Postcard from Bishkek

There is a saying that “Everyday is a special day for someone, somewhere”.  In Kyrgyzstan this seems to be true as there are a number of what are termed “professional holidays”, (such as: Teacher’s day, Policeman’s Day, Day of workers in the Television industry … and so on); days to commemorate and celebrate the contribution that each makes to society.

On 2nd November every year, it’s the turn of cultural workers in Kyrgyzstan to celebrate their professional holiday.

Although the term “culture” has its origins in antiquity, it has acquires a number of meanings or interpretations in the modern world.  Perhaps the best definition, (IMHO), that I have come across is: “the sum of total of the learned behavior of a group of people that are generally considered to be the tradition of that people and are transmitted from generation to generation” … but it can also refer to a whole pantheon of different “cultures” which can be enriched by interaction with others – as well as enriching those other cultures.

In Kyrgyzstan today there are more than 16,000 people employed in the arts and culture, in 20 professional theaters, 45 museums, 1035 libraries, 87 music schools, 2 colleges and 8 special schools, 569 clubs and societies … and that doesn’t take into account all those “amateurs” who represent the core that have helped to keep much of traditional Kyrgyz nomadic culture alive and vibrant. The traditional culture of the nomadic Kyrgyz is centered on the epic saga recounting the exploits of Manas, his son, Semetei, and Grandson, Seitek, trying to unite the Kyrgyz nation and overcome their enemies.  The story is recognized as the longest poem in the world and is recounted by special bards called Manaschi.  As it was passed down over the centuries by oral tradition, there are several variations … one of the classic versions was recorded by Sayakbai Karalaev and next year marks his 120th anniversary.  It’s not like the Kyrgyz to pass up the opportunity to commemorate such an event – especially when it is concerned with such a pivotal character who was chosen to appear on the 500 som bank note … and next year has been declared as the Year of Sayakbai Karalaev.

These “professional holidays” are not Public Holidays in that they are still normal working days – even for those who are celebrating their profession.  Kyrgyzstan has an interesting mix of Public Holidays.  Some are “religious;’ for example, they mark Christmas, (Orthodox Christmas, that is on January 7th), a Zoroastrian festival, (Norus – which commemorates the Spring Equinox), and two “moveable feasts” from the Muslim Calendar, (Orozo Ait and Kurman Ait).  Others have been inherited from the Soviet Union: Defenders of the Fatherland Day in Febrauary, International Women’s Day in March, May Day, Victory Day – commemorating the end of the Great Patriotic War (the Second World War).  Others are associated with the history of this relatively young nation, such as Independence Day and Constitution Day.  Then, of course, there is New Year.

It has been suggested that the system needs to be revised … that five of the holidays should be abandoned, and transferred to the New Year period.  As it is, the whole country seems to close down for about the first week of January … so the new arrangement would simply be formalizing what already happens.  Although some of the holidays that have been mentioned (such as May Day and Constitution Day), are not really big events these days … I am not sure that the people will take to the idea of losing them.

Another interesting proposal came out this week.  The Municipal authorities want to ban the consumption of alcohol in the Park Pobeda, (Victory Park – where the main war memorial is to be found).  Now alcohol bans are nothing new … many places in the world have them … but I am not sure how this one will be received.  It’s a tradition here for newly wed couples to tour the city and “promenade” at various spots between the ceremony itself and the reception, accompanied by a posse of “molodyosh” – young people.  At the various stops en route, toasts are drunk to the happy couple in champagne or vodka … and one of the most popular spots on the tour is … you guessed it – Victory Park, where the couple lay flowers as a memorial to those who gave their lives to help preserve society as we know it.  Indeed, this is usually cited as an example of how respect for the veterans is inculcated in the younger generation.

As it happens, we learned during the week that there are still almost 13000 veterans of the war, (either combatants or workers on the domestic front … “keeping the home fires burning”), left alive.

This week we also saw the second in what looks as if it might be becoming a fad … Mass Weddings.  Fifty couples gathered in the Palace of Weddings for a joint ceremony and that followed a similar ceremony a week ago.  There seems to be some doubt about why people are opting for this – perhaps there’s an economy of scale … weddings can be terribly expensive and if large groups share the (albeit somewhat larger) costs, then the cost per family may offer some savings.  Personally, I am not convinced.

  

Last week, several people commented, (either directly or obliquely), that the postcards have been turning “negative” … as one person who lives here in Bishkek put it, “it doesn’t seem that bad to me”.  In my defence, I think that I’ve always tried to keep a balance … “tell it as it is – the good, the bad and the ugly” …  My excuse is that I am trying to review the week’s events and the “news” tends to be about “problems” … : after all, “Good news doesn’t sell newspapers”.  People seem to want to read about the distress and suffering of others … plane crashes, murders, riots, storms … I suppose it offers them the consoling thought that they, themselves, are not so badly off after all.

I do try to mention good news … and one of the positive aspects of this week’s news is that many of the stories seem to be taking a long term view.  In a way that is a real break with the cultural mindset of “just in time” that always seems to predominate here.   The President, for example, has been speaking his mind on this and other issues.  In particular he “pledged” to leave the country in a strong position when his term of office came to an end in 2017 and there have been a number of articles looking well into the future:  

With respect to the Mining industry – after the dispute over the Kumtor mine is eventually resolved … and there have been discussions with diplomats as well with the company, attention will turn to Jeroy and some other gold fields … but one analyst has pointed out that Gold will not be as important to the country after 2028

How the government is going to compensate for the loss of revenue when the Manas Transit base eventually closes halfway through next year … the losses to the budget are now being quoted as in the region of USD100 million – but it is hoped to compensate for these losses with the launch of the oil refinery, further gold production at the Ishtamberdy, Bozymchak and Taldybulak Levoberezhnyi mines and other industrial projects.  

Whilst troubles continue up around the Kumtor mine … the Prime Minister has said that this is an example of why it is important for investors to consider the needs and aspirations of the local population when considering projects.  

In terms of Gold, it has been estimated that Kyrgyzstan is only in the 88th place in terms of reserves globally held and when the Kumtor mine is expected to be exhausted, in 2028, gold will not feature so strongly in the shaping the country’s economy.  As it is, most of the gold which is currently produced, (if not virtually all of it), is sold to just one customer – Switzerland … making that country one of Kyrgyzstan’s most important trading partners.

That is not the only thing that will change in the make up of the Kyrgyz economy … as Kyrgyzstan enters the Customs UNion, it will forge stronger ties with it’s former Soviet allies and although prices here may rise, (most people seem to think that is inevitable), it should bring about new possibilities.  It may be a bit late in the day but China (who probably stand to lose more than anyone else when Kyrgyzstan does join the Custom Union) has come up with an alternative strategy for Kyrgyzstan to consider – but I don’t know how strong a proposal it really is – by suggesting the creation of a new Silk Road Economic Community.

The plight of Kyrgyz migrants in Russia has been in the news – with many complaining about the lack of government support to help them.  Apparently there are almost 600,000 of them there, mostly young men in the 18-29 age range.  Apart from the victimization that some seem to face, there are now more and more examples appearing in the press of a change in the official attitude with about a thousand have been deported so far this year.  According to the Russian authorities, about a quarter of them are there illegally, that is without the necessary documents, (work permits and so on).    

 

One piece of good news was that Kyrgyzstan has once more improved its placing in the World Bank’s annual Doing Business Survey – albeit by just one place, to 68th place in the rankings – still that represented a better position than countries such as Turkey, (ar 69th place) ad China (at 96th).

Kyrgyzstan also took 80th place in the 2013 Legatum Prosperity Index … one that I have never heard of before.  

Less promising news was the fact that the country’s reserves total some 2.1 billion dollars.  Although that sounds pretty good … information released at the same press conference revealed that the external debt of the country amounted to 3.2 billion dollars.

 

To round off … here are a few dates for your diary: IF you happen to be in London, on Thursday, (7th November – from 6:00pm to 7:00pm), there will be a presentation of Kyrgyzstan and its tourism resources by KATO at the offices of British Expertise, (10 Grosvenor Gardens, London, SW1W 0DH) 

For the record: British Expertise is an organisation which brings together British companies that offer professional services on the international scene.  They organize events which offer networking opportunities, introducing members to key contacts – potential partners and clients, both British and international – to each other. They also offer market intelligence and training and lobby the British Government, the international financing institutions and others on various issues.

The next day, (8th November) will see the Book Launch of 100 Experiences of Kyrgyzstan at 4:00pm at the Yunus Emre Cultural Center at 10 Maple Street, London W1T 5HA.  This event is part of the Open Central Asia Book Forum  and Nick Rowan giving an talk about his recent book “Friendly Steppes: Silk Road journey”.  (Both books are published by Hertfordshire Press).

For the record: The Yunus Emre Institute is involved in educational activities and scientific research in order to promote Turkish Culture and Language abroad.  Named after the famous Turkish poet Yunus Emre, (who lived around 13th and 14th centuries and was one of the first known Turkish poets to have composed works in the spoken Turkish of his own age and region rather than Persian or Arabic).    The Institute establishes Yunus Emre Turkish Cultural Centers in different countries throughout the world – including one in London.

IF you happen to be in Bishkek on 8th November, there’s a exhibition of photographs documenting the life of Rakhmankul Khan Japarkul uulu, (leader of the Kyrgyz community in Afghanistan ) opening at 11:00 in the State Historical Museum.  Later in the day, at 15:00, there’s the official event celebrating his 100th anniversary in the Philharmonia.

 

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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:

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