Category: Kyrgyzstan
Welcome the Shitheads: Bishkek band Vtoroi Ka goes on a European tour
In October and November, avant-garde music duo Vtoroi Ka will be touring Europe, from Istanbul to Reykjavík. This is the first tour of its kind for a popular music band… [...]
Sex, Drugs, and Postpunk – the new album of Bishkek’s Duo Vtoroi Ka
Bishkek musical duo Vtoroi Ka has recently dropped its third album: carnivalesque postpunk in a world where nothing is as serious as it seems. Novastan’s review. “These post-Soviet… [...]
New voices: Central Asian short films at the GoEast Festival 2024
Central Asia’s young filmmakers and their work are extremely diverse. The audience at the 24th goEast film festival in Wiesbaden was able to see this for themselves in various… [...]
Violence against foreign students in Bishkek
On the night of May 17 to May 18, an angry crowd turned against South Asian students and workers in Bishkek. The attack occurred after a video was published… [...]
Leaving the island: Japarov’s campaign to silence independent media
Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Kyrgyz Republic has been considered an island of democracy in a largely autocratic region. However, the latest administration has spent the… [...]
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Saving Snow Leopards: how scientists fight for the survival of a species
Snow leopards – an exclusively Asian species of large mammals of the cat family – live on the territory of 12 countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan,… [...]
How is Kyrgyzstan celebrating Nooruz in 2024?
Everyone in Kyrgyzstan is looking forward to a warm and sunny spring after a long and cold winter. Nooruz marks the astronomical start of the spring, or spring equinox,… [...]
Inside Bishkek’s Metal Boom: Portrait of a Music Pioneer in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek is home to a small but vibrant metal scene. In the still largely traditional Kyrgyz society, local metal artists often struggle to find an audience, produce… [...]
Queer life under pressure in Kyrgyzstan
The situation of queer people in Kyrgyzstan has worsened in recent years. Repressive laws and negative portrayals in the media are putting the community under increasing pressure. At the… [...]
“Peace Clubs” are gaining popularity among Kyrgyz youth
The Kyrgyzstan-based non-governmental organization "Institute for Peace and Development" is shaping a new generation of peacebuilders through "Peace Clubs" in more than 150 Kyrgyz schools, contributing to the development of… [...]
Insecurity, Harrassment, and Lack of Inclusion: Young Women’s Experiences with Safety in Bishkek public spaces
Urban spaces in Bishkek, including pedestrian areas and public transportation, remain uncomfortable for citizens, especially women, leaving them feeling vulnerable and insecure due to a lack of facilities, poor… [...]
In Central Asia, the Freedom of Press is in Decline
Almost every year, countries in Central Asia are placed at the bottom of NGO Reporters Without Borders’, annual ranking for the freedom of press. Every country has dropped in… [...]