Bishkek Kyrgyzstan

A young man very happy to be in Bishkek

Today’s Kyrgyz are either urban, agrarian or nomadic.

Urban Kyrgyz are modern and educated. Several generations of Soviet occupation was not peaches, but it did push the literacy rate up to 99%. Religion was banned in those days and post independence many have discovered their old Islamic and animist roots. Fundamentalism does not seem to have taken hold. Kyrgyz enjoy diskoteka dancing and the occasional shot of vodka.

Agrarian Kyrgyz make up the majority of Kyrgyzstan’s population, most of whom live outside of Bishkek in small villages, and are housed in log cabins that do not have running water or electricity. Families live off their livestock and earn cash in whatever local industry there is, if any. Poverty is endemic and health care scattered. Thousands of NGOs are dedicated to alleviating the hardship of agrarian Kyrgyz and have made great progress since the early 90s.

Nomadic Kyrgyz have not changed their ways for over a thousand years. They live in animal skin huts called “Yurts” and roam the countryside with herds of sheep, goats and horses. Most do not read or write and have no particular need for it. Tribes are self-sufficient and live almost entirely off the land. Nothing is wasted.

Russians

The Russians of Bishkek are a not so distant remnant of Soviet occupation. In the good ol’ days, Russians were the majority ethnic group in Bishkek, totaling over 70% of the population. That is a staggering number, given the region’s almost total absence of Europeans before 1900. After Kyrgyzstan declared independence in 1991, a Russian mass exodus ensued. Many chose to leave, and others were forced out by circumstance. Kyrgyz natives began asserting their authority, throwing Russians out of state-owned factories and bureaucratic government jobs. With no work, and no social safety net, those with the means to do so, promptly left. Only the most cunning survived being purged. Most who are left own their own business or work in a highly technical trade. Today Russians number less than 10% of Bishkek’s population and their numbers continue to dwindle.

Kyrgyzstan is officially tolerant of Russians living in Bishkek. What happens on the street is an entirely other matter. Nationalists often beat up ethnic Russians and police dismiss the crimes as mere “hooliganism”.