Life goes on but the walls tell a different story

PhotoEssay published on NewEurasia 22/10/10

As reconstruction picks up pace, winter approaches and June’s conflict is described publicly as ‘war’ or more commonly ‘unrest’, collective remembrance of the events takes on a different tone.

A glaring reminder of the violence is painted on walls in and around Osh, despite recent attempts to paint over the markings. An examination of this and writing and drawings painted in the months following the events in which as many as 4000 people may have died reveal the contested narratives of conflict.

A climate of fear permeates many Uzbek narratives of the violence in June and oppression faced since, with few public spaces in which to voice concerns and frustrations. Some perceive the markings of ‘Kyrgyz’ and ‘Sart’, dominating some areas of Osh such as the streets of Kurmanjan Datka and Lenin, to be direct threats against their ability to live in Kyrgyzstan and a reminder of the ethnic nature of the conflict. Others have used writings and drawings as a way of expressing their grievances.

The rise of nationalism in the aftermath of the conflict can also be seen on the walls of the city. As Kyrgyz narratives increasingly blamed Uzbek communities for the outbreak of violence in the weeks and months following the conflict, the ethnic dimension solidified, resulting in several political campaigns during the Parliamentary Elections that focused heavily on ethnicity.

Contested narratives of the conflict, its causes, and the history of ethnicities in Southern Kyrgyzstan have deepened divides between the two groups since violence broke out for the second time in twenty years. The walls tell this story.

For photos see the published article.

Uzbek voices on the eve of the election

‘How we have suffered. We don’t want others to suffer as we have suffered’ says a tearful Uzbek lady in a gold and black velveteen dress at a recent political rally in Osh. ‘The police took my son and have kept him in jail without charging him. He was arrested on the 26^th June and has been beaten and tortured. Now they are asking for money but I am an elderly lady- where can I get money from?’

The desperation in her voice can be heard in many stories since the targeted arrests and oppression of Kyrgyzstan’s Uzbek minority following June’s ethnic violence.

In an election campaign entrenched in ethnic rhetoric and with nationalist parties such as ‘Ata Jurt’ (Fatherland) enjoying considerable support in the South, many are asking if any of the 29 political parties running for Presidency will uphold the rights of Kyrgyzstan’s 850,000 Uzbeks

Ar Namys, led by Felix Kulov, claims to be such a party. Kulov has attracted much support amongst Uzbeks in the South. Nodir Khudaybergenov, a former university lecturer who resigned in the aftermath of the June events due to pressure from his colleagues, says ‘My hope is in Kulov- he is the only leader with honest words. I’m not a member of any party, but I believe in Feliz Kulov.’

‘After everything that has happened to us do Uzbeks still have a future in Kyrgyzstan? We are sitting at home too afraid to go out. Will there be laws for us, will we again feel free to walk on the streets, will we be protected by the government?’ asked a frail man at an Ar Namys rally in an Uzbek school in Osh.

Kulov’s answer was to the point, ‘We will uphold the human rights already present in Kyrgyzstan’s new constitution. If we are represented in Parliament then in three days you will feel safer’

‘Our party can provide stabilization and peace because all ethnicities are represented in our party,’ said Kulov in a recent interview, ‘If we were the governing party then all nationalities would feel safe in Kyrgyzstan. We don’t prioritise any ethnicities and this is a key principle of our party. All ethnicities are equal in the constitution and we promise to uphold this.’

Some are actively engaging in Kyrgyzstan’s upcoming democratic election, pinning the remains of any hope they have left on Ar Namys, ‘We are just asking for security and for protection. If you can provide us with this then we will learn Kygryz, we will teach it to our children, its not difficult for us,’ a lady told Kulov and the 500 others present at the rally, ‘we believe that you can provide security, and if you promise that you will do this then we will vote for you.’

For others even these promises from Kulov are not enough to engender hope. For Anvar, a 31 year old economist-turned-builder leaning on a shovel in the ruins of his house in the Foorkat area of Osh, the answer is simple, ‘No one supports us. I am even scared to talk to you now because it’s so dangerous. Every day Uzbeks are taken from the streets and imprisoned, and no one protects us. I won’t vote in the elections because whoever wins will not grant us equal rights with Kyrgyz.’