Kyrgyzstan

A landlocked and mountainous central Asian country, Kyrgyzstan is a former Soviet republic. Kyrgyzstan has patronage networks as well as workplace, neighborhood, kinship, and friendship networks. They are informal. The country also has ethnic strife as unstable networks clash; in 2010, ethnic violence exploded as traditionally nomadic Kyrgyz mobs attacked traditionally farming ethnic Uzbeks. The riots occurred in the wake of the deposing of former president Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

With the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989, Kyrgyzstan experienced the rise of social stratification, notably in rural areas. Without the state security blanket and support from the collective, individuals struggled economically as Kyrgyzstan privatized. The turmoil included crises of morality and ideology, particularly the role of profit and the dislocation of identities uprooted from their Soviet grounding. State-arranged networks fell, and people had to develop personal connections, innovate, and try things not normal in Soviet or traditional societies. Many resorted to linking to the “native son,” the public patron who provided the links to larger networks and the market economy.

The Soviet era had its patrons, the party apparatchik's who gave patronage and favors; but the new arrangements were more fluid and less well defined. Each shared a function of substituting for traditional lineage or regional networks, and each served as a party identifier. The patron received respect while providing authority and solidarity to individuals otherwise cast adrift.

The post-Soviet prosperity for free market successes in a newly stratified society promoted lavish display. Before, equality discouraged ostentation. In 2009, a prosperous Kyrgyz spent about $1 billion on weddings, funerals, and commemorations—about a third of the gross domestic product and half the foreign debt, all in a country with 40 percent of its population living below [Page 475]the poverty level and 10 percent inadequately fed. These expenditures were the result of intense social pressure to provide spectacular celebrations or risk ostracism by neighbors and members of the extended family.

The new stratification impacted wedding prospects, with those unable to compete running the risk of not marrying off their children. Because relatives chip in for extended-family celebrations, the burden can be great; but to not contribute is to lose the return favor when one's celebration comes due or if a true need arises. Loss of the traditional family or clan network is a serious issue with the loss of the Soviet safety net. Social networks provide financial and emotional support but can create financial burdens that lower the standard of living.

The ostentation had critics, including some participants (who didn't dare break with the practice) and the Muslim clergy, who suggest moderation and remind the celebrants that these extravagances are a sin according to sharia law. The government decreed in 2006 that civil servants were not allowed to finance lavish ceremonies.

Muslim influence remains strong. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many traditionally Muslim Kyrgyz converted to Protestant Christianity. Anti-Christian violence by extremist Muslims ensued in 2006 as police stood passively by, and in 2008, restrictive legislation targeted Christian groups.

The Kyrgyz Republic and central Asia traditionally used music not only as entertainment but also as a means of enhancing moral and social values. Then, Western pop music invaded the country after the fall of the Soviet Union and the accompanying loss of resources. The Aga Khan in 2000 established the Aga Khan Music Initiative in Central Asia (AKMICA) in 2000. AKMIKA provided support for “tradition bearers,” especially notable musicians, in four of the seven regions of Kyrgyzstan, and planned expansion to the other three. The tradition bearers provide promising students with homes where they can live, practice, and work together, and learn to play and craft traditional instruments and learn music history. Concerts and [Page 476]presentations help to preserve the traditional music that tied Kyrgyzstan culturally.

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