Central Asian Political Transitions

The government allows people to come very close to this statue of the great poet Khujandi, as shown by this lady and her children. A poet is a more humanistic symbol than a king. Notice the bullet hole in the cheek. As one of many symbols of the region, can we conclude that this represents a regional self-consciousness that is more open, more approachable, and less fearful?

The government keeps this symbol of the Soviet state freshly painted. Similarly, the statue of Lenin is still standing. However, they have refashioned the right arm, which was previously stretched out pointing to the South, in the direction of the forward expansion of the Soviet state. Now it is folded to his chest. The policies of the regional administration have been very open to attracting foreign investment and the development of capitalism. Can we conclude that this care given to historical symbols represents an more open, honest acceptance of history and regional pride?

The fanciful figure of a bird and the cartoon statues in the park near the ancient fortress of the town could be seen as merely part of the natural desire to do something fun for the children. In June 2001, the Khujand city library had policies that were much more open and trusting than those of other libraries. Although the card catalog had not been computerized, there were computers available for searching CDs with encyclopedia type information. However, many of the CDs covered topics such as literature and images about mythology and fantasy. Can we interpret instances like these merely as evidence of a desire for escapism, or perhaps greater openness to creativity or whimsy?

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