Karakol

Just got back to Bishkek this evening after an incredible trip out to Lake Issyk-Kul. We stayed in Karakol, at the eastern-most end of the lake, and visited several villages along the southern shore. A lot of time was spent cruising around in a Lada, listening to Ace of Bass and meeting many wonderful people. Kyrgyzstan is an amazingly beautiful country – truly stunning. More pics and many more stories to come, but here are several photos from the trip.

Women from an NGO in the village of Tamga. They organize to get better prices for their produce. Next, they want to start a milk processing plant.

The Kyrgyz always offer bread when you visit their home.

After buying sheep from the animal bazaar in Karakol, you've still got to get it home somehow.

On the drive back into Bishkek we were stopped at several checkpoints, where official-looking men with big guns half-assedly searched through our car. I found out from my Kyrgyz co-worker that events have supposedly been planned for June 22nd in Bishkek – potentially violent and disruptive events. The checkpoints were the government’s attempt to stop the bad guys from entering the city. The word is that the thugs who perpetrated the violence in Osh and Jalalabad want to cause similar chaos in the capitol city. There have been warnings about this sort of thing for the past week, but with all of the rumors circulating around Kyrgyzstan, it is hard to know what or who to believe. It’s difficult to even get the true story surrounding last week’s tragedy in Osh, and it seems that more and more layers will continue to unfold. More to come, but here’s an interesting look into the situation.

Disenfranchised Youth?

At the end of this New York Times video, the reporter briefly mentions that an altercation in an Osh casino may have triggered the ensuing riots in the city.  Really?  A bar fight?  Whatever the cause, the situation has spiraled out of control, and has spread to nearby Jalalabad.  Roza Otunbayeva has asked Russia for military support to quell the chaos, but Russia does not seem to want to get involved and will make a decision on Monday.  It’s interesting that Russia considers Kyrgyzstan within their “sphere of influence” for most matters, yet they are slow to respond to what Russian officials call an “internal matter” in Kyrgyzstan.  Update: Apparently Russia is sending troops – to “reinforce the defense of Russian military facilities and ensure security of Russian military servicemen and their families.” Update again: Apparently Russia is just sending troops to reinforce their own military base – hundreds of miles from Osh.

An alarming similarity between the situation in the south and the April 7^th revolution in Bishkek is the sheer youth of both movements.  Accounts of the situation in Osh report gangs of young men as the key players in perpetuating the violence.  As seen on YouTube, the April 7^th revolution was also overwhelmingly comprised of young men (typically 20-somethings).

So what is the reason for all of these young men taking up arms and attacking their own countrymen?  I certainly don’t have the answer, but I can speculate that there are a variety of factors in play.  Ethnic tension has been cited as the primary motivating factor, but I think that careless journalists have ignored the greater complexity of the situation.

Under Bakiev’s regime, Kyrgyzstan became increasingly impoverished, as most of the country’s money was stolen and funneled to Bakiev’s family’s personal interests.  Not surprisingly, there is a huge amount of distrust of the government, in addition to widespread poverty, a high level of unemployment, an ineffective education system and general disillusionment.  Perhaps these young men want to be part of a larger movement, or perhaps they are merely acting out on impetuous, youthful impulses that have spiraled out of control.  Or maybe it is simply that they are getting paid to stir up violence.

Interestingly, in a Lysistrata-esque moment, Roza Otunbayeva issued a statement requesting the women of Kyrgyzstan to persuade their men to stop acting out.  I guess it can’t hurt to ask, and maybe this approach will prove more effective than the reluctant Russian army.

Instability

My plans to watch the opening match of the World Cup at Metro Pub last night were derailed as we heard reports about increasing violence in the southern city of Osh.  Although Bishkek remains quiet and peaceful, it was recommended that we stay in for the next couple of evenings to be on the safe side.

There are numerous news accounts of the violence and rioting taking place in Osh, but it is difficult to get a clear idea of what is really going on.  Currently more than 60 are dead and more than 800 are injured, and many buildings have been burned and looted.  Osh is Kyrgyzstan’s second largest city, and is home to more than 80 ethnic groups.  It is located in the fertile Ferghana Valley, which also spills over into neighboring Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

Historically, unrest and violence between ethnic Kyrgyz and ethnic Uzbeks have plagued the Ferghana Valley.  News sources claim ethnic tension as the root cause of the current violence, and there are accounts describing gangs of young ethnic Kyrgyz men attacking ethnic Uzbeks and terrorizing Uzbek neighborhoods in Osh.  The government of Kyrgyzstan issued a state of emergency and has sent military support to the south, but I have heard that the situation still remains chaotic and volatile.

Why are ethnic tensions flaring up right now?  It is hard to get unbiased, uncensored and reliable news throughout Kyrgyzstan, but there is speculation that Bakiev is paying young men to stir up trouble in the south.  His goal is to perhaps demonstrate the futility and impotence of the interim government in dealing with this difficult situation.  Bakiev, the ousted former president of Kyrgyzstan, hails from the south of the country and claims (from his presumably comfortable abode in Belarus) that he still has many supporters in the south.  The current political instability and power vacuum only serve to further exacerbate preexisting tensions.  Hopefully order will be restored quickly, and Roza Otunbayeva and the interim government will be able to maintain some semblance of control and legitimacy.

Building burned down during the April 7th revolution in Bishkek

Milk from a Horse

A Kyrgyz coworker was kind enough to take me to Osh bazaar the other day where I had my first experience with kymys (koo-moos), the national drink of Kyrgyzstan.  Fermented mare’s milk.  This article provides some really good background information about kymys, which is typically made in the rural villages of Kyrgyzstan, but is available at the larger markets in Bishkek.

Locals have told me that it is fairly common for Kyrgyz folks to head up to the mountains and drink a whole lot of kymys for a… cleansing experience.  Apparently kymys in large quantities will totally clear out your system, and is good for the stomach in smaller quantities, and possesses a number of other purported medicinal qualities.

I gave it a try at the bazaar, and I can’t say that I liked it, but it was certainly interesting.  It tastes kind of like smoked mozzarella cheese, but slightly off.  I’ve heard other people say that it reminds them of smoked salmon, with a little bit of added sweetness.  Kymys is fermented and contains about 2-3% alcohol, but is definitely not intended for recreational drinking purposes.  I ended up buying a one-liter plastic bottle of the stuff for 80 som ($2) and it’s still sitting in my fridge untouched, presumably continuing to ferment.  It’s supposed to keep for three weeks, but I can’t imagine it tasting any better at that point.

Buckets of kymys and other drinks at Osh bazaar

Bishkek FAQ Part 1 – Fashion

Note:  This is the first in a series addressing frequently asked questions about Kyrgyzstan.

QUESTION 1: Do you have to wear a headscarf in Kyrgyzstan?

This was almost always the first question I was asked when I mentioned that I would be working in Kyrgyzstan for a few months.  Since it’s a ‘stan, most people assume that it’s just like the other ‘stans that Americans are so familiar with (i.e. Afghanistan and Pakistan).

Although Kyrgyzstan is in the general vicinity of some of the other more conservative ‘stans (well, if you cross over a few mountain ranges), it is decidedly un-conservative, fashion-wise anyway.  I soon found out that the ladies of Bishkek are not afraid of tight jeans, high heels and short skirts.  They  help Kyrgyzstan live up to its reputation as “Hot Chick-a-stan.”  So, no headscarf for me.  Actually, the only headscarves I have seen here have been worn by older woman around town, and they are worn more like do-rags (what is the technical term for a do-rag anyway?).  As one of my friends said to me, these particular headscarves don’t seem to be so much about modesty, but rather about no longer giving a damn about your hair or appearance.

Kyrgyz style headscarves

For the men, the Adidas track suit is the outfit de rigueur in Bishkek.  You can check out these track suits on any of the YouTube videos of the April 7^th revolution.  Almost equally as popular for the men are the Russian style jeans, blinged out with rhinestones and crazy acid washes.  Also, lots of black and pointy dress shoes.

Overall, Bishkek style is a little more daring than I had imagined, and there are a lot of young, hip people roaming the streets.  I have yet to make it out to the villages, so I’m not sure what the fashionistas are up to out there!

Forty Day Warning?

Monday, May 17^th, marked 40 days after the violent revolution on April 7^th that claimed the lives of 81 people in Bishkek.  In the Muslim faith, this 40-day time period is significant because it demarcates an end to the mourning period.  On the days leading up to this 40-day anniversary, reports swirled around the country that potentially violent demonstrations would take place in Bishkek and other cities throughout Kyrgyzstan to avenge for lives lost on April 7^th.  At this time I had just recently arrived in Bishkek, and my organization imposed a “recommended” curfew of 7pm.  So I didn’t get a chance to experience the Bishkek nightlife that weekend, but I did get a brief sense of how aid workers in war-torn countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan are forced to live.  Restricting your movement is not fun, and being able to move about freely without threat of harm is something that most of us take for granted.

After all of the build-up leading up to May 17^th, no violent demonstrations occurred on that day.  Instead, many Kyrgyz peacefully gathered in Bishkek’s main square to memorialize the loss of loved ones.  Life seemed to go on, like any other day.  However, during this time there were violent incidents in the south of the country – the local governments of Osh and Jalabad were taken over by protestors, only to be quickly reclaimed by the ruling opposition party.

The question is –  what is really going on in the south?  I’m not entirely sure, but there has been a variety of speculation:  Bakiev is paying people to support him in the south; Bakiev’s son, Maxim, is somehow involved and finagling the situation; and ethnic clashes between the Uzbeks and Kyrgyz are taking place.  More to come…

Gate to Bishkek's White House

Bishkek or Bust

About to head on a plane to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan to begin a four month stint with an international humanitarian and development organization where I’ll be learning about the impact of microfinance on the lives of rural villagers throughout Kyrgyzstan.

Where exactly is Kyrgyzstan, you ask??  Before the tragic revolution on April 7, 2010, Kyrgyzstan was pretty much off the radar for most people in the western part of the world.  Sadly, I am one of those ignorant people without a great deal of knowledge about Kyrgyzstan.  However, I hope to learn more about this tiny country of 5 million people over the next several months, and to provide a brief glimpse into life in Central Asia.