Postcard from Bishkek

The name Bruce often conjures up images of Scotland … which I suppose is down to stories of King Robert the Bruce, (1274-1329).  It’s actually a French name – deriving from the place name, Brix, and it apparently arrived in Scotland with the Normans … although William never actually Conquered that land.

Since then it’s become a given (Christian) name ,,, and for some reason is often associated with macho men like Bruce Willis and Bruce Lee …

As it happens, I always associate the name with two fictional characters … comic book characters from different stables: DC and Marvel; both of whom had an influence on me during my early teens: Bruce Wayne and Bruce Banner.  Both of them had alter egos … one as the Caped Crusader, the Dark Night … Batman; and the other as the Incredible Hulk,

Although Batman had made his first appearance as long ago as 1939, the first edition of The Incredible Hulk was published on 10th May, 1962 … and it very soon made its way across the Atlantic and was published in a British imprint soon after.

I understand that many people who think that comic books, (sorry, graphic novels), are childish and something to put away as one grows up … but it seems to me that this is unfair, superficial and simplistic.  It seems to concentrate on the notion that it tells a story though pictures rather than language … but that doesn’t stop the authors and artists from tackling complex and important themes and characters and, if anything, the artwork can enhance the impact.  After all, as the old saying puts it … a picture is worth a thousand words … and can have a much greater impact than those thousand words.

Of course, back in the 1950s, that was one of the main criticisms of the genre – especially considering some of the graphic sensationalism of the artwork which, at that time – at least, which for a time enjoyed far greater freedom as it wasn’t as tightly supervised and controlled as other forms of storytelling: literature, drama, film …

Classic characters such as Superman and Batman have undergone many reinterpretations … for each age in which they appear … and their story has not only developed over the course of time, but different writers and artists have re-told the story, each emphasizing a different aspect of the characters and events they have depicted.

Bruce Banner, and his alter ego, is an interesting character … drawing on a variety of sources as varied as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein – or rather Frankenstein’s Monster, Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Quasimodo and Beast from the  traditional children’s fairy tale Beauty and Beast … and even the Jewish folklore character of the Golem.

Bruce Banner, the brilliant yet withdrawn scientist contrasts starkly with the raw emotion, (typically anger), force and power embodied in the green giant he becomes when experiencing stress.   Two distinct characters in one person (even if the body has transformed to match the different persona), like the two sides of a coin.

 

There are two sides to a border as well – and, of course, two sides to any any border disputes.  Border disputes have been ion the news again … with another violent incident erupting in midweek – just about the same time as we were being told that Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan were about to sign an agreement on the delimitation of their border.   The working group with representatives from both countries has been holding extensive and intensive talks and have reached agreement on exactly where to place the border for some 1058 kilometers out of the 1378 kilometers of their shared boundaries.  That still leaves almost 30% of the border left to be demarcated … but even so, it a welcome sign of progress and a positive approach to trying to solve this difficult issue.

All the same, some barbed wire fencing has gone up and several families evacuated for the immediate vicinity of the border – to try and ensure that further disputes don’t erupt.

It’s a pity that we haven’t met the same sort of success when it comes to the border with Tajikistan.  A few weeks ago we saw an incident which included shots being fired … Well, this week we saw another incident when a car driven by a Tajik citizen was stoned by some Kyrgyz citizens … which led to a riot situation as about one and half thousand people gathered and shots were fired once again – this time into the air.  Even so, some 17 people suffered injuries – at least one of them seriously enough to be described as being in a critical situation.

We have been assured that the situation has settled down … and is calm.

That didn’t, however, stop some protesters locking the Deputy Prime Minister into a house that they claimed had been “stolen” when he went down to check of the state of affairs in order to prove a point.

There have been reports in the Kyrgyz press that the Tajiks will pay compensation to those affected in the incident … but accounts in the Tajik press put the blame for the incident on some “drunken Kyrgyz” who attacked the Tajik vehicles.  The Tajik Ambassador has proposed that a joint investigation be carried out.

One “expert” political commentator says that the only possible solution has to involve a land swap … but, although I can see the logic of the argument, I am not sure how well that will go down with the Kyrgyz who have a strong affinity with the land.

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Although there have always been some tensions between the different nationalities in the Ferghana valley, in the seventy years of the Soviet Union, the border was little more than an administrative boundary … following Independence, however, the tensions seem to have intensified.  For some of the time, the government managed to contain those tensions … following, for example, a policy of Kyrgyzstan, Nash Obshe Dom –  ”Kyrgyzstan, our common home”.  The revolutions, however, exposed the chasms of emotion between the communities …

This was highlighted during the week when one analyst suggested that one result of the demographic changes that have taken place over the years, is that many people have left the region … migrant workers seeking employment in Russia and Kazakhstan … but more strikingly, virtually the entire Russian community that once lived there.

It’s hard to tell what effect the new scheme for obtaining Russian citizenship will have … will it, for example, hasten the exodus? …

The difficulties faced by those migrant workers in Russia came under the microscope as the Prime Minister held discussions with different authorities during his recent visit to Moscow to discuss the “road map” to accession to the Customs Union … and he seems to have had some success asking for and, – apparently, obtaining agreement on the adoption of a more flexible approach with individual cases being considered on their own merits rather than simply being subject to blanket decrees and regulations.

 

The news about the main purpose of his visit – that “road map” – is a little more complex.  The Parliament have put off consideration of the issue for another week … but, more importantly, the Kyrgyz government have asked the current members of the Union to agree to a delay in their joining … by a year – supposedly in order to put in place all the necessary measures and procedures.  Whilst some people who are opposed to Kyrgyzstan joining what they see as an attempt to recreate the Soviet Union, seem to be happy about this apparent “victory” … it’s really only postponing it … and the decision will be taken much sooner than that.

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Incidentally, it’s not just the Russians that have disappeared from the South … the whole district has been without gas for over three weeks as Uzbekistan cut off the supply when KyrgyzGas was sold to the Russians.  Djoormat Otorbaev, the Prime Minister, complained that the Uzbeks were not taking his calls as he tried to find a resolution to the problem.

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On more mundane matters … although the weather has improved and have seen bright, warm days – we’ve also seen yet another storm warning … this time suggesting heavy rains are imminent rather heavy snows.  Mind you, the rain can cause more than enough damage – with a village down South being cut off from the ourtside world by a mudslide, and some 80 homes being flooded in the Kemin district of Northern Kyrgyzstan.

There’s some relief, however, as the exchange rates seem to have found their level and stopped their incessant rise … there even been a small fall in the value of the dollar against the som.  It will be interesting to how traders might now adjust their explanations for rising prices in this new situation if they can’t blame it on the rising dollar.

 

I mentioned last week about the incredible price hikes for potatoes and onions – well, this week the attention  has focused on Sugar … one of the few commodities Kyrgyzstan used to be more or less self sufficient in … but production has been falling and the economists are sounding warnings about the future viability of the sugar processing industry.

Another price which has a considerable effect on the Kyrgyz economy is that of gold … which has been falling to almost unprecedented levels in recent times … threatening not only the cashflow and balance sheet of the mining companies – but also reducing the amount of tax revenues that the government relies on.  Well, a new threat to the gold industry emerged this week with a court decision in Toronto which allows for the freezing of the government’s assets in the Kumtor companies - in particular the dividends -  as a surety against an arbitration award.  Not only will losing the argument in the court be damaging to the reputation and image of the country when it comes to attracting potential investors …  it could also have a serious effect on the Kyrgyz budget – and the delivery of public services. 

Kyrgyzstan has been living up to its tradition of holding protest rallies … perhaps the most prominent one this week based on the provision in the constitution that declares that everyone has the “right to housing”.  In the days of the Soviet Union, the provision of jobs and housing were two of the main planks of the government’s raison d’être  and were adopted by the new nation following Independence.  Indeed, the origins of several of the disturbances which occurred in the past, including the 1990 riots in Osh and Djalal Abad, can be traced to problems over land allocations and housing … not to mention the present day rpblem,s of the “new districts” that are springing up around the edges of, in particular, Bishkek and Osh.

Now, however, most of the construction of housing projects that is taking place is for “elite” accommodation and not “affordable” accommodation and are priced well outside the reach of most of the population.  There are some moves to persuade construction companies to include some measure of “social housing” in their projects – such as special accommodation for orphans who would otherwise not be able to find somewhere to live once they graduated from the “orphanage” when they turned eighteen … but it’s not clear to me how much of an impact on the the overall problem this will have.

During the week, a press release announced that last year President Atambaev earned just under a million som – that’s about eighteen thousand dollars and was less than he earned in 2012 … and was less than the sum earned by both the outpoing Prime Minister, Jantoro Satybaldyev (at one million and fifty five thousand som – or about nineteen and a half thousand som), and the new one, Djoomart Otorbaev (at one million one hundred thousand som – or  just over twenty thousand dollars).  Hey … to give that a bit of context … as a teacher in the UK – albeit a senior teacher in as large school – I was earning more than that nineteen years ago.

The draft “Antigay” bill seeking to outlaw the promotion of “non-traditional” relationships has been resubmitted to parliament for consideration … I haven’t seen the text but the reports say that it is basically unchanged from the version that was earlier withdrawn “for technical reasons” … although some changes have been made to the substantiation document explaining the reasons behind the proposals.

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This week has seen two of the three public holidays that we get to enjoy here in Kyrgyzstan in early May.  In addition to the May Day – workers – holiday, Monday was Constitution Day which commemorates the adoption of a new constitution following Independence, and Friday was Vidtory Day, commemorating the end of the Second World War – well the War in Europe … the Pacific war still had several months to run and the Soviet finally joining the fray against the Japanese just before Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

There are moves afoot to abolish the May Day and  Constitution Day holidays – along with some others – which would be used to create a new week long holiday over the New Year.  How can we celebrate the adoption of the Constitution, the argument goes, when it has amended and replaced on several occasions  If this goes ahead, then this could well have been the last Constitution Day Holiday … although I am sure that some people will still the day even though it won’t be a Public Holiday.

I don’t think, however, that they will not cancel the May Day holiday.  One holiday I am confident that they will not abandon – it’s not even be proposed – is the celebration of Victory Day.  It’s always been a big holiday and this year it seems to have been marked with even more than usual pomp and circumstance.  As in Russia, the black and orange ribbon of St George has been been enjoying a revival in recent years – especiMoscow’s ally, this year as it seems to have become adopted and associated with the events in Ukraine … almost, it sometimes seems to me, replacing the Russian flag as an iconic and symbolical emblem for the country – feeding national pride and patriotism.

For the first time in several years, Red Square saw a Victory Day military parade … putting on show some of the weaponry that Russia can call upon if hostilities were ever to break out.  There wasn’t a similar parade in Bishkek – although several events were held in the surrounding parks – because funding for such an event hadn’t been included in the country’s budget.  That didn’t stop people promenading and having a good time – or the (rather short) firework display (which. presumably had been included in the budget).  The lack of a parade in the capital didn’t dampen spirits too much as there were plenty of events organized around the country – including driving some of the remaining veterans around the city in jeeps – behind a loudspeaker van blaring out the great Victory Day song – Dehn Pobeda.  

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In his Victory  Day message to the people of Kyrgyzstan, President Atambaev chose to praise the former allies who had fought side by side in a just cause – and regret at the fact that those same allies now seemed intent on forget their previous fraternal camaraderie as they squared up to face off each other.

I can’t help feeling that that message applies just as equally to others … such as the peoples of the Ferghana Valley … former friends and allies now seemingly intent on a path of disunity and discord.

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Actually, although I have called today’s postcard There’s two sides to any story, I often quote Jeyn Roberts, who said: “There are three sides to every story.  Yours.  Mine. What really happened: the truth.’“

 

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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:

• Tabula Rasa - there’s a wide choice of things to see and do in Kyrgyzstan … but it’s not exactly a clean slate when planning  a trip – 04/05/14
• Temirov – the Kyrgyz Admiral - It might seem unsusual for a landlocked country to produce a Admiral … but Kyrgyzstan has – 05/05/14
• Swans – the ugly ducklings? - The majestic waterfowl that are to be found in Kyrgyzstan – 06/05/14
• Drugstore - There’s a plethora of chemist chops (drugstores) in Bishkek – 07/05/14
• Chatkal - one of the most remote regions of Kyrgyzstan – 08/05/14
• Kyrgyzstan’s Military - On Victory Day … a look at the Kyrgyz military –  09/05/14

It is possible to follow me on Facebook, (where we also have specific pages for Celestial Mountains, the Silk Road Lodge, The Celestial Mountains Guesthouse in Naryn  and also links.kg, Kyrgyz Diary and Kyrgyzstan Visitki … and not forgetting ianbek), and also on twitter, (@Bishkekpostcard and @celestialM

 

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