TV for Peace

After violence erupted in southern Kyrgyzstan between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks this past June, many people questioned the role of the media in the conflict. Although the media has the potential to open interethnic dialogue and promote social and political responsibility, the events of this summer suggested that the media may have created tensions and unrest.

Reporters often consider ethnicity as one of the important features determining the characters of the newspaper, radio, or television. In fact, insignificant ethnic features may be used by reporters as a symbol for describing certain events. This is especially evident in the analysis of the information released before, during, and after the tragic events in Osh and Jalalabad. A review of the news clips from this summer showed that mass media may actually have strengthened the prevailing negative ethnic stereotypes, encouraged destabilization, incited ethnic violence, provoked separatism, and reinforced hatred.

The impact of the media is particularly critical in the conditions of growth of the national self-consciousness, and the aspirations of different ethnic groups to preserve their language, culture, and tradition. Considering the fractured history of our state, the ethnic self-consciousness of various groups becomes a target and, therefore, the information on the ethno-political and ethno-social processes may have an impact on the consciousness and behavior of the people.

The recent tragic events in the country showed that a bias toward ethnicity, the replication of negative expressions and stereotypes, and unreliable the information on inter-ethnic relations can cause increased tensions and instability and lead to violent conflicts. Today, there is an acute deficiency of the professional content on the TV channels aimed at the unification of Kyrgyzstan. Few programs show the diversity of our society as our treasure or promote the idea of peace and development as a counter action to the violent conflicts.

TV Program for Recovery of Peace

With this in mind, Doormedia came up with an idea for a project called “Country in Which We Live,” which would travel to all regions of Kyrgyzstan and create films celebrating the diversity of ethnicity. With support from the foundation, five films were developed, shot, and edited:  World into Halves, Multiethnic Family, Our Roots, Neighbors from God (above), and National Motives (below).

The characters of the films represented various ethnic nationalities and the goal was to explain the origins of these ethnic groups and show their impact on modern-day Kyrgyzstan.

All members of the camera crew liked the idea of the films. When working in the south, the reporters were the only people allowed into the Uzbek makhalyas (communities).  After they completed shooting, officials asked the reporters about what they found in order to understand better the situation. There were also attempts to arrange contact with representatives of the Uzbek diaspora in the south, through the journalists.

In Order to Reduce the Conflict Capacity

Strategically, the project aimed at developing the viewers’ understanding of the situation and possible consequences if the attitude to the ongoing ethnic tensions Kyrgyzstan are not resolved. It is necessary to create a reason to discuss the situation inside the society and assess the threat, and properly respond to the provocations and attempts to destabilize the situation. These films make the viewers think about being more tolerant toward representatives of other ethnic groups. We hope this in turn will result in a general reduction of the conflict.

During the June conflict, Karima, a citizen of Osh, had her house set on fire which she managed to put out herself. The very next day, she opened her gates to her neighbors whose houses had been damaged or destroyed by fire. Dozens of people cooked and took shelter in her yard, while Karima distributed basic first aid. The film crew visited Karima’s house, and their visit inspired others to follow her lead and open their gates for their neighbors.

Kursan Asanov, the governor of Osh, during reconciliation in Kara-Suu after the June events, told the journalists: “We lack such materials that could implement reconciliation. At the same time, they could tell the truth about events in the south of the country. Your program is one of such broadcasts.”

After launch of the project, the editor’s office received many phone calls, and a national TV channel agreed to distribute the films on air for free. Negotiations are ongoing to place films on the satellite channel Yamal, and to include the series in a TV exchange Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan.

There were also many unexpected stories. In one film, a 12-year-old Maria Naumova masterfully plays the national Kyrgyz musical instruments. Maria had dreamed of participating in one of the shows, and after the film was released, her story became very popular. Maria received an invitation to appear on the well-known Russian show Minutes of Glory.

In the end, we hope that more media will follow the lead of “Country in Which We Live” and show Kyrgyzstan’s diversity as part of what make our country special.