On April 21 the Turkmen government officially declared the day as Race Horse Day. The initiative has been taken as either a publicity stunt of the current political body, and also as a way to bring in a new set of tourists to the country.  One citizen voiced his distaste for the maneuver, “As a Turkmen citizen, of course I’m proud of Akhal-Tekes, but I don’t much like all the pomposity around Racehorse Day,” said Aslan, a student from Ashgabat, "Racehorse Day is just an excuse to waste money".

Whatever you want to call this day, or the next day, or the day before last Thursday; these horses are majestic and to this day inspire a sense of the old-orient that we have forgotten. Here are some more videos on Turkmen horse races and some more trick riding. Enjoy.

It is no surprise that Nazarbayev has officially won the presidency in Kazakhstan. What is surprising and even refreshing, is the fact that the OSCE - which was invited to observe the election for the fist time in modern Kazkah history - reported very little negative aspects of the election. It was widely known worldwide by many political observers what the outcome of this election will be. Many political commentators sarcastically predicted the elections in numerous opt-eds and countless news agencies tried to get the 'real' opinion of the Kazakh nation. Radio Free Europe toured the native village of Nazarbayev's family, asked numerous awkward villagers who they will vote for. Not suprisingly all the people looked away from the camera and uttered under their breath, 'Nazarbayev."


I think I was the only one who saw the silver lining in this election. There were many aspects to this process that I found to be positive, as I previously stated in my blog, most mini dictators of Central Asia and the Middle East needed to look at the current uprisings and their significance as a reminder of the power of the masses. Nazarbayev to this date has been the only leader to fully push the wheels of politico to enhance his own position, and justify his standing to the world. He refused to call for a referendum that would extend his rule of power for the next 20 years, as was suggested by his government. He instead called for early elections, many criticized and some even boycotted claiming the early call threw everyone off guard; and left most parties ill prepared to face the Nursultan machine. In the end we saw an election that had drama, singing, celebrity endorsements, and even kidnappings.

The current status of Kazakhstan can only be defined as good, with a high chance of even better in the future. Ex U.S. diplomat to Kazakhstan William Courtney has written a post-election observational piece for the New York Times, stressing that the Nazarbayev he once knew in the post Soviet Union is not there anymore. The days of Nazarbayev criticizing Russia for meddling in Kazakkhstan's finances and the overt corruption being practiced on all levels of government is no more. Today as Courtney claims, Nursultan is the instigator for corruption and nepotism. 

International observers have reported multiple ballots and even ballot box stuffing. The government quickly jumped to defend its honor and one official even stated, "I believe that it is the most ideal election ever in the history of all the elections." Other organizations that report on human rights such as Freedom House have ranked the country as "not free", a category that is shared with North Korea and Myanmar. According to the most recent report by Freedom House, "Nazarbayev and his Nur Otan party maintained almost complete control over the political sphere ... using tactics including arbitrary arrests, restrictive new laws, and politically motivated prosecutions to muzzle critical media outlets and individuals."

In the end, we have seen a country that was once coined as a little darling of the Soviet Union. A country that had and still has numerous mineral deposits, oil, natural gas, and an over-educated young generation. Nursultan has been the only post soviet leader of the CIS union to pay back loans to the IMF in full, and to this day when compared with other Central Asian republics Kazakhstan ranks economically in the top tier. The nation can put on a show, it can like many new republics construct an identity that to some people topples absurdity, and it can even gain an independent voice in the international media. 

The road to western democracy is long for Kazakhstan, the future looks bright, the clan of Nazarbayev is coming to a point of battle. Only time will tell who will rule the vast lands of Kazakhstan in the far future. We watch, we read, and we comment.

To another term Mr. Nazarbayev! Na Zdrowie!

During the days of Soviet censorship there very little anyone could pass off as acceptable art. If your canvas did not portray a hammer and sickle and an overly masculine woman holding a bushel of wheat, you were out - and in most cases with a one one way ticket to a gulag. The Desert of Forbidden Art is a documentary that has been hyped up since its creators started filming. Amanda Pope, Tchavdar Georgiev and Gennadi Balitski were the masterminds behind the film and responsible for bringing this story to the wild west.

The film captures the life of Igor Savitsky who was - as Ed Yerke-Robins dramatically put it - a Russian aristocrat-turned-archeologist-turned-artist. Portraying his passion for the avant-garde movements in Russia, and his constant struggle to save discarded and banned works of art, the protagonist of the documentary dedicates his entire life to tangible art and its' present and future preservation. The safe haven that was created by Igor is the still functioning Nukus Museum in the Aral Sea. The region has a long history of ups and downs, and unfortunately it has experienced an ongoing downfall for the past 15 years. Since the sea was enlarged by Soviet engineering initiatives the basin had run dry, along with the once flourishing fishing community.

Today the museum fights the Uzbek government to keep its doors open, and its' art collections breathing. The current political situation in Uzbekistan has turned from bad to.....and lets be nice, worse. The Uzbek political apparatus, lead by the omnipresent Islam Karimov and his band of mary men have created a 'traditional' Uzbek society divorced of contemporary reality where nepotism is served cold. The museum struggles financially, and has been for the last couple of decades attempting at any measure to preserve the invaluable pieces that it harbors in its vast collections. One desperate method used, is to put out a tub of hot water in the museum to add moisture to the hot desert air, so as to humidify the paintings to prevent them from drying out.

The film has big names coming in and out, but more importantly it brings unknown names to our western ears. Names of artist that have been persecuted during Stalin's great years, and only today can be heard through their dramatic, and yet genuine creations. The naration is done by Ben Kinglsey, and hollywood actresses like Sally Field come in to reenact scenes of the dead. The documentary can be described as a work of anthropological narrative, necessary and invaluable to the people of Uzbekistan; and more importantly to the conscience of us - the distant viewers.

PBS produced an abridged version of the film, enjoy:



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