{"id":43093,"date":"2023-05-16T09:52:52","date_gmt":"2023-05-16T07:52:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/?p=43093"},"modified":"2023-08-18T18:56:03","modified_gmt":"2023-08-18T16:56:03","slug":"the-philippe-brothers-a-journey-from-france-to-korea-via-central-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/culture-sports\/the-philippe-brothers-a-journey-from-france-to-korea-via-central-asia\/","title":{"rendered":"The Philippe brothers: a journey from France to Korea via Central Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Three French-Korean brothers have set themselves the challenge of driving from their native Alsace in France to South Korea \u2212 a family adventure they share on their Youtube channel. Novastan went to meet them in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, where they are working on a number of documentaries on nomadic culture and traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was in April 2021 that the Philippe brothers hit the road. &#8220;<em>The three of us did reunite at our parents\u2019 place, in Alsace, and it hadn\u2019t been the case for a long time<\/em>&#8220;, the eldest of the trio, Fran\u00e7ois Phillipe, explains. At that time, Michel had just completed his studies, Fran\u00e7ois was back from his trip to Turkey and St\u00e9phane left his job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The plan is to cross part of the globe aboard their 4&#215;4 Nissan Pathfinder to reach Korea, the land of their ancestors. It was an idea that ran over Fran\u00e7ois\u2019 mind, who then had already hitched his way to Turkey one year prior, joined by his brother St\u00e9phane up until Greece.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"hp-newsletter col-span-3 lg:col-span-1 flex flex-col bg-primary-100 border-t-8 border-secondary-500 rounded-lg justify-center items-center lg:items-stretch px-6 py-6 gap-4 box-border\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"flex\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"enveloppe\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"far fa-envelope text-5xl text-secondary-300\"><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"formulaire_nl\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"font-bold text-xl block\">The whole of Central Asia in your inbox\n<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to our free weekly newsletter\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<form class=\"flex w-3\/4 lg:w-full\" action=\"https:\/\/us4.list-manage.com\/subscribe?u=6a15a2256d412b041fdec39e8&amp;id=d479236523\" method=\"post\" id=\"mc-embedded-subscribe-form\" name=\"mc-embedded-subscribe-form\" class=\"validate\" target=\"_blank\" novalidate=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<input class=\"flex-grow py-2 px-3 border border-primary-300 rounded-l\" type=\"email\" placeholder=\"Email\" name=\"EMAIL\" id=\"mce-EMAIL\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"bg-secondary-500 py-2 px-3 text-white rounded-r-md border border-secondary-500\" type=\"submit\" value=\"\" name=\"subscribe\">Register<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/form>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#\" class=\"underline text-secondary-700\">Click here for the latest issue\n<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><!-- newsletter -->\n\t\t\n\n\n\n<p>In Bishkek, while they are busy editing several videos for their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/lesfreresphilippe\">YouTube channel<\/a>, Novastan went to meet them. It has been four months since they arrived in Central Asia. After several months spent in Turkey, Georgia and Iran, they went through Russia to cross Kazakhstan and undertook a journey through Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. But it is in Kyrgyzstan that the three siblings stayed for the longest time, appealed by nomadic life and Kyrgyz culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"574\" src=\"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/05\/capture-3-1024x574.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-43098\" srcset=\"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/05\/capture-3-1024x574.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/05\/capture-3-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/05\/capture-3-768x431.jpg 768w, https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/05\/capture-3-1536x861.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/05\/capture-3.jpg 1789w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Philippe brothers in their Nissan Pathfinder 4\u00d74 in Kyrgyzstan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A childhood dream for the family<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;<em>We always told ourselves that someday, we would go round the world,<\/em>&#8221; St\u00e9phane Philippe&nbsp;explains. &#8220;<em>And today, it is finally really happening<\/em>!&#8221; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Sons of East and West&#8221;, like they nickname themselves on their YouTube channel, felt the need to reconnect with their identity. As dual citizens, they discuss at length the hurdle of identifying themselves at the crossroads of two cultures, but also the richness this situation brings them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bande-annonce - Les Fils d&#039;Orient et d&#039;Occident\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GfuRguQ6siw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>To them, one of the most exciting aspects of this journey is to undertake it with family. <em>&#8220;In the future, we will have children, a family of our own, and we will not be able to do it between siblings ever again, so it is now or neve<\/em>r,&#8221; Michel Philippe discloses. The vlog format on YouTube also seems to them to be a way to create lasting memories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Nomadic culture and traditions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Indeed, the siblings want to highlight both lifestyles and ancestral traditions. &#8220;<em>We can see how the world is modernising, so we want at any cost to film traditions, nomadic life, because it actually is an emergency<\/em>&#8220;, Fran\u00e7ois explains. While passing through Georgia for several months, they dwelled on transhumance practice on a mostly little known to tourists road, even unknown, which earned them recognition from the locals. In Iran, the three brothers spent several weeks in contact with the nomads, in an attempt to discover specificities of their culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is sometimes challenging in countries which gradually open themselves to mass tourism. But through &#8220;random&#8221; encounters, they nevertheless reach inhabitants who show them the way to their unique history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Central Asia, a must-see<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>What is better than Central Asia to discover nomadic lifestyles? Since the beginning of this journey, this is the region they dreamed about \u2212 a  step they did not want to miss at all cost, as they explain in videos while facing the camera, although it would have been easier to cross Asia Minor in order to reach Eastern Asia. Kazakh and Kyrgyz steppes were worth the travel for the three siblings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/05\/KOKBORU2-01-2048x1535-1-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-43109\" srcset=\"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/05\/KOKBORU2-01-2048x1535-1-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/05\/KOKBORU2-01-2048x1535-1-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/05\/KOKBORU2-01-2048x1535-1-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/05\/KOKBORU2-01-2048x1535-1-1536x1151.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/05\/KOKBORU2-01-2048x1535-1.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kok-boru game in the Kyrgyz steppes, in the Osh region.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;We really craved to discover Central Asia and its nomadic culture, it was very important for us,&#8221;<\/em> explain the brothers almost in unison. On the programme: a documentary on eagle hunting in Kyrgyzstan, on transhumance, and on the mythical <a href=\"https:\/\/ich.unesco.org\/en\/RL\/kok-boru-traditional-horse-game-01294\">game of kok-boru<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"767\" src=\"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/05\/Capture-1024x767.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-43110\" srcset=\"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/05\/Capture-1024x767.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/05\/Capture-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/05\/Capture-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/05\/Capture.jpg 1341w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Meeting an eagle hunter in the Naryn region.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Another milestone \u2212 to meet the Korean Diaspora of Kazakhstan, deported since the Stalin era: a very important identity matter. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ZAlKMsL3TAA\">teaser<\/a> of the reporting was posted on their YouTube channel, which will deal with Korean traditions that continue to live on in Kazakh steppes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Not always a simple journey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The travellers-youtubers also open up about their daily challenges to travel. <em>&#8220;We are far from being professionals<\/em>&#8220;, one of them discloses. With the journey itself to be organised, the idea to produce full-length documentaries may be constraining. <em>&#8220;But we are attempting to progressively become professionals to have a good video rhythm and qualitative content.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"770\" src=\"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/05\/CAPTURE-1-1024x770.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-43111\" srcset=\"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/05\/CAPTURE-1-1024x770.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/05\/CAPTURE-1-300x226.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/05\/CAPTURE-1-768x578.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/05\/CAPTURE-1.jpeg 1328w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">St\u00e9phane Philippe in the cold Kyrgyz mountains near the Chinese border.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In their videos, the YouTubers do not hesitate to share occasional challenges they meet on the road. Their car <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WLY8-S56n5Y\">breaking down<\/a> atop a mountain range in Kyrgyzstan, the failure to meet a snow panther, or the struggle to cross terrestrial borders, which sometimes are closed or packed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;To cross the border between Russia and Kazakhstan took us three days!&#8221;<\/em> Arriving a few days after September 21, 2022, the Philippe siblings were on the border at the same time as thousands of Russians fleeing partial mobilisation. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jh7aUkIsBgg&amp;feature=youtu.be\">video<\/a>, they describe daily life in the line to the border control, but also the anxiety of these thousands of Russians attempting to escape war.<\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>For more news and analysis from Central Asia, follow us on <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/Novastan_Eng\">Twitter<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Novastan.org\/\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/telegram.me\/novastan\">Telegram<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/fondation-novastan\/\">Linkedin<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/novastanorg\/\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three French-Korean brothers have set themselves the challenge of driving from their native Alsace in France to South Korea \u2212 a family adventure they share on their Youtube channel. Novastan went to meet them in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, where they are working on a number of documentaries on nomadic culture and traditions. It was [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":751,"featured_media":43114,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4670,4669],"tags":[4698,4697,4024],"coauthors":[3664],"class_list":["post-43093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture-sports","category-people","tag-documentaries","tag-nomad-culture","tag-travel"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43093","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/751"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43093"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43093\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43432,"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43093\/revisions\/43432"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43093"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=43093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}