Documenting the Plight of Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan: Good News!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Good News!

After many days of wondering, I (Sue) finally phoned our friends in Osh to learn if the canning project was successfully continuing.

Good news – it is! These days, they are inviting 30 ladies a day in order to maximize the few weeks remaining of harvest season. Now that Ramazan (the month of fasting) is over, the women can work a bit more efficiently.

The women continue to appreciate the chance to hang out in a beautiful place, do something productive and have something to smile about. We love those gold-toothed smiles! In addition to the second-hand clothing, funding has been found so that bolts of fabric can be purchased and each woman is given an appropriate length to sew herself a dress. For a time, reading glasses were also being distributed and as soon as additional resources are located, that project will continue.

Thanks to those of you who have supported this project with your finances. The Uzbeks of Osh and the other affected areas thank you.

No comments:

Post a Comment

We look forward to hearing from you!

Glossary

Choy – green tea, served in ‘tea bowls’ called piyola (see separate entry)

Fergana Valley – Osh, the city we are reporting from, is located at the end of this valley, a fertile region settled by Uzbeks centuries ago. Stalin divided the valley into three uneven areas, thus delegating some of the Uzbeks to Uzbekistan, some to Tajikistan and some to Kyrgyzstan. This blog concerns the Uzbeks living inside the Kyrgyz border.

Hovli - walled courtyard. Usually the various rooms of the house, along with outhouses, baths, and so forth, are wrapped around the inside walls. Generally, extended family live together; particularly parents, their sons, wives and children.

Kelin - daughter-in-law.

Kozon - huge cooking pot used in canning.

Mahalla – a locally-governed neighborhood region. Instead of asking, ‘What street do you live on,’ we might ask, ‘What mahalla do you live in?’

Mehmon – a guest. Uzbeks have a saying, ‘a guest is more honored than a father.’ (and fathers/elders are very honored!)

Mehmondo’stlik – hospitality. Daily, we are humbled by the generous hospitality of people who have lost everything.

Nan – round flats of bread, eaten at every meal, or every time people sit together.

Piyola – small handle-less tea cups.

Ramazan – Islamic month of fasting, this year starting around August 10th. During this month, the first meal of the day is partaken of before the first light of the sun (about 5 am) and the fast will be broken after the sun goes down, when ‘a white thread and a black thread can not be distinguished from one another,’ probably around 8:30 pm. During the course of the day no food, water, or cigarettes can be used. This will be a significant difficulty this year, for those who wait in burned-out hovlis, their trees burned, and with nothing to do but wait and wait for the hours to pass.

Sart - a derogatory term used for Uzbeks. During the four days of violence in June 2010, the walls of houses were labeled with ‘sart’ or ‘Kyrgyz.’ The ones labeled ‘Kyrgyz’ were spared.

Supa - a traditional raised platform on which people, sit, eat, and sleep

Tushak – cotton-filled rectangular mats, used for both sitting on and sleeping on.

Uzbek – an ethic group comprised of people mainly from Uzbekistan, but many are also found in surrounding regions, such as here in Osh, carved up by the Soviet knife of ‘divide and conquer’ to prevent regions from becoming too powerful during the Soviet era.

Pages

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Good News!

No comments:

Post a Comment