RFE/RL CENTRAL ASIA REPORT
04.02.2013
A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about the five countries of Central Asia.For more stories on Central Asia, please visit and bookmark our Central Asia page . |
 Silly Dictator Story #25: Turkmenistan’s 'Protector' Becomes Photobomber-in-Chief As the most obvious emblem of his rule, Tuurkmen see portraits of their president and self-proclaimed "protector," Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, everywhere, in schools, public offices, public spaces, and plastered on buildings. As if that wasn’t enough, Berdymukhammedov is now popping up in people’s wedding photos.More  Explainer: Why Did Central Bank Tighten Uzbeks' Access To Hard Currency? Uzbekistan's Central Bank says citizens will only be able to get hard currency "electronically" from now on. What does that mean? More  Kyrgyz Woman Sets Self On Fire In Protest A woman has set herself on fire in front of the Kyrgyz parliament in Bishkek, demanding justice for her son. More  Kyrgyz Gold-Mine Debate Pits Poor Country Against Its Richest Taxpayer Government officials in Kyrgyzstan are threatening to scrap an agreement with a Canadian-run gold mine they say is bilking the country out of millions in tax revenues. But with the Kumtor mine serving as one of the single-largest contributors to Kyrgyzstan's struggling economy, Bishkek must proceed cautiously -- or risk losing a vital cash cow. More  Labor Abuses In Uzbekistan's Cotton Fields Uzbek authorities have increased the use of forced labor by adults and older children in the cotton sector during the past year in an effort to shift the burden away from younger children in response to public scrutiny and international pressure. More  'A Real Man Must Stand Up' -- Kazakh Poet, Dissident Returns To Solitary Confinement On January 31, prominent Kazakh dissident, author, and poet Aron Atabek will turn 60. Atabek will mark the milestone alone, in solitary confinement in a maximum-security prison in the city of Arkalyk, where he has just been transferred for the next two years. More At least 20 passengers and crew members have been killed in a plane crash near Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty. More  U.S. Photographer Captures 'Central Asian Metaphor' For Life "White road" -- the words offered to travelers throughout much of Central Asia as they embark upon a journey. American Ivan Sigal, 43, was wished "white road" countless times between 1998 and 2005, as he and his camera crisscrossed the steppe. RFE/RL correspondents Richard Solash and Golnaz Esfandiari recently sat down with Sigal to discuss his new book, "White Road." More U.S. Photographer Travels The 'White Road' "White road" -- the words offered to travelers throughout much of Central Asia as they embark upon a journey. American Ivan Sigal , 43, was bid "white road" countless times between 1998 and 2005, as he and his camera crisscrossed the steppe. He knew the region well, having worked for years to help design and establish local media outlets in the former Soviet Union and Afghanistan. Thousands of photos later, the result is an ambitious project of the same name, as black-and-white images from the Central Asian republics, Russia, and Afghanistan are coupled with a travelogue written in stream-of-consciousness style. The viewer finds scenes of joy, scenes of gloom, and the shades in between that make this presentation of the region, as least as far as Sigal is concerned, a metaphor "about living." (12 PHOTOS) More |
