Lost a little momentum on the blog but we’re going to push on.
After my trip to the hospital I met a local who handles some of the programs at American Corners – a cultural center located in Dushanbe dedicated to bringing American culture to Dushanbe.
We chatted a little bit about Dushanbe, American Corners, and what its like to live in Dushanbe. I was taken with how frustrating it can be to live in a “re developing nation” – a term I heard used a few times in Tajikistan. Tajikistan was industrialized by the Soviets during their 60 year rule. When the Soviets left a lot the industry left with them and an economic vacuum opened in their wake. The country’s 5 year civil war only compounded the issue and as a result a lot of intelligent and educated people remained in a country with little industry to sustain them.
My friend “Bob” studied Russian literature in Khujund and eventually made his way to Moscow but was eventually forced out of the country by a capricious and arbitrary visa issue. Bob was really friendly and clearly highly educated. If he lived in a developed nation he would undoubtedly be doing very well for himself. In Tajikistan he does the best he can in a difficult situation.
I have a small technical issues in the video. I’m still adjusting to my 5D/H4 setup and inadvertently misplaced some synced files. As a result I’m forced to use the camera mic for a portion of the interview.
BobNazibaev Int from dcdocumentary on Vimeo.
