Asian Culture, Lifestyle and Entertainment
Umida Akhmedova, a prominent photographer and film-maker in Uzbekistan has been found guilty of slandering the nation through her work which portrays people in Uzbekistan as backward and poor [more on BBC].
Akhmedova could face up to three years in prison, but the judge said she would automatically be pardoned under an amnesty. Below are some of her photography works in question…
[Read more…] about Uzbek photographer guilty for ‘negative’ images
I Don’t Believe (Не верю), a Kazakh music video by singer Madu. Couldn’t find any English resource about the star; bumped into the MV by chance and thought that it’s something different that’s worth sharing…
Preview of a Chinese documentary The Herdsmen, made in 2000, about the nomadic Kazakhs in China. Most Kazakhs are residing in Kazakhstan; but there are still a large portion which spread across Central Asia and other places.
There are about 1.5 million Kazakhs in China. They are one of the 56 minority ethnics officially recognized by the Chinese government. Only a few of them are still living the nomadic lifestyle though, as shown in the below video…
It’s an ironic thing; on one hand we might envy the freedom of the herdsmen, on another we might feel sorry for the lack of basic development for these folks.
I mean, I would love to stay with these people and enjoy their culture and nature for perhaps a few days, but it’s a different story if it’s for weeks or months.
Trailer for acclaimed Kazakh film Tulpan, a gorgeous mix of tender comedy, ethnographic drama and wildlife extravaganza set on the steppes of Kazakhstan…
Directed by Sergey Dvortsevoy, the 2008 movie has won multiple international accolades including the Prix Un Certain Regard at Festival de Cannes, and Grand Prix at Tokyo Film Festival etc.
The movie tells the story of Asa, a former Russian navy who returns to his sister’s nomadic brood in the desolate steep to begin his life as a shepherd.
But before he can tend a flock of his own, Asa must prove his worth as a husband and herder to the landlord, which means he’ll have to win the hand of Tulpan, the only eligible bachelorette for miles.
With references from Zeitgeist Films.
Sahan Dosova, a woman from the Republic of Kazakhstan is claimed to be 130-years-old, which if true would make her the world’s oldest living person…
She doesn’t have enough documents (beside her passport) to support the claim though; thus the official Guinness World Records for the oldest person/woman alive is still Gertrude Baines from the US at 114 of age.