a trip to the South.  Once, however, the news broke on a Russian wire service, we were informed, and the authorities tried to assure us that they had prevented a series of outrages from happening.  And, indeed, maybe they had … certainly, it seems from what news they have been prepared to release following the initial interrogations, they have gathered considerable evidence and intelligence about the group and their proposed activities.

Perhaps it was as a result of that intelligence that further “special operations” were undertaken which resulted in a “shoot out” in Osh – resulting in four dead, (with one person dying in an explosion), and the arrest of further suspects.

If the authorities thought they had got the whole “gang”, then they were obviously mistaken.  This explosion seems to have been a sign that some, at least, are still at large.

The bomb, apparently containing about 3kg of explosive according to one news report, was placed in a sewerage pipe, underneath a manhole cover.  It blew the manhole cover off – some distance into the air, broke some windows in the Sports Palace and ripped up part of the road surface.  There were some injuries, but nobody, fortunately was killed.

Although there is some suggestion that it might have been an attempt either to disrupt the court proceedings, or even to target those involved, I am not sure that’s the case.  The bomb was underground and any force from the explosion would have been dissipated.  So, it seems to me that it could just as easily have been a sign.  ”You haven’t got us all!”

There are, of course, other possible interpretations – the versions being offered by different branches of the authorities and security services are at variance with one another …  one suggesting it was organized by Nationalist Separatists, another that it was organized by members of one of the various Central Asian terrorist groups – such as the IMU, (Islamic Movement for Uzbekistan),  and yet others seem to blame elements that want to promote and maintain a sense of instability in the country – both the Bakiev’s and the criminal underworld have been mentioned – as well as “foreign partners” – which I think may be a veiled reference to our neighbours who are enamoured with the parliamentary system of government that Kyrgyzstan has adopted.  There have also been suggestions that it is linked with the planned forthcoming visit of Hilary Clinton following the Astana summit.

The police were obviously concerned that there might be more devices – but as time passed and there were further incidents, it became clear that this was an isolated case.

Now the authorities are warning people to be on their guard, to look out for unattended packages and people loitering, to avoid crowded places and to report anything suspicious.   Although they haven’t imposed a curfew, they are recommending that people don’t go out late at night or early morning.

As it happens, this is not new to me.

I keep saying to people that I lived through thirty years of bombing campaigns other actions as the situation in Ulster fluctuated from the 1960’s though to the nineties.  I remember going to Belfast for a course and being taken aback at the sight of the fortified checkposts and armed police.

Indeed, as the news of the original arrests broke , on Friday night, I called the kids together and warned them of what the news might mean.  Andrei has just told me that he has just watched the news and the authorities are saying exactly what I said to them on Friday.   He asked if there was a chance that the school might close as a result of the events – and I tried to reassure him that, although it’s possible, it’s not likely.  I remember having to close the school in London because we had received a telephone “Bomb threat” – but that was specifically addressed to the school  We searched the school and didn’t find anything – perhaps someone was trying to avoid an exam that morning – who knows?

Of course, the news is full of the events … I’ve seen some coverage in the Western media on the internet – but not much … perhaps the Western Press is not interested, because it’s Kyrgyzstan, or because the damage was slight and no-one died, or because there are too many such incidents around the world – and, anyway, there were other stories to cover.

In fact, during the afternoon I did get a call from a reporter from a British newspaper … and as he introduced himself, I braced myself for some questions about the morning’s incidents … but no, he wasn’t interested in a bomb explosion … what he wanted to talk about was Wikileaks … but that’s another story … and another postcard.

Many of the festivals have a specific theme, but they all feature similar events.

Here is a list of the festivals planned by the Kyrgyz Community Based Tourism Association, (KCBTA), for 2011.

Cleaning up at Son-Kul Lake Saturday/Sunday July 23-24

Son-Kul Lake (on the northern shore of the lake, 100 km from the village of Kochkor)

The lake lies on a remote plateau ringed by mountains and is a favourite spot for both locals and visitors alike.  During winter months it is basically inaccessible and shepherds bring their flocks to the summer pastures around the end of June.  A number of shepherds offer accommodation to visitors in traditional Kyrgyz yurts situated at various locations around the lake.

Unfortunately, not everyone remembers the principle: “Take only photographs and leave only footprints” and so, several years ago it was decided to organize a “clean up” of the area.

For the record: Such “community actions” are fairly common in former Soviet countries and called “Subbotnikiy”, and usually take place on Saturday, (in Russian “Subbotnik” means Saturday).

The first such subbotnik was organized by the local Bolsheviks at a railway depot in Moscow in April, 1919, as part of a response to Lenin’s call to improve the Russian railway. The idea took off and the first all-Russian subbotnik was held on May 1, 1920 when even Lenin took part, (removing building rubble in the Kremlin).  This was the subject of a famous painting by Vladimir Krikhatsky, (“Lenin at the First Subbotnik”), which portrays him carrying a log – which was to become a common subject painted by several Soviet artists. Over the course of time subbotniks became “compulsory” with “Lenin’s Subbotnik” being held sometime near to his birthday (22nd April).

Despite this, the practice of Subbotniks is still common throughout the countries of the former Soviet Union.  As Spring begins, many large factories, offices, schools, colleges, etc., organize their workers to perform a “spring clean” of the territory around their buildings.

Because of the distance involved and to encourage participation it was decided to the event into a weekend festival with a number of cultural events and as result the weekend ”Clean up” isn’t all hard work, however!  In addition to playing a role in helping to preserve the pristine beauty of one of Kyrgyzstan’s beauty spots … visitors can watch, (or join in), the diverse activities:

• • traditional games (Arkan, Tartmai, Joluk, Tastamai …);
  • enjoy a folklore show and song contest;
  • see a variety of national crafts (e.g. felt-making).

The “clean up” has now become as a regular annual event.

National Horse Games Festival Sunday July 31

Jolgolot village, in the foothills of Kashka-Suu gorge

There is a Kyrgyz proverb that “A horse is man’s wings.”

To the Kyrgyz, a horse is a prized possession, and horsemanship a much-prized skill.

Perhaps, therefore, it is not surprising that among the most popular national pastimes, or sports are contests on horseback.

Kyrgyz horses possess such qualities as lightness and good coordination (essential in the mountains). They are exceptionally hearty, will eat almost anything, and are not susceptible to sudden changes of weather. They can endure long-distance marches with the rider. For these reasons Kyrgyz ponies were prized possessions even further afield in Russia and Europe in the past.

Most Kyrgyz – especially in the rural regions – can ride a horse and they are proud of their abilities … and their steeds.

To prove the value of their animals they enjoy arranging races – especially at some for of celebration, (festival or toi), so that the riders and show off their skills and the horses their speed or their stamina.

• • Horse races: There are several different types of races:
    • Long-Distance Races – “At Chabysh” – an ancient and widespread sport. Fast and hearty horses capable of enduring long-distance are chosen for the race. Previously “At-chabysh” races were held on different occasions, usually in connection with some holiday or commemorative festival. The winner (or its owner) was given some jewelry and cattle as a reward. Horses of various breeds and ages took part in the races. The distance raced was 53 versts, later on 100 kilometers. Moreover the riders were quite often boys of 10-13 years of age, sometimes riding without a saddle. According to current rules, however, only horses three years old and older of any breed are admitted to the races. And no-one under 13 is allowed to participate.  The distance raced ranges from 4 to 50 kilometers.
    • Pacer’s Races – “Dzorgosalysh” – These races are run over shorter distances where speed is and not stamina is the crucial element. Experts consider “dzorgo” to be a great merit of a horse.  These horses demonstrate not only speed but also gracefulness.  The Kyrgyz people have many proverbs and sayings related to the pacer, such as: “Don’t let your horse run beside a pacer.”
    • Girls and Young women’s Races –  “Kyz dzharysh” - It is not only Kyrgyz boys and men who ride horses.  Kyrgyz women also learn to ride horses in their childhood in the highlands, where there are severe winters and deep snows; where sheep are driven up and down steep mountain slopes, or across turbulent rushing rivers; and where one cannot do without a horse.  The riders can be distinguished by their headdresses.  Girls tend to wear hats with a wide marten and young women wear pretty kerchiefs.  The races can be as competitive as any of the men’s races.
  • Wrestling on Horseback for a Goat’s Carcass – “Ulak tartysh” or “kok-boru” (which means “grey wolf” in Kyrgyz).  Apparently, the game originally historically developed in antiquity when herds of cattle grazed in the steppes and mountains all year round – exposed to possible attacks by wolves.  Having no firearms, the shepherds could not deal with wolves.  Brave djigits (horse riders) chased after the wolves until the beasts of prey fell, and then they began beating them with sticks and lashes, trying to snatch them away from each other.   It is also said that the game was devised to train skilled horsemen – helping warriors to learn the secrets of horsemanship and combat on horseback.Over the course of time, the place of the wolf was taken by the carcass of  of a goat.  The skin endures the heat of battle well, and their long hair is easy to grab hold of.  Later on when the people led a more settled life the more informal version of “kok-boru” was replaced by an organized sport.  It transformed from being a game for the participants into more of a spectator sport.  In the original version of the game, the field of play was not fixed and it was possible for the players to gallop away for over a kilometre – out of sight of those watching.  Also the “gates”, or goals, were not well defined leading to numerous disputes.There are two teams, consisting of an equal number of riders – in formal competitions it is four. The playing ground is 300 by 150 meters. The opposite sides of this area, marked with flags, present symbolically “the gates” – or “goals”. In the center of the playing ground a carcass of a goat, weighing on an average of 30-40 kilograms, is placed. Typically, a game lasts 15 minutes – although competition games are divided into three parts of 20 minutes each . The objective of the game is to seize the goat’s carcass and deliver it into the gates of the contesting team.

    The players are allowed to pick up the carcass from any place within the limits of the field, take it from their rivals, pass or fling it over to the partners, carry it pressed to the horse’s side or suspended between the horse’s legs.   The rules forbid rearing the horse, making your horse collide with a rival’s at a high speed, seizing the rivals horse by the bridle, taking the reins off of it, including blows with a whip, or shouting or entering into conversation with one’s opponent.

  • Chasing After the Bride – “Kyz – Kuumai” – In older days this game was a part of the wedding ritual.  According to the rules the bride was given the best racer and she was entitled to a head start on her horse that began the race. The bridegroom set out in pursuit to catch up with her, in this way proving his love and right to marry her. Being at a disadvantage with the slower horse the bridegroom sometimes failed to catch up with his fiancée. Yet, although she might beat him with her Kamchi (or horse-whip) she did not reject him and the wedding would be held all the same.  At present this traditional folk game is usually held during holidays for example in the green meadows of high mountain pastures, (jailoo) or on racecourses.
  • Wrestling on horseback – Oodarysh - Two riders each try to pull their opponent off his horse. They are allowed to throw the rival, together with his horse, to the ground.
  • Tyiyn enmai is a competition in which young djigits can show off their horsemanship and agility.  It used to involve picking up coins from the ground while galloping – but these days the coins have been replaced by flags made from coloured rags.  These are placed at measured intervals along a course flags and the riders gallop towards them, beding down over the side of their horse to reach down and grab them as they pass.  As the rider grabs one, he throws it high into the air and the audience counts to keep tally.  After three passes, the rider with the highest tally is adjudged the winner.
  • Jumby Atmai – archery from horseback – Shooting at a target while galloping.  In Kyrgyz, “jumby” means an ingot of silver or other jewelry on a thread tied to an inclined pole. The contestant has to break the thread with a shot and bring the jumby down. Originally, the contestant used a bow and arrow that was replaced by firearms over the course of time.

The festival will feature national horse games such as ulak-tartysh, kyz-kuumai, tyiyn-enmei and er-enish, as well as a folklore show and the opportunity to taste traditional Kyrgyz cuisine.

Taigan and Burkut Festival Saturday August 06

Tamchy village (on the northern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul)

Animals play a particularly important role in the traditional nomadic Kyrgyz lifestyle.

Hunting with golden eagles is an ancient tradition that dates back to the Mongol conquest of Central Asia around the 12th and 13th centuries, when a fine eagle and good horse cost the same price and both lent prestige to their owner.  Although the practice is gradually disappearing in this area, hunting with birds (especially with eagles) is still practiced in certain regions of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Westerners tend to think of this as falconry – and although hunting with hawks and falcons does take place, it is looked down upon by those who hunt with eagles as a pastime for children and dilettantes.

Sent out to hunt fawns, foxes, or other small animals, the eagle dives down on them and kills them. But often it is also capable of killing young wolves when they cannot negotiate the deep snow. Sometimes the eagles hunt in pairs, just as they would in the wild. A skilled pair, berkutchi (hunter) and bird, can typically catch 50 or 60 foxes a dozen badgers, a couple of lynx and 4 or 5 wolves in a normal 4 month season, which starts in the late autumn. Eagles rarely fail to catch their prey, which it quickly kills, usually by breaking the neck in its powerful claws.

The Taigan – or Kyrgyz Borzoi – is a rare breed of dog.  This breed is embedded in the history of the Kyrgyz people, accompanying the nomadic herdsman and hunters.

The taigan moves swiftly, (in Kyrgyz the word means “catch up”) is agile, and typically is energetic and ”free-spirited”.  It was well suited to hunting in the steppes and mountains which extend throughout Kyrgyzstan, and the Taigan was always highly valued as a hunting dog and companion.   However as the need for hunting for food diminished, so too did the need for the Taigan and the breed went into decline.  Some estimates put the breed numbers at barely 300 and, unfortunately, decreasing.

Horses occupy a major role in many traditional cultures. They have a special place in the traditional lifestyle and culture of the Kyrgyz people as a symbol of wealth and for their practical use to a nomadic people. They are valued for their physical strength, their endurance and their stamina. Whilst the number of sheep herds exceeded that of other domesticated animals, it was the number of horses which it owned that determined the status of a household.

It is said that a Kyrgyz learns to ride before they learn to walk – and although children can often be seen riding horses, in rural regions you may also see them riding donkeys..

The  festival will feature a demonstration demonstrations of hunting with a Golden Eagle and also featuring Taigan dogs.  There will also be a show of Kyrgyz national games including “Ulak-Tartysh” and “Tyiyn-Enmei” by children riding on donkeys.  An exhibition and sale of handicrafts and souvenirs.  In addition, there will be a Master-Class on the manufacture of silk and wool scarves – something found only in Kyrgyzstan.

Kyrgyz National Cuisine Festival Sunday August 7th … it was earlier scheduled for July 10

To be held in Karool-Dobo village, in the Chong-Kemin valley

Food is a question of taste – as the saying goes: “One man’s meat is another man’s poison”.

Kyrgyzstan stood on the crossroads of the Silk Road, and the caravan routes which crossed the territory carried not only goods for trade, but also brought examples of various cultures: Turkish, Persian, Arabian, Indian, Chinese, Russian, and European and these mingled with the culture and traditions of Central Asia. As a result Kyrgyz cuisine has absorbed elements from all of the cultures with which it came into contact, and although many dishes that you will find are common throughout Central Asia, it is still possible to find examples that have preserved their original, national identity. In many areas, such as Bishkek, Russian cuisine is common, but it is now possible to find examples from all over the world, including the all embracing “European”, Indian, Korean, Turkish and Chinese. Outside the cities local dishes, (such as Kyrgyz, Uzbek and Dungan) are more common.

It is said that the food in Central Asia falls into three different types:

• • the subsistence diet of the once nomadic peoples such as the Kyrgyz (mainly meat, milk products and bread);
  • the diet of settled Turkish peoples (the Uzbeks and Uighurs) including pilaffs, kebabs, noodles and pasta, stews and elaborate pastries and breads; and
  • dishes which come from the South (Iran, India, Pakistan and China) with more seasoning and herbs.

In Kyrgyz culture many dishes used to have special, ritual importance, and be connected with particular calendar holidays. Although these dishes are of great interest, unfortunately, many of them are being forgotten, and have fallen into disuse whilst some, which formerly had ritual contents, have lost their initial meaning and are progressively turning into every-day dishes.

Meat is central to Kyrgyz cooking – the nomadic way of life did not allow for the growing of fruit and vegetables – which means that vegetarian visitors may find it difficult to find dishes that, meet their needs.

Although most Kyrgyz are Muslim, there are some traditional dishes which are not strictly halil – such as Olovo or Kuiruk Boor.

One of the most essential features of Kyrgyz cuisine is that dishes should preserve their taste and appearance. For example, there are almost no dishes comprising puree, minced, or chopped meat, (although there are a few exceptions.) Also, Kyrgyz dishes tend to have a plain taste; sauces and spices are used in only small batches, although spices are used more often in the South. Sauces are intended only to bring out the taste of the dish – not to change it.

Men are often considered to be the best cooks – many think that women spoil food cooked for others – although in the yurt the kitchen implements etc. are all stored on the women’s side of the yurt and hunting and implements to do with shepherding and livestock on the men’s side. In many ashkana’s (tea houses or cafes) and restaurants the chefs are men. Women cooks are more commonly encountered in those establishments serving Russian or European cuisines. Russian dishes such as Shchi or Borsh can be found in many places but staple items are Central Asian dishes such as manti, samsa, ploff, shashlik and laghman.

Traditionally the Kyrgyz are a very hospitable people. If a Kyrgyz family invites you for a meal then you should take a small gift – nothing lavish – for example fruit or flowers. Take your shoes off when entering the house. Picnics, especially, are served on a dostorkon, (a large cloth laid out on the ground around which the gathering sits – with your feet either to your side or away from the dostorkon), but don’t be surprised if this happens indoors as well. Handle the food only with your right hand. At the end of the meal bring your two hands up to the face and drag them down as if washing the face and recite the word “omin” – the Muslim equivalent of “amen”.

The festival of Kyrgyz National Cuisine features demonstrations of cooking, and tastings of traditional Kyrgyz dishes with explanation of recipes and cooking methods, as well as shows of traditional music and national games.

Kyrgyz Kochu Festival Saturday August 13

On the Southern shore of Lake Son-Kul.

The nomadic Kyrgyz have been livestock breeders for many centuries.  At different times of the year, they would travel from one pasture to another taking their flocks and herds with them.   In the summer they would leave for the mountain pastures, (jailoo), high in the Tien Shan mountains and in winter descend to the low lying winter ones, (kyshtoo).

Although they didn’t own the land, each family had traditional pastures where they would spend each season.

Departure to the summer pastures after the severities of winter was a joyous occasion.  Everyone would be dressed in their best clothes and the horses decked with patterned saddlecloths, and the harnesses decorated with silver and different coloured enamels.  The family’s belongings and household items would be packed onto camels and the horses were loaded with carpets and other lighter object.  A woman in grand clothes and rich jewelry would ride a horse at the front of the procession.

The first clan that moved to the jailoo would prepare meals for subsequent groups and if the travelers  passed another community, (ail), then they would be offered traditional drinks and snacks: kumys, airan and djarma.

Leaving the summer pastures for those on the lower prairies in Autumn, the people would perform a number of rites and rituals to ensure a safe journey – and a safe return the following year.  They would pour kumys,  airan and melted butter into the holes left by the yurts and thedjele, (a coral for the young foals), and fat would be thrown on the hearth.

This festival demonstrates the traditional annual moving of households from a high-altitude mountain pasture to valleys.  It will feature National games, (such as: Kyz-Kuumai, Tyiyn-Enmei and Er-Enish), performances of traditional music, the chance to taste Kyrgyz cuisine and to join in a demonstration of dismantling a yurt.

Birds of Prey Festival Saturday August 20

Bel-Tam yurt camp, (on the southern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul)

Hunting with golden eagles is an ancient tradition that dates back to the Mongol conquest of Central Asia around the 12th and 13th centuries, when a fine eagle and good horse cost the same price and both lent prestige to their owner.  Although the practice is gradually disappearing in this area, hunting with birds (especially with eagles) is still practiced in certain regions of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Westerners tend to think of this as falconry – and although hunting with hawks and falcons does take place, it is looked down upon by those who hunt with eagles as a pastime for children and dilettantes.

Sent out to hunt fawns, foxes, or other small animals, the eagle dives down on them and kills them. But often it is also capable of killing young wolves when they cannot negotiate the deep snow. Sometimes the eagles hunt in pairs, just as they would in the wild. A skilled pair, berkutchi (hunter) and bird, can typically catch 50 or 60 foxes a dozen badgers, a couple of lynx and 4 or 5 wolves in a normal 4 month season, which starts in the late autumn. Eagles rarely fail to catch their prey, which it quickly kills, usually by breaking the neck in its powerful claws.

The festival will include a demonstrations of hunting with Golden Eagles; a folklore show; an exhibition and sale of handicrafts and souvenirs and the chance to taste traditional Kyrgyz cuisine.

For most of the festivals there is a small admission charge, but this includes a lunch, (and in some cases transport from the nearby villages).

I seem to have missed out almost entirely on the Harry Potter Craze, but it has taken off here just as much as in the West.  The books are on sale, (in Russian, so I give them a miss), the films are popular and are shown on TV, (but I’ve never seen one all the way through, they are also in Russian and I tend to fall asleep), in the street you sometimes see a kid stand with their feet apart, rolling their torso and waving a stick at someone screaming something and you know it’s supposed to be a spell from Harry Potter, (although I do know someone who can quote most of the 140 spells, and tell you what they do, most of the incantations you hear  seem to be simple gibberish).

Whatever happened to “Abracadabra” or “Izzy Whizzy, Let’s get busy …”?

(Yes, for the record and all the Harry Potter fans out there, I am aware that the expression “Avada Kedavra” is used as lethal spell known as the “Killing Curse” in the Harry Potter books and films.)

In a way they are quite lucky.  One of my neighbours, he’s in his early thirties, so this would been in the days of the Soviet Union, tells me that the first time he saw a Western film was when someone brought a “pirated” copy of a video cassette, (VHS – I presume you remember those), and all his friends gathered to watch it – just as people gathered in each others sitting rooms in 1953 to watch the coronation of Queen Elizabeth.  They were all enthralled and thought it was special, quite unlike the Soviet films they were used to.  It was as if the cassette had cast a magic spell over them.  Then he told me what the cassette was: a compilation of Tom and Jerry cartoons.

Nowadays, it is possible to see all sorts of films here in Bishkek.  There’s both, Tom and Jerry and Harry Potter, and a lot more besides.

The cinemas show a wide variety of films from all over the world – including most of the films made in the West, almost as soon as they are released.  It isn’t long before they are shown on TV and you can always get a DVD. Most of discs, of course are pirated copies – especially those sold on the street – and of variable quality. One disc can have as many as ten or twelve films.  Sometimes they have been recorded in a cinema somewhere, and you can see shadows fall across the screen as someone walks in or out in front of the camera, but sometimes the quality is really quite good.  Of course, there are proper licensed copies available in the shops, excellent quality, but at four, five or six times the cost – for just one film.

And if you have access to the internet then there are quite a few sites where it is possible to download films as well.  On one, I saw that two different people had uploaded the latest Harry Potter.

As a result, I am afraid that it will probably take some time before piracy will be eliminated here.

Still, most things here take time.  Like trying to form a government.  We still don’t have one despite the optimism expressed by Roza Otunbaeva that she hoped we would have one this week and the urgings of representatives of the EU, UN and OSCE.   Some weeks ago, Feliks Kulov, (the leader of the Ar Namys party), amongst others warned that it would take a long time to form a coalition and I see that several commentators around the world are warning that we could be for a “long hard winter” as the system of Parliamentary Democracy struggles to establish itself in the face of fairly strong opposition.  He latest estimate is that one should be formed by next Friday – the 3rd of December.

Perhaps this is a time when we could use a waive of a magic wand and a quick spell from Harry Potter.

One thing we do know, however, that Ar Namys have refused to join the coalition which the Social Democrats are trying to put together.  This is despite various offers of jobs which have been reputedly offered to Feliks Kulov, the leader of Ar Namys.  Including the General Procurator, (which is apparently in the gift of the President, not the Prime Minister), and the Toraga – Speaker of the Parliament who, technically, gets to be President if she has to step down for any reason.

We could do with a little “magic” to resolve the deadlock.

The OSCE has been in the news quite a bit this week.  They seem, for example, to have given up on the plan to send the Police Advisory Group down to the South. Representatives of the organization have been meeting with parliamentary leaders, and they have launched a Gender Sensitivity project in the South West.  (Please don’t misunderstand me, here.  That’s not meant to be a swipe at them.  I am sure that the project is a very important and valuable one and is addressing a real issue … I am only passing on what has been reported here.)

Returning to the parliament for a moment, one of the members has had his oath of office declared null and void because he strayed from the prescribed words and apparently substituted a Koran for the Constitution.  Well, the Americans out there will understand the importance of this when they remember that Barrack Obama had the Oath of re-administered a few days later because of a fumble in the wording …  and he was the first American President to be put in this position.

The trials relating to the April events that I wrote about last week are continuing, although three of the defendants have jumped bail and disappeared.  In another trial into some of the events down south have resulted in long prison sentences – and it hasn’t escaped notice that the defendants in that case were Uzbeks.  Also, the papers relating to the case against the former President’s brother have gone to court, so that’s another trial we can look forward to.

As if all that excitement wasn’t enough, the breaking news is that 9 people have been arrested who were preparing terrorist actions at various places around the country.  Apparently something like 12 kilograms of TNT have been discovered and the government, security services and vital institutions have been put on “heightened alert” and Roza Otunbaeva cancelled a planned trip to Osh.  As I said, it’s “breaking news” and I only have these bare details at the moment.

I suppose that all this means that, like in the US over the busy holiday period, we will be in a state of “lockdown” for a while.  I hope and trust that it won’t lead to intrusive “pat downs”.

Sometimes, it seems as if we could do with a little “magic” to resolve the uncertainty.

Despite all the excitement of these events, life continues for most people, and I got taken to task last week for not “telling it as it is” … the weather, for example, has been wonderful and the mountains spectacular.  That’s true – on occasions it has been a little chilly, but the views of the mountains have been outstanding and I am looking forward to my regular monthly trip up to Nary this weekend.

And, as I have said several times before, life goes on.  For example, this week we’ve had the regular visits by the local Pest Control officer to check for signs of rats, (she didn’t find any, of course … that’s one of the advantages of having three cats), and the local Gas Board to check for leaks, (she didn’t find anything either – thank goodness).

There was, however, one particular press report that caught my eye.  It contained a couple of interesting moments which took me aback – and seem to say an awful lot about “everyday life” here in Kyrgyzstan.

The first point related to the use of Mobile phones here in Kyrgyzstan.  Now, I remember laughing at Agent Smart, (of the 1960’s TV series “Get Smart” which parodied the James Bond type of spy film), especially as removed his shoe to use the phone that had secreted away in it.  Who thought, at that time, that mobile phones would be as commonplace as they are now?   (I see, however, that a film researcher thinks he has discovered someone using a mobile phone in a short clip taken from a 1930’s Charlie Chaplin film.  It looks quite convincing, although most people aren’t convinced and some, of course, claim it’s a fake.)

Well, it has been reported that there are some four million mobile phone users in the country … and that is in a country with a population of just over five million.  I am not surprised that a government spokesman claimed that “We hold a rather high position on penetration of cellular communication.”  It strikes me that this represents an “incredibly high”, not “rather high”, level of penetration – especially when you think about how many of those five million in the population are still very young, (if not exactly “babes in arms”), how many are living well below the poverty line and how many live in rural, mountainous, regions where coverage is still not complete.   Apparently, however, (as I understand it), the four million refers to the number of SIM cards that have been sold – and it’s not clear how many of them are actually in use – some of them obviously represent dormant accounts, probably of consultants whose contract has come to an end and they have moved on to pastures new.

Also, (and I am not sure where they get this particular figure from), there are two million internet users in the country.  The same report said that half of those accessed the internet through mobile phones.   Apparently 74000 of them are corporate users.  These figures seem to me to represent “a rather high level of penetration”, and I can believe that for the number of corporate users – but that leaves an awful lot of individual users and even with all of the internet exposure of Kyrgyzstan that I see on Twitter, Facebook, and so on I find it surprising.  I suppose that if the whole of the country was as wired as Bishkek seems to be, then it might well be true, but I must say that I am surprised.

I wonder if they are all downloading Harry Potter? … onto their mobiles?

When I look back and think of the world in which I grew up and compare it to the world in which I live now, there is much that we would have considered impossible and incomprehensible back then.  A bit like magic, really.  They say that Neil Armstrong when he walked on the moon wouldn’t have understood the technology that most of us carry around with us every day on our wrists, in the shape of our watches – yet alone our mobile phones and the internet.  It would have seemed to him a bit like magic, really.

Well, as I often say to people, in a different context, “I live in the real world … here and now”, and I am afraid that we don’t have a magic wand to waive and an incantation or spell which will resolve each and every situation we come across.

Harry Potter may offer a form of escapism, but I can’t help feeling that, with all its sadism, Tom and Jerry was preferable.  But, then again, maybe I am just showing my age.