Postcard from Bishkek

In the Orthodox Cathedral of the Resurrection, here in Bishkek, there are, as you would expect, quite a number of icons representing various saints or scenes from the Bible.  In one of the chapels there is a fresco depicting the Last Supper painted over the screen before the Sanctuary.  It’s a modern work of course and I don’t think anyone would claim it was a classic work of art.

The first time I saw it, however, I had uneasy feeling that something was wrong … at first, I couldn’t put my finger on it … no, Dan Brown, there wasn’t a character that could have Mary Magdalene in disguise …. then it struck me: there were only twelve people depicted.  The meal was supposed to be Jesus and his Disciples … and there were twelve disciples, so there should have been thirteen people in the picture.   When I pointed this out to the people I was with, devout believers, they told me that it portrayed a moment after Judas had gone to the Sanhedrin to arrange the details in his bargain for betraying Jesus.  They seemed to tell me that a picture with all twelve Disciples is very rare in Orthodox Churches as Judas is regarded as evil personified and has no place in a Church.  (This brought out the “wickedness” in me and I proceed to argue that, on the contrary, he was a much maligned and misunderstood person and that, in fact, he was crucial to Christianity as without him the Crucifixion wouldn’t have taken place … indeed, there is even an ancient Gospel according to Judas – rejected by the Early Church Fathers – which claims that Jesus asked Judas to betray him!)

But, that’s enough of Theology … for now.

Although there are variations, some scholars think that our aversion to the number thirteen is grounded in this tradition of the Last Supper, although there are other theories as to the origins of the particular designation of Friday 13th as an “unlucky day”.  Here’s an interesting Mathematical fact for anyone who is superstitious and suffers from Triskaidekaphobia, (the fear of the number 13) … apparently, because of the vagaries of the Calendar, the 13th is more likely to fall on a Friday than any other day of the week.  That might seem counter intuitive and a bit odd this year, when there is only one ‘Friday the thirteenth”, but last year there were three such occasions and over the course of the 400 year calendar cycle it just so happens that the 13th of the month falls on Friday more than any other day.

Yesterday, of course, Friday the 13th, but I happy to be able to tell you that nothing untoward happened on the day, nothing that would enable it to live up to its reputation.

There was a small earthquake up by the Chinese border at two o’clock in the morning, but it was only of magnitude 4 and in a remote mountain region and there were no casualties or damage reported.

As it happens, it’s been a fairly quiet week all round.  Monday was holiday marking the end of the Second World War, and this year people seem to have made far more of the occasion than in the last few years.  There were the usual events, a parade in the main square, but it seems to me that this year there was a far more festive atmosphere.  That didn’t stop the odd mishap from occurring, however, and the Army have had another embarrassment when a tank which had been posted on Ploshad Pobeda, (Victory Square), managed to overturn and end up on its side.  Apparently, the driver was attempting to mount the ramp onto a tank transporter vehicle at the end of the day, when it slipped and he lost control.  He found himself lying on his side as the tank fell the short distance of the ramp and onto the tarmac.  Once again, no-one was hurt and it looks as if there was no serious damage – apart, that is, from a damaged reputation.  I won’t say that someone tried to hush-up the incident, but I hadn’t heard anything about it until someone posted a clip on the internet.  (No, it wasn’t a put-up job, they didn’t have the crucial moment when it fell – only the aftermath with the bemused crowd milling around).

Incidentally, Victor was in the square earlier and took a number of panoramas – one of which we have put up on www.see.kg – but he had left by the time the big event happened.

Tuesday was “back to work day” and the first order of business in the courts was sentencing a gang of robbers who have targeted churches, (both orthodox and evangelical).  Most of the 15 gang members received sentences of between eight and twenty years, although one was sentenced to just under two years.  The defence lawyers are up in arms saying that this is excessive and have said that they will appeal.  I suspect that one reason for the severity of the sentences was not just the “outrage” that churches and charities had been targeted, but might well have been that someone was killed in the course of one of the robberies.

There has been more outrage expressed at the Commission of Inquiry report into the events in Osh last year.  If the response outside Kyrgyzstan has been more or less positive to the report, it’s been less, (a lot less), than that here.  One Deputy even promised to put the Commission chairman “in his place”, which will only go to add to the reputation of the parliament as a pugnacious place.

It’s not discord in the parliament, however.  There are still talks going on about extending the coalition and other members of Ar Namys signing up to support the government.  Although any formal agreement between the parties has been denied by at least major politician, Feliks Kulov, (the leader of Ar Namys), has been in discussions with Almazbek Atambaev, (the Prime Minister), making a number of proposals for reforming the coalition, and he says that he found that they had a consensus on a number of issues.

Controversy, however, is never far away and two long running issues seem to be coming to a head.

Discussion is heating up over accession to the Customs Union with Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus.  Whereas some commentators point to the opportunities it will create, (for example, facilitating Kyrgyzstan becoming a transport hub), others point to the effect on the cost of living, claiming that it will lead to huge hikes in prices for food and other essentials.  The government, however, seems intent on pursuing an application to join.

The other concerns the establishment of a Bio-laboratory in the grounds of the Botanical Gardens.  There has been quite a lot of lobbying and the government seems to be looking for a new location to site the institution.  This won’t satisfy everyone, especially those who oppose the terms of the international agreement reached under Bakiev’s administration which they claim is one-sided and detrimental to Kyrgyzstan.  As is often the case in this sort of issue, the argument is a complex mix of logic and emotion – especially with a large element of NIMBY, (Not In My Back Yard).  The thing that encourages me about it, however, is that the protests have all been civil and have not erupted into disorder on the streets.

The shock of the week, at least for me, came with the announcement by William Hague, (the British Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary), that after a review of the British overseas Diplomatic Service, the government there are planning to open a number of new embassies, including one here in Bishkek.  This has been discussed before, but was shelved for financial reason, under Tony Blair’s government.  I suppose it is worth noting that last year’s revolution in Kyrgyzstan was probably the first international crisis that the new coalition government in London had to face and must have raised Kyrgyzstan’s profile somewhat, but it is interesting to see that the Whitehall mandarins consider that there are real strategic issues to be addressed in the region, as well as aid projects to administer.

One piece of surprising news, which must have come as a bit of a shock and might well be making some people in Moscow anxious, was that NATO is going to open an office in Bishkek.   There is a long of cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and NATO; well, long in terms of Kyrgyzstan history as an independent country, for example as part of the Partnership for Peace programme, (PFP), which is chiefly aimed at cooperation in order to reinforce stability and reduce the risk of conflict.  Since its creation in 1994 it has been joined by 30 countries, ten of which have since become members of the NATO.  It was also announced during the week, that NATO have been asked to help equip and train the border services.

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So, as I said, it’s been a quiet week.  Nothing remotely reminiscent of a horror film occurred.  In fact it’s been a refreshingly normal week:  the odd meeting; the sun shining; the kids preparing for the end of year exams;  making plans for the summer holidays and various events … we even had time to commemorate Queen Elizabeth passing King George III’s record on Thursday and becoming the second longest reigning monarch in British history, (mind you, my staff were bemused when I brought in the cake!), as well as being the second longest reigning monarch in the world today  (after King Rama IX of Thailand).

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Oddly enough, if yesterday was Friday the thirteenth – with its connotations with the thirteenth diner in that Upper Room in Jerusalem almost two thousand years ago, then today, (May 14th), is St. Matthias’ Day in the Catholic Calendar.  (Until 1969, it used to be celebrated in February but was moved, so that it didn’t fall in the middle of Lent, but it is still celebrated in February according to other Church Calendars).   Matthias was the person chosen by the approximately 120 followers of Jesus who met in the days following the Ascension to take the place of Judas Iscariot as the 12th apostle.   Maybe it wasn’t a particularly auspicious choice, for we never hear of him again, (at least, not in the Bible.  Tradition, however, has him either going off to preach in Ethiopia or being stoned and then beheaded in Jerusalem.  There was apparently a Gospel according to Matthias, and another work called The Traditions of Matthias, but they have been lost having been decreed to be heretical works by the Early Church Fathers and we only know about them through references to them in the writings of others.   There is also a tradition that his remains were brought to Germany by Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine, and now lie in the Abbey of Saint Matthias in Trier, but as is usual in these cases, there are counter claims as, according to the Orthodox tradition, he remains are buried in Georgia.

In case you were wondering why I am mention him, let me explain that back in Malvern, where I grew up, the Church of Saint Matthias was our local parish church, so I have always been intrigued by this mysterious character who seems to have had his moment in the spotlight – his “fifteen minutes of fame”.

Tags: Expat, Life_in_Kyrgyzstan, Religion, Weekly_Postcards