Dushanbe’s Dilemma

Tajikistan has been going through a phase of redevelopment and in the process, there is a loss of its ancient sheen which has created a stir in the region. There is a mix of population which is accepting things with open arms while others are lamenting over the loss of their memories. In the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, there are a lot of architectural changes including the demolition of many historical buildings. This has become a debatable narrative on social media and regional newspapers. 

There are arguments in between Russian speaking ethnic groups and the Tajik majority ethnic groups. The minority Russian speaking population of Soviet Tajikistan argue that these redevelopments are the deliberate attempts to tamper the Soviet historical past while the Tajik community which is in majority in the region almost 80 percent, agree with these changes and see them as the development and advancement in the region.

Among these debatable issues also many residents from the central districts of Dushanbe have been forcefully displaced from their homes in the name of urbanisation and progress. For example a residential building in Bukhoro Street, Dushanbe, which was planned under redevelopment left people struggling throughout years for their homes and facing different forms of hardships in the entire process. The matter was well lifted up in news but eventually the residents lost the case in 2021. The building is also getting destroyed currently. This depicts the lack of planning and proper processing that went into this project. There is a presence of decentralised system coupled with ambiguous and ever-changing rules.

The city’s controversial renovation also hints at the geo-political and cultural power shift that no longer idealizes Russia but goes on with China and Gulf states as they fund many infrastructural ventures in the region.

Before Tajikistan got freedom from Soviet rule in 1991, there was a majority of Russians in Dushanbe and a lot of Russian speaking migrants from different places were sent here as a part of the expansion plan of the Soviet Union. With the eventual fall of the Soviet Union a large number of Russians left the region. As with time the new power came to play, mostly the population from the rural areas of Tajikistan started moving in Dushanbe. This gradual shift of population altered the dynamics of the city. There is always an implicit tension between the residents on the nativity concepts.

Tajikistan also suffered a lot in the civil war of 90s and the rural population moved significantly to Dushanbe while looking forward to the chances of prosperity over there. There are now almost 80 percent ethnic Tajiks there. As the process happened over the years there has now grown a concern among the citizens of Soviet Dushanbe who feel threatened for their existence in this modern Tajik society. 

Redevelopments and urbanisations are not a new phenomenon and many countries keep on doing that from time to time but in Dushanbe this started in 2016 only. There was some hue and cry over the matter but mostly the government was able to contain that. The things again gained highlights in 2020, when the order to demolish the former presidential palace which was once the main office of the Tajik Communist Party was made. Quite a few important buildings of Dushanbe belong to Soviet period and were made in 1930s and 40s. Among others, the significant ones include an opera and ballet theatre and this former presidential palace.

There is a lot of Soviet influence in the region. The modern culture of Dushanbe have some major reflections from its past. Even during the 1930s, when film and theatre culture began in the region it had a great impact from the soviet trends. The architecture here also witnessed a lot of changes from neoclassical to minimalist to now the new styles. Tajikistan, a landlocked nation in Central Asia, once home to various ancient cultures, is now struggling to attain a glossy and modern image in front of the world. For this the nation is preparing to shed its past, a past which used to be its pride once and also the past with which the memories and childhood of its people are associated. Back in times the city was called as Stalinabad or city of Stalin. The city is on the verge of losing the architecture of its soviet past as high rise buildings and plush modern structures come into the picture. 

Tajikistan is the Presidential republic, and since 1994 President Emomali Rahmon has been ruling the country. The political scenario up here is highly corrupt. There are a lot of unsatisfied dissidents from the activities of the government but forefront activism is a challenge here. Despite widespread protest over the demolition since its initiation in 2016 the attempts have been constantly flattened by the government. 

Apart from nativity concerns also there are large numbers of young population that is born and brought up after 1991and is struggling to represent its views in such chaotic conditions. These young people who are born here post Soviet rule are finding tough times to express themselves under the strict governmental pressure. This group of people are young and tech savvy and unlike their elders are free from the biases of any sides. They have taken their views on social media.

Although internet is quite a luxury in here but free data service is also available for few specific sites. Many youngsters are coming at length on social media to discuss and educate people on the same issue. They are choosing various methods for the same, from Instagram to Facebook, all the available websites are put in service. One of such group is, Youth in Dushanbe, that talks about the history and culture of the region. The owner of the group Aziza Kosimova has been vocal on her social media account about the fact that there are not many platforms for people to put up their cause. Her social media account has a large number of followers.  These groups are not carrying any baggage behind and are openly talking on the issue in both negative and positive ways. Many of them are also viewing this as Tajikistan coming on its own.  

But despite of all of this and social media being relatively not censored in the region people are mostly scared to come up and express their views against the government. A lot is happening in Dushanbe, from forced displacement to demolition to hurting the memories of people there is quite a list over there. There are only handfuls that are opening up and most of them are youngsters only. It will be interesting to see how these efforts of people turn up with time.

Readings: 

The Russian-Soviet legacies in reshaping the national territories in Central Asia: A catastrophic case of Tajikistan by Zubaidullo Ubaidulloev, 2015.

Tajikistan: A Political and Social History by Kirill Nourzhanov and Christian Bleuer, 2013.

The new geopolitics of Central Asia and its borderlands by Ali Banuazizi and Myron Weiner, 1994.

Tajikistan in the new Central Asia: geopolitics, great power rivalry and radical Islam by Lena Jonson, 2006.

Central Asia: twenty-five years after the breakup of the USSR by U. Batsaikhana and M. Dabrowski, 2017.

The Diplomat: https://thediplomat.com/2021/05/young people-social-media-and-urban-transformation-of-dushanbe/.

The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/oct/19/demolishing-dushanbe-former-stalinabad-erasing-soviet-past. 

Nazia Jafri

Adjunct Researcher, Asia in Global Affairs