Postcard from Bishkek

On 4 December 1948, George Orwell, sent the final manuscript of his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four to his publisher, Secker and Warburg.  It was to become, not only one of his “signature” novels but a classic novel in many respects.  Many of the terms and concepts which he introduced in the novel, (such as Big Brother, doublethink, thoughtcrime, Newspeak, and memory hole), have since entered everyday use. Moreover, Nineteen Eighty-Four popularised the adjective Orwellian, which describes official deception, secret surveillance, and manipulation of the past by a totalitarian or authoritarian state.

It describes a society where omnipresent government surveillance, and public mind control is maintained by Ingsoc, (English Socialism), headed by Big Brother, a quasi-divine Party leader who enjoys an intense cult of personality, (just like that enjoyed by Stalin … but who may not even exist).

The constant surveillance is often portrayed in screen versions as being effected through video cameras.  If that is what George Orwell had in mind, then he would have felt very much at home in the modern world.

Cameras seem to ever present in the modern world.  There are several websites that give a choice of  cameras in different cities around the world.

London is supposed to the world’s most watched city with video cameras all over the place.  Sometimes, images from those cameras are put to good use, tracing missing persons, or identifying perpetrators of crime … the murders of Jamie Bulger, the 9/11 and 7/7 bombers and so on.  Radar operated cameras are put on highways to catch motorists who drive at excess speeds, especially at accident hot spots.  Others are placed at road junctions and traffic lights to catch  drivers who “jump the lights” and so on.

Webcams are becoming more common here in Bishkek as well.  Many of them have been installed for security purposes.  A few years ago, for example, I was approached by an officer of the security services who said that they could offer us consultations on security measures.  As we discussed several possibilities, he was taken by surprise that we had already undertaken many, (if not most) of the measures that he was going to propose.  We had, for example, already installed security cameras around our hotel and office.

I am not sure that it was for security purposes, but there is a webcam displaying the main Ala Too Square in Bishkek.  Every now and again, especially during high holidays,  I log on to check it out.

This proved to be a catalyst for a project proposed by Atai Sadybakasov.  Atai is an activist who has initiated a number of projects aimed at trying to promote Kyrgyz Tourism.  (He also happens to be Roza Otunbaeva’s son … which means that his projects tend to get a bit more publicity than others).

His first project was “I ♥ Issyk Kul”.  During the summer of 2011, (following the disastrous season which resulted from the revolution in 2010),   Atai and a team of volunteers dressed in T-shirts, emblazoned with the slogan, traveled to the border to meet and help tourists with the formalities, give them information about the various resorts around the lake and to answer their questions.

The second involved erecting erecting brown Tourist Information Signposts at various points up to and around Lake Issyk Kul.  Indicating directions to places of interest such as the Petroglyphs at Cholpon Ata and the Skazka valley, in Russian and English.

His third project was to install webcams at a number of points around the lake so that people sitting at home could get an idea of what was happening, the weather, and so on … at various points around the lake.  Personally, I am not sure how effective these are at trying to encourage people to visit the country … but there are a large number of webcams around the world, which are linked to specialist websites and people do go surfing them.  He quotes a number of examples, for example, Stockholm and Barcelona.

 Well, it turns out that more and more cameras are being planned, at least for Bishkek.  Most of them, it seems, are for traffic control, and I have to admit that traffic in Bishkek can be pretty horrendous – especially when certain roads are closed because we have some VIP dignitaries visiting.

I couldn’t help, however, wondering  … especially after a recent conversation with a traveler who has recently been  in Turkmenistan.  What made his comments even more poignant had been the fact that he had just been commenting about how pleasant, free and easy, Bishkek felt … especially after London … and Ashgabat.

 

 

 

 

 

Tags: Life_in_Kyrgyzstan