Postcard from Bishkek

When I was studying to be a school teacher – many years ago – we had a number of compulsory courses which were supposed to prepare us for life in the classroom … well, that’s what we were told.

Most of them , in fact, were fairly academic: The History of Education, Sociology, Psychology and Philosophy.  We were also expected to take compulsory courses in basic subjects: Art, Maths, English, Physical Education and Religious Studies (which, at that time was the ONLY subject required by law to be taught in British schools!). Some of the lecturers decided, perhaps on their own initiative, I don’t know), to tackle some of the more practical aspects of teaching: voice training, preparing and producing worksheets, how to operate a duplicator … that sort of thing.

The one course that seemed to be missing, however, was a basic course in First Aid.

To this day, I don’t understand why it wasn’t covered.  A First Aid at Work course typically lasts just three days.  When I took mine, as a volunteer, it was one evening a week for six weeks.  I still count it as one of the most valuable courses of my entire life.

Kids have accidents all the time: they cut themselves, break bones, fall in the water, they can choke on a piece of food going down the wrong “pipe” … and apart from being scared stiff can actually endanger both themselves and others.  I still feel that it really ought to have been a compulsory element of my training.

When it comes to designing courses for guides, I always ask for a unit in basic first aid to be included.  Here in Kyrgyzstan, over 90% of the country is counted as mountainous and people often trip and fall over … they may cut themselves, they make break bones, they may fall in the water, they may start to choke, they may suffer from altitude sickness, they may … well, I am sure you get the point … someone has to know what to do and if you are are somewhere in the mountains, miles away from the nearest hospital, it’s usually the guide who has to take charge.

Well, the second Saturday in September – today – happens to be World First Aid Day … it’s a fairly new date for the calendar, having been instituted by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) as recently as 2000.  Now, each year, over 100 members of the IFRC members around the world organize events and ceremonies to raise public awareness of how First Aid can save lives in everyday and crisis situations … as well as teaching materials for use in schools and other educational institutions.

Unfortunately, this week saw the death and funeral of Kuluypa Konduchalova.  Although that’s not a name that will be instantly recognizable – but the funeral was attended by “thousands of people”, including many of the most influential people such as former President Roza Otunbaeva.

Konduchalova had begun her career as a teacher in a rural school, but she moved into government and worked for some time in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Kyrgyz Socialist Soviet Republic … which at that point wasn’t an independent country but was one  of the constituent Republics of the USSR.

Although Texas has an embassy just off Trafalgar Square in London, it sometimes surprises people that the individual states in the US, Provinces in Canada and Republics in the USSR had their own Foreign Affairs Ministries with a certain amount of leeway – albeit under many constraints –  in conducting their own diplomatic relationships.  The role of the Ministry, for example, was mainly restricted to administrative and commercial issues rather than policy.

After the Foreign Ministry she became the First Minister of Culture in the republic.  She was actively involved in the preservation of monuments in the republic, and as such largely responsible for the preservation of the image of the Buddha at the Issyk Ata resort; raising the importance of the Suleiman Too mountain in Osh – which is now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site; the preservation of the ruins of the old fortress which formed the basis of Pishpek – which eventually became Frunze and then Bishkek and helping to preserve the Ala Archa cemetery in Bishkek, (the last resting place of many of Kyrgyzstan’s leading lights), from the threat of development.

She took an active interest in all forms of the arts – theater and music, opera and ballet, film and literature  … and it is said that she was largely responsible for the flowering and broadening of Kyrgyz culture … transforming it from “a three stringed komuz” to being “a full orchestra”.

 

Although sport isn’t exactly in the remit of the Ministry of Culture, traditional games such as Kok Buro (sometimes mistakenly described as “Goat Polo”), Kyz Kumai (chase the bride) and Oodarish (wrestling on horseback) are an important aspect of traditional nomadic culture. I am sure that she would have been interested in the recent developments such as the festivals of these traditional sports which arouse great interest and offer fantastic photo opportunities.  I am not so sure what she would have made of the news that wrestling, (traditional wrestling that is – not on horseback), has earned itself an Olympic reprieve, edging out sports such as Squash and Baseball for a place in the 2020 Games.

 

Schools have been in the news quite a bit this week … but not necessarily for the best of reasons.  The new academic year has just started and one of the international pressure groups decided to return to the thorny problem of bullying and extortion in the country’s schools.  Although there is no doubt that this is indeed a problem, it’s by no means unique to Kyrgyzstan and can be found throughout the world – as any school teacher, (or former school teacher, like me), can testify.

In another story, it was reported that another thorny problem has returned – the loss of Kindergartens – many of which were sold off into private hands or transferred to, and put to different uses, by other government departments, (such as the police, the tax or customs authority).  This has resulted in a lack of school provision, (another problem which represents a real and pressing issue … but is not unique to Kyrgyzstan.  There are many locales in the UK, for example, where there is distinct shortage of Nursery School places), and has resulted in appeals for the buildings to be returned to state ownership and returned to their original purpose.  It seems that many of the state institutions that now occupy such premises are ready, willing and able to hand them back to their previous owners and purpose … IF they are provided with alternative premises! Now a fund has been established to help implement such a move.  I am not sure how successful such a move will be where the buildings have been privatized – especially where they are now host to a private school … and where considerable investment may well have been committed to making improvements.

Yet another story with echoes of similar situations around the globe was the news that some Muslims plan to seek the resignation of the Minister of Education in a dispute about girls wearing headscarves.  In the first week of the new school year there were more than 50 complaints received about schools where the school authorities are enforcing a ban on such headgear … and what is more, in an extremely formal (legalistic) manner.  I see that similar disputes arise elsewhere – back in the UK for example … but what struck me as odd was the claim by the parents that the school authorities “require girls to come to school with bows in their hair”.  It seems that battle lines are being drawn.

 

Another case where battle lines are being drawn is over the future of Kumtor.  This week the government published the results of its discussion with the Canadian company that operate the mine.  The proposals have been the subject of much speculation and rumour and the day before the announcement, one international commentator tweeted that he heard the two sides had failed to reach an agreement.  Fortunately, that particular rumour turned out to be false … but we have yet to see how acceptable the proposals will be to the various camps that expressed an opinion in the past.  The proposals include establishing a joint venture with 50% of the shares being owned by Kyrgyz Altyn, the state gold mining Company and the other half being owned by the Canadians.  The government, itself, would not be shareholder, but the management of the new company will be headed by the Kyrgyz side.   Apparently there is a cost – something like USD100 million for the increased shareholding, and outstanding environmental claims against the company must be resolved before the restructuring takes place.

It’s hoped that the new arrangement will bring in additional income for Kyrgyzstan … but there are still several contentious questions that seem to be outstanding and cause for confusion … such as that USD100 million?, when does it have to be paid … and in what form … if the proposals take into account the likely exhaustion of the mine … and if the 50-50 split will be acceptable to the many local groups … some are on record as saying that the Kyrgyz share should be at least 75% …  or will they take to blocking roads again?

Talking of mineral resources, the news is that the Kara Balta oil refinery is all set to be put into full operation by the end of the year.  Kyrgyzstan’s own reserves of oil are fairly limited so the news that Russia have agreed to provide crude oil for it to process, free of duties, provided welcome news.

More welcome news came in the publication of economic statistics for the first eight months of the year, for example inflation and GDP growth :- 1.1% and 8% respectively.  The relatively modest inflation rate is apparently due to a fall in prices for some foodstuffs – although I am not sure that I have noticed it when I have been out shopping.   In fact the economic news has been remarkably good with excellent prospects for the harvest; the level of investments are up and construction continues to boom.  In particular – the construction of hotels and restaurants has doubled over the past year.

Then there was the news that work on the new alternative North-South highway is due to begin in Spring next year.  Mind you the first stage of the project is likely to take three and half years and the whole project is likely to cost somewhere in the region of USD850 million.  The route starts in Balykchy at the western end of Lake Issyk Kul and swings South West through Kochkor and Chaek, along the existing road system to Aral, before turning South, past the turn off to Min Kush, to Kazarman on a new road.  From Kazarman, the road will continue South West towards Djalal Abad which is an extremely beautiful and dramatic route – but there will need to be a lot of work to make it suitable for traffic … at the moment the road is fairly basic and only open for between four and six months of the year, (depending on the weather conditions).  For a lot of the distance it is not asphalt and in places it is extremely narrow and winding.  When it is finished, however, the road will open up much of Central Kyrgyzstan as well as providing a much needed additional route between the Northern and Southern parts of the country.

On the negative side, however, although the “plague” scare is now over – with the quarantine being lifted … news broke about two people being hospitalized with Anthrax – an infectious disease caused by a type of bacteria which can be found in the soil and can affect both animals and humans, if they come in contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products.  Infection in humans most often involves the skin, gastrointestinal tract, or lungs.  Although most types of the disease are lethal, there are effective vaccines against it, (Pasteur developed the first vaccine himself in his pioneering work in the 19th century), and some forms of the disease respond well to antibiotic treatment.  A quarantine has been put in place and some people placed under medical supervision and it looks as if the case may have been isolated.

 

I think my favourite story of the week, however, came in the form of a tweet from a Brit who has just returned to the UK after a stay in Bishkek … and shortly after arriving home to a London suburb, he heard a loud bang … only to discover later that it had been a “controlled explosion”:

3 months in Kyrgyzstan and nothing, but one week back in the UK and a controlled explosion. Knew I should’ve stayed in Bishkek

Yes, but he may not have wanted to be here this week, because the big news of the week, of course, has been the fact that Bishkek has been host to the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization – attended by eight Presidents, over 1200 delegates and dignitaries and attracting something like 350 members of the world’s press corps.  It was interesting to see the arrival of Uzbekistan’s Islam Karimov and there was a meeting between him and President Atambaev where various international issues were discussed … but I don’t know if that included the controversial cascade of hydro electric dams on the Naryn River or the various incidents on the border between the two countries.  Iran’s newly elected President also turned up and had several meetings with his various counterparts.  China’s President arrived early but Russia’s Vladimir Putin was the last to arrive … apparently there was trouble with one of the aircraft carrying members of the delegation.

As well as numerous bilateral meetings a whole host of documents were signed … but one notable absentee was the agreement for the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway.  Despite that, it was quite a good meeting for the Kyrgyz with many joint projects receiving approval.

Security was tight with several thousand police on duty and life in the center of the city ground to a halt … Maxim took over an hour to get to school when the journey normally takes just ten minutes and one of our drivers pulled over and parked the car after waiting an hour in a traffic jam.  Some of the local citizens, although proud of the honour of having hosted the summit, are relieved that next year it will be in Dushanbe and that it is likely to be another six years before we have to host another session …

There was, however, one surprising lack in the security arrangements.  We had policemen assigned to the hotel, which I was, sort of, expecting because that has happened for similar summits in the past.  This time however, they just turned up, without warning … no letter or order to confirm their credentials.  When I asked the officer in charge how I could be sure he and his colleagues were real policeman … he said, “We are in uniform,”  to which I replied, “Do you know how many uniforms there are in Bishkek? … I can take to the shop where they sell them.”  ”Here’s my identity card,” he offered, to which I replied, “Do you know how easy it is to make one of those … I can take you to a shop where they sell the blanks and all you need is a passport photo and a stamp … and it’s not too difficult to make a stamp that would pass a cursory inspection – especially for a terrorist.”  As it happens, I recognized one of the officers from a previous encounter … and, to be honest, I was happy to have them at the hotel.

 

During the week we also had a visit from a representative of GosStandard – the standards people – as it’s that time of year to check our procedures, (things like fire alarms and so on).  I think it might have been better if they had come a few weeks ago so that we could have been sure that we were properly prepared for the Summit but it wasn’t really time for our scheduled inspection and I suppose that they have been fairly busy.  One of the things I suppose they will be checking is our First Aid provision … and I hope and trust that we will pass that one with flying colours.

By the way … If you haven’t already taken a First Aid course – can I suggest that you consider it … you never know just when it might come in useful.

 

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Postcard from Bishkek: the weekly postcard that I send out as an email also gets posted on the website ianbek.kg each week – and there are other postcards which don’t get sent out.  This week, for example, there has been the following postcards:

 

Tags: Expat, In_the_News, Weekly_Postcards