Category Archives: Uzbekistan Post PC

It’s a small world after all..

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I just received a very interesting email. As those of you who have been following this blog know, I used to be a Peace Corps volunteer in Uzbekistan, and now I am a Peace Corps volunteer in Romania. Now for me, my exit from the country, though emotionally rough, was handled via a few days at a nice hotel in Tashkent and a plane ticket outta there. For some others, though, the situation was quite different. After the Uzbek government’s ruthless crackdown in the city of Andijan, many Uzbeks fled to Kyrgyzstan seeking asylum from the very murderers who had slaughtered their friends, family and townspeople. For the past two months, the refugees have been living in a state of limbo, unsure of their future; while officials in Tashkent continue to call for their extradition, other powerful forces, including international human rights organizations, have been protecting them from this fate. A return to Uzbekistan would signal for these individuals, at the very least, constant police harassment (greater than that to which ordinary law abiding citizens are already subject,) and more likely, beatings, torture or even death.

So I was overjoyed to hear the following news: Romania has just agreed to offer “temporary refuge” to the 400+ Uzbek refugees. To read the announcement, please Click Here. I am not entirely sure what the temporary refuge tag means, but I am well satisfied that this is a better place for the Uzbek refugees than Kyrgyzstan, itself a fragile nation. No doubt there are larger less altruistic moves behind this move. A speaker from the American Embassy here who talked to our training group told us that just recently the Romanian president called for a Bucharest, London, Washington axis. At the same time, this country is slated to join the European Union in 2007. So some international good will certainly won’t hurt either of these initiatives. I will follow this story and post updates here as they emerge.

As regards to life here in Râºnov, things move on. Romania is a strange place. While zoning out in language class today, I was pondering just what has been troubling me about the place for these past two months. I’ve come to conclude (and of course this will probably change with time,) that Romania is caught up in a great existential crisis. This is a country neither here nor there, trapped between a rural, homey, nationalistic past and a modern, global, high tech future. Each pole has its obvious advantages and drawbacks. There is something charming about old Romania – bunicas (grandmothers) wrapped up with layers of clothes trundling to the local piata (open air market) to haggle over fruit — the endless cooking in home kitchens, which become the hub of family life — a pace that leaves time for things to unfold as they will… But for the younger generation, while perhaps a romantic notion, it is one best fit for photography and festivals. The future they seek is not so Rockwellian, rather it is a European, or perhaps even global one. Travel, cars, phones, clothes, things, things, money, things!

And having only emerged from 45 years of brutal Communist rule in 1989, hugely fundamental disagreements remain as to what constitutes progress. At the summer camp I went to last week, the wife of one of the Romanian teachers was talking with us, and mentioned that she preferred life under the Communists. Being the good American I am, I was quite surprised to hear this. Why? we asked. The reason was simple. Back then, she said, the differences between ordinary people, her friends, family and town members, were not great. Now, she continued, class inequity surrounded her at every step, and the resulting stratification of society based on material wealth has left her feeling alienated. Truly, this is a tragic consequence of progress.

And though I can’t really ever understand how it feels to be there, I can see what she refers to every day. Walk down the street and some people are pushing their old cars from the 1970’s while others speed around them in the latest Volvo SUVs. And that’s just a very visible example. For the next two years while I’m here, I’ll have the chance to explore this in greater depth. Though I’ll be living in what’s considered one of the country’s most cosmopolitan cities, I’ll have access to friends serving in less fancy areas. Just how big is the urban/rural divide here, and how does each side to this debate view the other? In a time when nothing is taken for granted, (corporate sponsored school textbooks – Patriot Acts – the Right nation under God J.C. – gay marriage – terror – terror – terror,) what’s a country like Romania to do?

Thus I enter this existential fray, coming first from a place locked in a very different kind of battle, and before that, a great country uncertain about what it stands for anymore. I’m sure that the threads of these tapestries intertwine more so than I can even imagine yet, and that to untangle one from the others is an exercise in futility. But that doesn’t mean that comprehension is an impossible task. No, rather comprehension is a constant process of learning, one for which I feel well prepared.

La revedere,

A Wave Into the Void

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I’ve been following events in Uzbekistan as best I can via the internet here. Most of the news is, of course, not good. But I just came across this (link) . The gist is that VOA (Voice Of America) is going to resume Uzbek language broadcasts within Uzbekistan. This is potentially huge. A major problem facing regular Uzbeks is lack of access to reliable news. TV is controlled with an iron fist. Most Uzbeks are only able to receive broadcast TV, which consists of two national channels and a Russian station. Of course, I don’t need to comment much about what Uzbek news is like… I think the phrase “droning monologues” sums things up just fine. I remember watching the Uzbek TV stations while the news about Andijon was unfolding all over BBC and CNN only to find the movie Winged Migration being shown. It was funny is a twisted way… talk about having ones head in the clouds…

Uzbeks living in major cities, especially Tashkent, can get cable TV. But again, during the Andijon events, CNN and BBC were blanketly dropped from the lineup. This leaves only satellite TV. The problem is, though, that satellite TV is expensive, in fact prohibitively so for most Uzbeks. Furthermore, since the current generation of youth no longer speaks Russian, to fully comprehend news received, it must be in Uzbek. Thus, the almost complete lack of non-governmentally regulated Uzbek language news has been a major barrier to progress in the region.

Although news does travel in Uzbekistan – make no mistake, most everyone knows what went down in Andijon – one has got to remember the game “telephone. ” I was reminded of this today during Romanian language class. Telephone is a simple game about verbal communication. It starts with one person telling another some phrase. That person then turns to his or her neighbor and passes it along. 9 times out of 10, of course, the resulting phrase is far different from what the initial person said. This is a simple, albeit accurate, representation of the danger of communications systems spread solely via word of mouth.

Now, I consider myself to be pretty aware of the global media situation, and will be the first to concede that news delivered by ANY government is suspect. VOA is an US Governmental organization, and thus to imply that VOA is gospel or completely unbiased would be foolhardy. Looking at the VOA news about the United States, there emerges a picture of an organization that is willing to entertain reasoned critiques of America and American society, but not so much in an overtly political or partisan way. For a good example, read (this article.) So, all said and done, I am satisfied with VOA considering it for what it is.

Now, back to Uzbekistan. Although satellite TV may be a dream but for the country’s more financially successful families, almost every family can afford a shortwave radio (albeit it’ll likely be a piece of junk from China, but nonetheless it should work.) Some of my former colleagues in country were able to purchace, for about $10, such radios. Now, although TV is by far the dominant means of entertainment and news gathering in Uzbekistan, almost every Uzbek can afford and has the ability to receive shortwave radio broadcasts. During my Peace Corps service in that country, I enjoyed listening to, among others, BBC World Service via shortwave. Now although listening to BBC World was a godsend to me, it meant nothing to most Uzbeks, who are unfamiliar with the English language.

VOA in English already makes it to Uzbekistan. With the resumption of Uzbek language broadcasts, however, the potential audience for such information expands exponentially. VOA’s director claims: “The Uzbek people deserve to have access to uncensored news and information about what’s happening in their own country, their region, and the world.” And with that, I can not agree more wholeheartedly. Also stated are future plans to expand the service to the MW and FM bands – further increasing its reach. Though I have reservations about the McDonalds and KFC located here in Brashov, Romania, if our government can subsidize bringing real news to a country lacking it, in that country’s local language, then I’m all for it.

My only hope is that word gets out, somehow, about these broadcasts. Perhaps I’m doing my small part by writing about them here, and perhaps someone will benefit from this. Although I’m no longer able to serve in Uzbekistan, maybe I can continue to do a little good, WD style.

Links:

Voice Of America News

Amerika Ovozi – O’zbekcha