Response to the Article "Kyrgyzstan: Stalin's harvest" (The Economist, June 17, 2010)

I enjoyed reading the comments on "Kyrgyzstan: Stalin's Harvest" posted by The Economist members. You still have time to contribute to a discussion. Please, take advantage of this opportunity if you have something to say.

In this blog-post, I would like to publish several comments from the mentioned on-line discussion on The Economist website. I think, the comments below shed light on the several aspects of the problem, which The Economist article did not embrace.

The Economist
"Kyrgyzstan: Stalin's harvest
The latest outbreak of violence in the ethnic boiling-pot of Central Asia will take generations to heal"

Comment 3.
Ikarian wrote:
Jun 17th 2010 7:58 GMT

It (Kyrgyzstan) is as much Stalin's as Pakistan was Britain's until the US Big Brother stepped in and armed the first with nukes to keep India in check, and now delves in Indian affairs since she came loose from the Russian or Stalin's influence as you put in, at top Caste level only of course.

Very little is whispered about our reveared nuclear overseer, the US and its continuing and expanding role in the Manat (should be spelled Manas) 'transit' base and the level of undercover involvement in all this destabilization.

US experience not to say severe interference uninteruptedly since 1945, further west, in Turkey, Cyprus, and Greece comes readily to mind, not to mention Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia to the south, without leaving out the ubiquitous proxy and much valued Israel, may something to learn from.

A case of Huntington's decease of the War of Civilizations'?

Comment 6.
pasam wrote:
Jun 18th 2010 9:30 GMT

It is quite in order to blame Stalin or the Communist Party of the Soviet Union for not subdividing Kyrgyzstan on the basis of ethnic populations if that was possible BUT what is important is that IT IS NOT LATE EVEN NOW without simply blaming Stalin. We need to appreciate that unlike other imperial powers like Britain, The Soviet Union was divided into Republics on the basis of Nations and Nationalities to a very high degree so much so that WHEN THE SOVIET UNION COLLAPSED, all the Republics started running their administration very smoothly from day one. I am not quite familiar with the population distribution inside Kyrgystan to suggest new Nations although I have absolutely no objection. WHAT SURPRISES ME MOST is why Britain is not being blamed for for the very much more serious errors in drawing boundaries in its former colonies LIKE SRI LANKA AND A DICTATOR IN SRI LANKA WORSE THAN ANYONE IN CENTRAL ASIA OR ANYWHERE ELSE is being protected by all the democracies in the world. The truth is National Liberation which has been spptessed by traditional imperialist powers as well as Social imperialism like the Soviet Union and now by those Nations who have been given powers of countries drawn by arbitary borders as in Sri Lanka, India and the like, should be allowed to flower INSTEAD OF BEING SUPPRESSED AS FIGHTING TERRORISM. This is not happening because ALL THE CURRENT MULTIPOLAR POWERS want only stability to exploit resources needed for their own development AND DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE NATIONS BEING SUPPRESSED. The need of the hour is completion of National Liberation and for that all Nations without State need to unite AND THAT SHOULD BE SUPPORTED BY ALL THOSE WHO LOVE CIVILISATION AND HUMANITY

Comment 8.
Mayilone wrote:
Jun 19th 2010 12:17 GMT

The situation in Kyrgystan is something very familiar to any Sri Lankan which land too has experienced a series of pogroms in the past the last of which was in 1983. A temporary halt to that series arose as a result of increasing resistance by the oppressed nationality, the Tamils. The signs are that these pograoms will start all over again with the decimation of the LTTE leadership.

Stability can never be imposed. It should arise naturally with harmony being established among different nationalities. A part of the problem is that world continues to revolve on the basis of borders of nations drawn by colonial and other 'powers' disrespecting individual national identities. For example the Kurds are an ancient nationality. Why are they not having or not being permitted to have a State that they could call their own? Is that being done in the name of 'stability'? Why does Kashmir remain an occupied territory since the dawn of 'independence' to India and Pakistan? Why have the Eelam Tamils in their hundreds of thousands being confined to 'camps' and restriced territories? Why does the Sri Lankan government deny the holocaust it carried out against the Eelam Tamils?

Only a deeper analysis of the issues involved will lead to the correct answer!

My contribution to the discussion was modest. I just wanted to point at the problem with the reference to Stalin. To me, it was a bit of a clumsy approach:

Comment 18.
Svetlana Makeyeva wrote:
Jun 29th 2010 7:03 GMT

I am from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Currently, I am studying in Germany.

"Stalin's harvest"... One should say, this logical link between Stalin's decision to divide the region into different Soviet republics and the current turmoil in Kyrgyzstan might not be apparent to the citizens of Kyrgyzstan. First of all, we were taught at school that it was Lenin's idea. (In Kyrgyzstan, iron Lenin can be still seen in many places, NOT STALIN). Second of all, we approach the issue from a different angle: a) it was a blessing to become a sovereign republic; b) it is a failure of OUR GOVERNMENT to make the best of our independence! So, it might appear awkward to talk about Stalin's ghost right now. But The Economist makes a good point: we are living our post-Soviet nightmare.

My Response to the 2010 Uprising in Kyrgyzstan: Drawing Our Trauma

(click on the picture to enlarge)
One declined, another accepted.

DECLINED. May 28th, 2010, I received the letter, which notified me:

dear sveta,

i just needed to let you know that we could not put up your pictures in the exhibit. i am really really sorry - it was a matter of framing them (our frames did not fit the measures and we certainly did not want to cut anything apart to make it fit). also, the other stuff we put up was from faculties or departments (not from indidivuals who work in faculties), so the concept was a little different than we originally expected. now there is a poster from the american studies department in the u, and the
ruhrgebiet poem by allen ginsberg.

(...)

again, i am really really sorry. and i hope you will come and see the exhibition sometime.

have a good weekend

ACCEPTED. June 14th, 2010, I received the letter, which notified me:

Hallo allerseits,

Anbei der Masterplan für die Konferenz, sowie eine pdf des Konferenztickets, falls ihr kein Studententicket habt.

In diesem Sinne, teu teu teu, und bis Mittwoch!

(...)

P.S.: Stefan, haben wir für Svetlana Makeyeva und Anne Kellermann ein Namenschildchen (Helfer)?
P.P.S.: Falls noch jemand morgen um 10 Zeit hat: wir packen die Konferenztaschen in
der Transferstelle...

Yes, I was invited to the Culture Entrepreneurship Forum to help with the stuff like distributing drinks and taking care of other small things. But then Angela Märtin, project coordinator of kultur.unternehmen.dortmund, asked me whether I wanted to take part in the Dortmund Creative Entrepreneurs Fair and exhibit my drawings in one of the five fascinating conference locations: DEPOT at Immermannstraße 29. DEPOT has always been one of my most favourite locations in Dortmund. Just take a look at this fascinating space, where contemporary local artists exhibit their intellectual and artistic works.

I exhibited eight graphic works from my family archive: these pictures were drawn for my pleasure, and two of the pictures were dedicated to my beloved. Hence, they were not for sale, but preserved for our home and occasional exhibitions like the one that took place in Katholische Hochschulgemeinde in the Ostenbergstr. 10 (Scroll down to see the poster of Russischer Abend am 27. April 2010 ab 19 Uhr in der KHG)

One of my favourite pictures - "Bad News from Kyrgyzstan" - might appear as the most disturbing and darkest in this collection. It is my personal response to what has become known as the 2010 Kyrgyzstani uprising (April 3 - 15, 2010).

During the uprising, I was in Dortmund. The call from parents. The bad news from Kyrgyzstan. I never felt that insecure. In the drawing, you can see me in a Kyrgyz dress, which is stylized... almost unrecognizable as Kyrgyz, but still appearing as oriental. With this, I wanted to signify that my stay in Europe changed me, but not completely. I hold a cell phone (in Germany, they call it 'handy'). The cell phone turns into a tool of torture. The solar disk -the Kyrgyz 'tunduk', an upper part of a Kyrgyz home called 'yurta'- functions as a kind of a razor throwing star. It destroys my ear. My vision gets blurred. On my shoulder, there is a naked human, swirled into a tumour. I got my worst dermatitis rash I ever had in my life the next day. I scrabbed the white matter coming out of the multiple abscesses with a spoon... It was that bad. This picture is pain. It is a drawing of trauma I try to overcome. In light of the recent pogroms and killings in Osh and Jalal Abad (please, watch the video below), I have very little hope things will get better for me and my family in Kyrgyzstan.



I am very grateful to those who support me and my country. Some people do it unintentionally, like Angela Märtin, who invited me to exhibit my graphic drawings. I had a chance to exhibit this particular one last week. People were coming to me and talking about it, and what they heard from the local news stations about the recent tragic events in Kyrgyzstan. Talking about trauma is the best way to cope with it.

------
P.S.: June 23rd, 2010. I received a letter, which notified me:

Sehr geehrte Frau Makeyeva,
Vielen Dank für Ihre Spende.
Ihre Hilfe kommt an!

Reprinted from UNHCR Emergency website: URGENT HELP NEEDED TO SAVE LIVES IN KYRGYZSTAN & UZBEKISTAN

People forced to leave their homes by the latest violence in Kyrgyzstan are in dire need of assistance. Please donate now and help UNHCR provide them with protection, shelter and aid.
You can make a difference.

My name is Svetlana Makeyeva. I am the author of this blog. I know that even 5 Euros can make a difference to my fellow Kyrgyzstani and Uzbekistani people. Please, visit the UN Refugee Agency website You can donate with the EC Karte, if you are located in Germany. The website is very easy to handle.