Latest posts by Alexander Sodiqov from June, 2012
Mouth-watering Recipes and Pictures from Turkmen Cuisine
One Turkmen Kitchen is a must-visit blog for gourmands. A native of Turkmenistan now living in Prague uses the blog to share recipes from the Turkmen cuisine. Warning: the recipes come with pictures that look so stunning that you'll want to fork your computer monitor.
Tajikistan: Is There ‘National Unity’ in the Country?
As Tajikistan marks an anniversary of peace accords that put an end to the civil war and brought about ‘national unity’ in the country, blogger Ilhom writes [tj] about his recollections of the war. Another blogger, Jovid Muqim, suggests [tj] that there can be no ‘national unity’ in the country where...
Tajikistan: The Role of Intellectuals in Running a Country
Should poets have a bigger say in how the countries they live in are run? Adash Istad writes [tj] that Tajik intellectuals have stayed out of government affairs too long. The blogger argues that it is time for intellectuals to understand that they have a particular ‘mission’ which consists of educating...
Kyrgyzstan: Incident in Batken Highlights Cross-border Ethnic Tensions
Passions flew high in the southwestern Kyrgyz city of Batken last week after local residents took a group of Tajik citizens hostage in an attempt to force the release of three locals detained in Tajikistan on smuggling charges. As Matthew Kupfer writes on Registan.net, “such events certainly aren’t helping interethnic relations within...
Afghanistan: More Girls Poisoned for Attending School
Following our recent report on a string of attacks targeting female students at schools in Afghanistan, there have been three new attacks over the last three days in the country's north. About 300 girls have been poisoned. Commenting on the latest attack, Brazilian journalist Maria Stella Soares writes on Twitter: “Ignorance...
Tajikistan: The Lost Meaning of National Reconciliation Day
June 27 is celebrated in Tajikistan as National Reconciliation Day commemorating the signing of the peace accords that put an end to the civil war in the country. Journalist Olga Tutubalina writes [ru] in her blog that the holiday has lost its meaning: “Our ruling clique has not reconciled with its former adversaries,...
Kyrgyzstan: Cartoons Expose Ills of Patriarchal Society
The Kyrgyzstani art group ‘705’ [ru] has produced a number of hand-drawn animation films [ru] that criticize the conventions and norms of a patriarchal society. Domestic violence and the oppression of women in such a society are two big themes in these films.
Afghanistan: Women Leaders on Twitter
Ahmad Shuja, an Afghan blogger and political commentator based in US, has put together a list of 15 must-follow Twitter feeds by Afghan women leaders. Shuja explains: “I thought I’d try and share with the world the wonderful work Afghan women do everyday, often in extremely difficult and dangerous circumstances”.
Uzbekistan: Silk and Spice Festival Lost in Translation
Uzbek blogger posts photos from the International Silk & Spice Festival in Bukhara (which the organizers have erroneously advertised [ru] as ‘Silk & Space Festival’).
Tajikistan: Language and Nation-Building
Blogger Adash Istad ponders [tj] the importance of a common vernacular language in the process of nation-building in Tajikistan. The author writes: “We have a national spoken language [which all groups in the country should be able to speak]. Those who do not want to understand this simple truth will...
Kyrgyzstan: The Peace Bell Tolls for Everyone but Uzbeks?
On the second anniversary of violent clashes between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in southern Kyrgyzstan, a ‘Peace Bell‘ [ru] has been unveiled in the city of Osh as a monument for those who died and as a symbol of reconciliation. The bell contains the inscription ‘Peace in the Whole World’ in...
Uzbekistan: ‘Lavish’ Weddings Banned in Tashkent
Following in the footsteps of Tajikistan, the Mayor's Office in the Uzbek capital Tashkent has banned [uz] ‘lavish’ weddings in the city. However, as Marat Satpaev writes on NewEurasia.net, the ban will mostly extend to poor families because people with money and power will be able to defy the restrictions.
Tajikistan: Students Sent to the Streets to Greet President
On Blogiston.tj, a local blogger writes [ru] about the Tajik president's visit to the city of Khujand in the country's north. To convince the president that people in the city love him, the local authorities have cancelled classes and exams at schools and colleges, sending thousands of students to the...
Living with HIV in Kazakhstan
On the Kazakh photo blog Vox Populi, Gulnar Bazhkenova presents a powerful photo essay [ru] with the stories of people living with HIV/AIDS in Kazakhstan. These individuals have decided to disclose their HIV status and show their faces in order to “send a message that they are normal people and that...
Tajikistan: Sharia Replaces Secular Law
Blogger Kayumars Ato writes [ru] that Sharia, or Islamic law, is gradually replacing secular law in Tajikistan. Excessive red tape and corruption in the country's courts increasingly lead Tajiks to consult Islamic leaders for guidance in disputes relating to marriage, divorce, and inheritance.
Tajikistan: Lawyers Use Blogs to Provide Legal Advice
Internet users in Tajikistan can now get free legal consultation online. A Tajik NGO has trained [ru] a group of lawyers in running personal blogs through which they provide legal advice to anyone in the country.
Kazakhstan: Children Behind Bars with their Mothers
Vox Populi presents a photo essay [ru] on the lives of children who serve time with their mothers at a women's prison in southwestern Kazakhstan.
Tajikistan: Why There Aren't Many Bloggers in the Country
Harsavor (Donkey Rider) explains [ru] why there are not many bloggers in Tajikistan. Most of the country's young people – the group that typically runs blogs – either work abroad or live in rural areas without internet access. And those who live in the cities and have access to the...
Kazakhstan: Pay to Get Your Artwork Noticed
Anara gives [ru] an insider's view on how a young artist can get ‘noticed’ by the art establishment in Kazakhstan. Apparently, talent is not a substitute for lots of money that emerging artists need to pay for presenting their artwork at galleries and having specialized journals write favorable reviews of...
Kyrgyzstan: Challenging the Government-set ‘Subsistence Minimum’
Is the ‘subsistence minimum’ a realistic measure of the goods and services that one needs to maintain a basic standard of living? Three Kyrgyz bloggers participate in an experiment to see whether they can limit their monthly spending on food and services to $100 – the country's official ‘subsistence minimum’ – without...
Kazakhstan Joins the Central Asian Ban on ‘The Dictator’
Following in the footsteps of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan has stopped [ru] showing The Dictator, Sacha Baron Cohen‘s latest spoof blockbuster. Baron Cohen's 2006 comedy film, Borat, which ridicules Kazakhstan has also been banned in the country. Responding to the news, @registan_net tweets: ‘Come on, Kazakhstan, people are going to start thinking you...
