People of Two Lands
The Kyrgyz of northern Tajikistan
Janyl Jusupjan’s series of short films about the lives of ethnic Kyrgyz in Jerge-Tal district in northern Tajikistan.
People of Two Lands
The Kyrgyz of Northern Tajikistan
Janyl Jusupjan’s series of short films about the lives of ethnic Kyrgyz in Jerge-Tal district in northern Tajikistan.
The Story
None of the titular nationalities of Central Asia can trace their history back as far as the Kyrgyz and the Tajiks. These two peoples measure their presence in Inner Asia in terms of millennia.
Inevitably they had to meet, and the Jerge-Tal district in what is now northern Tajikistan near the border with Kyrgyzstan is one such place.
Tens of thousands of Kyrgyz live there, as their ancestors no doubt did for hundreds of years. And for part of that time they lived alongside the Tajiks, both peoples being subgroups of larger multiethnic empires or khanates.
For the first time in all that history together the two peoples now have what increasingly more of them regard as “their own country.” The same process is being seen along all the borders in the region now and it’s causing a gradual resettlement process, something that has never been seen in Central Asia.
The tale of Jerge-Tal is just one chapter of this ancient tale, it is at the same time a microcosm of the contemporary problems in Central Asia, in terms of ethnic relations and socio-economic challenges.
In her documentary series “People of Two Lands: The Kyrgyz Of Jerge-Tal,” Janyl introduces us to some of the Kyrgyz who still live in Jerge-Tal and some of those who finally decided to leave.
I write a blog is called “Qishloq Ovozi” because I worked and lived in the Qishloqlar, or villages of Central Asia, whether they were called aul, ayil, or oba. Jerge-Tal is larger and has more “creature comforts” (electricity for one thing) than the places where I spent most of my time.
For those, like me, who found themselves conducting research in rural Central Asia, Janyl’s films will bring back many memories. And for those who have never been to the villages of Central Asia, these films are a window into the region’s daily life.
And for everyone, Janyl’s films are an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of what happens when a line drawn on a map becomes a reality on the ground.
— Bruce Pannier, RFE/RL
Latofat
Latofat is the only female singer in her village Jerge-Tal, the center of the Kyrgyz district. Her first husband left for work in Russia and they agreed to divorce. She is now the second wife of a man from another village whith whome she has two daughters.
Nooruz
Nooruz is a taxi driver, commuting between Jerge-Tal village and the capital Dushanbe, as well as Kyrgyzstan, where his parents and his two kids from the previous marriage moved recently. He would like to move to Kyrgyzstan too, but his wife is reluctant to leave Tajikistan.
Gulnaz
Gulnaz is a mother of three young boys whose husband left to find work in Russia. She is a trained nurse but she is currently unemployed and hints that she thinks this is at least partially because ethnic Tajiks are now in charge of the district and are the first to get work. She wants to move to Kyrgyzstan.
Saifaridin
Saifaridin left Tajikistan to save his life. He recalls the days of the 1992-1997 Tajik civil war, when Jerge-Tal was controlled by opposition groups fighting the government. He, an ethnic Kyrgyz, was beaten for essentially trying to stay out of a fight that did not concern him or the Kyrgyz people in Tajikistan.
Khamid Boronov
Khamid Boronov, an elderly man who still teaches at the local elementary school and emphasizes the importance of knowing the “history of Tajik people.” He devotes his free time to curating a museum filled with artifacts, some dating back several centuries, so that the Kyrgyz and Tajik people of Jerge-Tal can see and understand their common history.
Comments
"Khamid Boronov asks, "what have I done for my people?" I think he has already done a great deal in preserving their stories and something of the local culture. Well done."
Mamuka
Production
