Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan Delegation
March 7–20, 2011
Filmmaker: Alice Elliott
Delegate Expert: David O’Shields
Cities: Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara
Delegate Report
By Alice Elliott
Executive Summary
Our delegation to Uzbekistan included myself, Alice Elliott; David O’Shields, the delegate expert; and Diana Braun, one of the people featured in my documentary Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy. Diana is a self-advocate and activist in the disability rights movement. She has Down syndrome and she lives independently in her own home, drives a car, and for more then 40 years was the companion, personal assistant and best friend of Kathy Conour, who struggled with cerebral palsy. Kathy died in 2009, but Diana continues their disability rights work.
I am grateful to the American Documentary Showcase for allowing Diana to participate in this program, and for assigning David as the expert for this delegation. Besides being a professional filmmaker of the highest quality, he is an extraordinary human being who showed infinite patience with Diana. Together we made a great team.
A few days before we were to leave, the US Embassy in Tashkent sent me an e-mail to suggest that we consider postponing our trip because the Uzbek government had not approved our programs. We decided to proceed as planned, even though that could result in a more limited program than we had originally conceived. Though we were not able to participate in any off-site programs, the people at the embassy had scheduled an ambitious series of very well attended events, which all took place at the embassy.
Uzbekistan is located in Central Asia, an area with a rich history of celebrated figures, including Alexander the Great, Tamberlane and Genghis Khan. In 1875 the Russians came to the area and conquered the local Emirs. Then in 1917, when the Soviets came to power, Uzbekistan was created by the Communists. There are Soviet-style buildings and public works projects all around Tashkent, such as the city’s subway. The Uzbeks speak Russian, which many deem the language of the oppressor, but they also speak Uzbek—which makes a political statement. Tajik is also spoken, especially in Bukhara, outside of Tashkent. Uzbekistan has more than 28 million people and its capital, Tashkent, has a population of 2.2 million.
Outcomes
Although the Showcase activities were [primarily restricted to the Embassy itself, the screenings themselves generated spirited discussions among filmmakers, journalists and especially audience members with disabilities, as well as activists in this area. The Embassy plans to create copies of Body & Soul with Russian and Uzbek subtitles, so that the film can reach a broader constituency.
Detailed Report
March 9–10: Tashkent, Samarkand
Meeting with Diana Braun, Alice Elliott, Kim Zapfel from US Embassy, at Uzbek NAESMI (the National Association of Electronic Mass Media)
When we arrived in Tashkent, Carrie Lee, the US Embassy’s Cultural Affairs Officer, met us at the airport and helped us check into our hotel. The following day, Carrie picked us up at the hotel to take us to the US Embassy, where we were briefed by Molly Stephenson, the Head of Cultural Affairs. She explained that our program had not yet been approved by the Uzbek government and that no public programs could take place off-site without prior approval. The embassy was still hoping for approval on some of the events they had scheduled. No one was sure why the approval had been held up, but the delay underscored the control exerted by the Uzbek government. The Cultural Affairs department had outlined an extensive and exciting program, but since it had not been approved, we would be doing all public events on site at the Embassy. However this would discourage people from attending. Taking names and license plates and pulling aside individuals for questioning are apparently not uncommon among Uzbek government officials.
Bektemir Region Society of Persons with Disabilities: Larissa presents Diana with a heart, made by the people at the center
We next met Duane Butcher, Charge d’Affaires of the embassy, who welcomed us in a candid and frank manner. He encourages initiative and creativity on behalf of his staff and runs a friendly, relaxed embassy where many events and activities take place.
We exchanged money, received our per diem, and got ready for our next stop, Samarkand. Our escort and translator was Sardor Djurabaev, and our driver was Alishir. The two-lane roads were in poor condition, and Alishir was constantly weaving in and out of lanes. The favorite style of driving seems to be to be straddling the middle of the lanes until someone honks when they want to pass. Along the way, we saw many donkey carts as well as cars and herds of sheep.
It was early spring, so there were no leaves on the trees. As we drove we could see snow-capped mountains to both the north and south. The south leads to Afghanistan. The dress for the women seemed somewhat more traditional as we left Tashkent: Long, bright red and gold as well as black velvet dresses and colorful head scarves. Men also wore small square hats with white embroidery. The national holiday of Navous, which celebrates the March 22 vernal equinox, was approaching and we could observe the preparations.
March 11–13: Samarkand, Bukhara, Tashkent
We spent the weekend touring the Silk Road cities of Samarkand and Bukhara before returning to Tashkent. We visited a number of mosques, madrassahs, and mausoleums, some of which date back to the 12th century.
March 14: Screening at Bektemir Region Society of Persons with Disabilities
Gathering for a traditional Uzbek tea before our screening at the Bektemir Region Society of Persons with Disabilities
We were back in Tashkent and prior to our afternoon event, Diana and I traveled by subway to the Museum of Applied Arts. After a lunch of sushi, we returned to the hotel to be briefed by our ever-reliable translator, Sardor.
A number of embassy representatives attended the screening of Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy, including Molly, Carrie, Sardor, Nadira, grants administrator, and Muhayo Aliyeva, Cultural Affairs Assistant. We arrived at the Bektemir Region Society of Persons with Disabilities and were greeted by project manager Larisa Khodjaeva, an alumna of a U.S. exchange program.
After being offered traditional tea, we proceeded to the screening, which was held in a multi-purpose room with about five people in wheelchairs, their parents, and 15 to 20 guests.
Our audience for the screening at the Bektemir Region Society of Persons with Disabilities
After the screening, we had a wide-ranging discussion with questions posed such as, “Why wouldn’t parents take care of their child?” Diana was asked about her source of income. In Tashkent, accessibility continues to be a major issue. One man described having to pull himself up stairs in order to visit a friend. Elevators are often nonexistent. Then one of the clients played the accordion, and sang with a strong, melodic voice. His mother was also very active in the discussion. The Society had made a documentary about this man’s life and gave me a copy. After looking at it, I will suggest it to Perspektive, the Moscow Disability Film Festival. Many rounds of photos later, we were asked to stay for an Uzbek-style dinner
One of our audience members at the Bektemir Region Society of Persons with Disabilities
People seemed to thoroughly enjoy the screening. Larisa praised Sardor, our translator and an embassy employee who volunteers at the Society on an ongoing basis and also raises money for the organization by producing a Halloween party with the alumni of the US exchange programs. The relationship between the Society and the embassy developed very organically and there had been previous interactions between the two entities.
The Bektemir Region Society was courageous to host us and present a screening event. The Showcase was not technically approved to do so outside of the embassy. I admired this simple act of courage that was something that we take for granted. After many lovely and moving toasts, we departed. It was a very meaningful and emotional experience.
March 15: Two Embassy Screenings: Middle-school Students and Disability Activists, Persons with Disabilities, Parents and Social Workers
We met with Nikolay B. Chijov, a local film director who had studied in Moscow. He was full of ideas for Uzbek/American cooperation—and he was very persistent about it, so we told him about the International Documentary Association, and we agreed to watch his students’ films on DVD. We invited him to arrive a couple of hours early on Saturday to the AmDoc Showcase so we could meet with his filmmakers.
Meeting with disability activistists, families, and participants after a screening of Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy at the Uzbek Embassy
The first screening was attended by about 30 middle-school students studying English in Angrem. We showed Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy and answered questions about Diana and her life. The students were surprised by Diana’s family. They asked many questions about what she is doing now. They seemed to gain awareness about disabilities, so we considered this a very successful screening.
Outcomes
The second screening was for disability activists, people with disabilities, parents, and social workers. Afterwards, we came up with a plan to use the film in Uzbekistan. The Embassy will make copies with Russian and Uzbek subtitles, each person who attended the screening will get free copies and will be encouraged to show the film to at least four people. One woman in the audience was interested in showing the film to the legislature to get a law changed. I told her she could have as many copies as she needed to give to each legislator. Others who were willing to make use of the film included a social-work teacher, an activist for inclusive schools and representatives from two disability NGOs.
Diana and this woman made a real connection after the Embassy screening
Mirjahon A. Turdiev, a social enterprise specialist who is with the United Nations Development Program in Uzbekistan, also attended the screening. His program is called ACCESS: promoting Accessibility, Civic Consciousness, Employment and Social Support for People with Disabilities. He is the only person I was able to contact before my trip and fortunately, he turned out to be a great resource. He arranged for the majority of persons with disabilities (PWD) to be at the screening. We agreed to write a discussion guide for the screenings that will make it easier to use the film in a culturally appropriate way. Other people talked about using the film to create empathy and understanding in a broader audience.
About 22 people attended the second screening. One woman in a wheelchair cried and Diana later comforted her.
March 16: Discussions with Students at the Embassy
Bektemir Region Society of Persons with Disabilities: David O'Shields, two directors of the center, Larisa's, Diana Braun, Alice Elliott, filmmaker, and Muhayo from the US Embassy.
David led a discussion in the embassy library for an English-speaking club of students who wished to improve their English. We didn’t screen the film, but David encouraged the group to speak about themselves and their aspirations. One young woman spoke about her love of flying and her desire to be a pilot, but here women are not allowed in to do this, so she was going to be stewardess.
While David led that group, Diana and I led a discussion in the large screening room about the film with about 50 high-school students who were learning English. They had questions about why Diana lived with Kathy all of those years. Diana ended the discussion by passing around a scarf and hat she had knit and inviting students to learn to knit.
March 17: Embassy Screening for Independent Journalists
We screened Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy for about 25 independent journalists. I suggested how to refer to people with disabilities in the media: Refer to the person, and not their disability, first; do not use terms like “suffers from” or “confined to a wheelchair.” The journalists debated among themselves about what we should be talking about. One woman, who represented the official newspaper, said we should stick to talking about the film and not how to bring about change. Some freelancers didn’t agree with her, and they eventually dominated the conversation. One reporter stood up and gave an impassioned plea for more coverage and fairness for people with disabilities. He spoke about his neighbor who couldn’t leave his apartment because of accessibility problems.
Outcomes
Another woman spoke about a center for children with Down syndrome in Tashkent that was doing very good work. When she applied to her TV station to make a documentary about the center, the permission was denied. Eventually she was able to get a two-to-three-minute news piece on the air for November 3, National Disability Day, but she and others expressed their frustration in trying to build awareness, tolerance, and compassion in the media. I offered the film, again for free, to screen on Uzbek television.
One person later came up to me with a suggestion on how to get Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy on Uzbek television. He said if we could get it on a Russian station then it would be fed here and it would not be censored. I thought this was a good idea and will work with my friend Denise Roza in Moscow to see if she has any contacts.
March 18 : Discussion of Body & Soul and Screening of Trouble The Water at the Embassy
Bektemir Region Society of Persons with Disabilities: Two Larisa's and Diana Braun at the Center after our screening of Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy.
Following a morning trip to the Chorsu bazaar, we reconvened at the embassy, where we met a large group of approximately100 people, who discussed Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy in English. They were friendly with many questions. We had to end the discussion in order to get the AmDoc Showcase screenings rolling.
We screened Trouble The Water, a documentary about Hurricane Katrina by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal. The embassy has a great tradition of starting film screenings with a five-question quiz. If someone gets the right answer, they get a prize, which is usually a book; for the Body & Soul screening, it was copies of the film, and Diana gave out all her signed photos and buttons. The audience was really into the film and later asked some questions about the cinematography.
March 19: Tour of the National Association of Electronic Media and Embassy Screenings
Along with embassy personnel Molly and Muhayo, we toured the facilities of the National Association of Electronic Media office and saw the control room and studios. We learned about the two channels they broadcast from there. We then met with a group of about 20 young journalists and camera people.
The director of the station is particularly interested in having a camera person from National Geographic come and teach them techniques. I told Molly I would contact John Hazzard about the possibility.
We rushed back to the embassy for screenings of The First Kid from Mexico to Learn English and Whiz Kids. David and I had agreed to moderate discussions for all the films in the Showcase. However, we were short on time so we were unable to have a discussion about these two films.
Notes on Liberty and New Muslim Cool, a film about a Puerto Rican gang member who turned his life around when he converts to Islam, were very well received. Some people in the audience were a little taken aback at first by the fact that these films are critical of officials, but I think that’s what gives the films authenticity and credibility. Since Uzbekistan, although 90 percent Muslim, is not a strict Muslim country, it was doubly fascinating to the audience for New Muslim Cool to see the protagonist so observant that he stopped by the side of the road to pray.
Outcomes
While I watched the films with Diana, David met with Nikolai and his group of filmmakers. They had a productive meeting and agreed to start a film discussion and filmmaker support group.
Larisa waving good bye to us, Bektemir Region Society of Persons with Disabilities
We then screened Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy. There were about eight to ten people in wheelchairs in the front row. I think it was a wake-up to the embassy; though the embassy is wheelchair-accessible, the staff hadn’t given thorough consideration to the impact of wheelchair seating. I spoke with Muhayo about advertising the availability of wheelchair seating or asking about that when taking reservations. Such information should be included on flyers, too. This might be something to include in future Showcase recommendations. Simply listing “wheelchair seating available” in flyers or “please indicate if you will want wheelchair space” would let PWD know they are welcome and will be accommodated.
This suggestion does open the door about accessibility. Because there are subtitles for the films, should there also be sign language interpreters for the discussions? What about audio descriptions? These are some thoughts that might make change, not just with a film about PWD.
Follow-up actions by SHG "Istiqbol" on improving the accessibility of public buses, Uzbek Disability Movement, July 26