Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan CID PDF Print E-mail
By Vivian Ebert   
Friday, 11 February 2005
If you were among the many who did not know much about the two central Asian neighboring countries Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, then the country information day (CID) on Thursday evening was the perfect event to get well informed! The IUB native Uzbek and Kyrgyz students, as well as some other helping students, performed a 1 hour 10 minute play acting out regular every day family life in their countries. In addition, a few short breaks were made to present the political, economical, social, and historical spheres of these two cultured countries. The play started out with a Uzbek family who wake up at 5:00 in the morning as part of their usual routine, then prepare to eat breakfast at 6:00. This was definitely a culture shock for IUB students, since the majority do not even make it to breakfast before Aramark's 9:30 closing time!

During their breakfast, they showed an Uzbek T.V. commercial which was then followed by a brief overview of their political status. Uzbekistan is known as the 'island of stability" and became an independent republic in 1991. It now has a population of about 26 million and is slightly bigger in size than Germany. Uzbekistan is also a strong ally of the United States in its long fight against terrorism, allowing the U.S. to use their land for military use.

Since this CID was an intermingle between both 'stan" countries, Kyrgyzstan was the next topic of discussion. Similar to Uzbekistan, this country is quoted the 'island of democracy." They are also one of the first post-communist countries pursuing the neo-liberal 'shock therapy" strategy recommended by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank.

After that, Alena Asyamova, second year student from Uzbekistan, performed a traditional Uzbek dance.

The play then continued and this time it took place at a typical Uzbek market where they were selling fruits and vegetables. The scene consisted of the people shouting out prices, competing with their neighboring sellers; best described as a very noisy flea market!

In one scene, a young man from Kyrgyzstan tells an Uzbek man that he just recently moved to Uzbekistan. The surprised Uzbek man then replies, 'no no no, let me show you about the economy here." He then explained how Uzbekistan has a heavy reliance on the economy and that the government has a strict control over the economy. More interesting facts is that they are the 7th largest producer of gold in the world and they have big investors such as the British American Tobacco and Nestle.

However, apart from the outside societal life, the actors also provided an interesting insight on the culture of both Uzbek and Kyrgyz families and friends. Based on the scenes that took place, one could understand that old-fashioned traditions still play an important role in their countries, probably a result of their long ancient history. For example, a woman usually does not know who she will marry because it is arranged by the family for beneficial reasons.

To further describe the Central Asian culture, the play then provided information about an Uzbek religious holiday Navruz, which takes place every year on the 21st of March. As Alena said enthusiastically, 'we eat, dance, and be happy." It was also said that in old times this holiday was celebrated for one whole month. This scene was played with their neighbor family to emphasize the importance of celebrating and welcoming neighbors in their culture.

To equally divide the information on both countries, another movie was shown, this time about Kyrgyzstan and its beautiful natural settings. The presenters also shared facts about their capital city Bishkek which reaches about 40 degrees Celsius during summer time. The city also has a long history, especially under Soviet rule. Uzbekistan's capital is Tashkent which is considered very cosmopolitan and comes right before their second largest city Samarkand, known as 'mirror of the world," or 'center of the universe." Samarkand was where the trade routes met to form crossroads of the Silk Road.

The presentation ended with another traditional dance by three girls with relaxing background music that played during most of the show. Afterwards, like with every other CID, samples of their national food were served to the many hungry awaiting spectators.

Overall, after the presentation, one could assume that Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are somewhat similar, but they do have their unique cultural differences. Since both countries are not often spoken of, this CID was very intriguing and interesting for IUB students and also professors who came to see the event.

In two weeks there will be another CID and Lithuania is next on the list!
 
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