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Abdysh Asanov, who is Kyrgyz, was born in 1925 in the semi-nomadic village of Kemer, in the Talas province of Kyrgyzstan. During the collectivization drive, he and the rest of his village moved to Ken-Aral and began a settled life. “I had not even seen Nuska, my future bride, when I decided to marry her. I had simply conspired with her sister-in-law to kidnap her. Since there were no cars at that time, I decided to kidnap her by horse,” he recalled. Murat Tuloberdiev interviewed him in Ken-Aral on March 22, 2009.

In the early 1930s, the government seized the lands and animals of the rich people by force and gathered everyone together onto kolkhozi [collective farms]. After that, people were allowed to have only a limited number animals and a few plots of land, where they could grow enough vegetables only to meet the needs of their families. Most of the land was owned by the government and shared among the people. I think collectivization was the right thing to do at that time. It helped to transform our old, nomadic way of life into a more modern way of life.

In my childhood, schools were a new thing. Not all the villages had schools. Teachers were very rare and they were not very well educated. They were just tenth-grade graduates. Even though they were not professional teachers, everyone used to show them a lot of respect and obey them. I studied in my village, Kemer, until the third grade. There were no more grades in our school, so, in order to continue my education, I had to get up at five or six in the morning and walk 10 kilometers to a school in a village called Barak.

I was really enthusiastic about learning. Unfortunately I had to work, too, so I wasn’t able to pay much attention to my studies. My favorite subjects were math and history. I liked math class because I learned to count and calculate; I liked history because I learned about myself, about human beings, about our past. At that time, we did not even know what extracurricular activities were. Or, rather, our extracurricular activity was work. I only completed the seventh grade, but later, somehow, I got a certificate saying that I had finished tenth grade.

Being able read, write, and calculate helped me get a job that not everybody could get. However, later on, many young, well-educated professionals started to appear and the ones – like me – without higher education had to quit working. So I was forced to go to college. I studied in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan, because there was no college in Bishkek. After graduating with a specialization in agriculture, I was ready to continue my job.

Now, I am getting older I have few memories of my classmates and my teachers. None of my teachers are alive anymore and all of my classmates have passed away, except two. And even those two remaining classmates are in bad condition. They cannot even get out of their houses because of health problems. So, I can say I am almost the only remaining representative of my generation from our village.

There was a famine in our village during the war. People had to feed themselves, but the priority was feeding the Soviet army. So the villagers tried to send their best food to the front and they ate whatever was left. Everyone was working for kolkhozi, but they were not getting salaries. My father among them. Since no one had any income, only a limited amount of grain was available to them.

We used to grind the grain with a jargylchak [a handmade metal or stone mill] into talkan, and use it to make jarma [1] or atala. [2] There was not even enough wood to cook with, so the young children used to go to meadows and gather kuurai [a kind of wild grass with a relatively thick stem] and bushes. Life was really tough during the war. People suffered a lot because of hunger, cold, and a lack of clothing.

Before the war, we didn’t know much about the Germans so it’s hard to say we even had opinions about them. But during the five years of the war, everybody knew who the Germans were. Even after the war, many people hated them. For me, personally, the Germans seemed like friends, not enemies. Especially after the war, I think, they were really useful to the Kyrgyz people – I mean the ones who were sent to our village forcibly. For instance, the Kyrgyz people did not know how to build houses until they came; we just lived in boz-ui [yurts]. Probably people hated the Germans because of Hitler’s fascist, aggressive policy and the Soviet propaganda.

Some of the nationalities that were living within the Soviet Union were moved from their homelands to Central Asia during and after the war. I had heard back in those days that some of them had betrayed our motherland and cooperated with Nazi Germany. That’s why our internal forced migrants were called “traitors” and the German forced migrants were called “occupiers.” In the beginning, it was really difficult for the forced migrants. They did not have food, clothing or shelters. But most of them moved away after few years. I thought Stalin’s policy of forced migration was good because, otherwise, some of those people could have cooperated with Nazi Germany. Also, the forced migrants were used for labor, of which there was an extreme shortage in our region at that time.

My marriage to my kempir [old wife] was interesting. I had not even seen Nuska, my future bride, when I decided to marry her. I had simply conspired with her sister-in-law to kidnap her. Since there were no cars at that time, I decided to kidnap her by horse. My first attempt to trek 30 kilometers on horseback to kidnap Nuska didn’t work out. Later, I went to her family and we arranged our marriage. On the day of the arrangement, I saw Nuska for the first time. I remember when I brought Nuska home, her mother escorted her all the way to our house. Nuska and I led a happy life, we brought up 15 children: eight sons and seven daughters. Most of them studied at universities in Moscow and Leningrad.

After the war, life did not get better right away. Though it was not like during the war, life was still difficult – there were a shortages of everything. People used to work for the kolkhoz but there was still no question of getting salaries. In most cases people got household items or flour for their work. And most of the work was done by hand; the land was even still plowed by horse. Since I was relatively more educated than most peasants, I worked as an uchetchik [tally keeper]. I used to make sure everyone was doing their work in the fields. Every day, I used to get 50 kilograms of flour from the kolkhoz and distribute 1-2 kilograms to every family, according to the number of family members. There were not enough scales, so I used my hands to measure the flour.

I worked for a kolkhoz as an uchetchik and, later, as a kind of an accountant. Our kolkhoz mainly used to grow wheat, clover, and arpa [barley]. At that time, there was no agricultural equipment. Most work was done by hand. Later, an organization called MTC was created. They had tractors and combines and kolkhozi used rent tractors and combines from them. Later, our kolkhoz got its own equipment and it was constantly being updated. Especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union, new equipment and technologies appeared that we had never seen before. Using the new equipment and planting new types of crops has developed the productivity and quality of harvest to an incredible extent.

When Stalin died, it was a major blow for the people. People used to like Stalin and they were really shocked. Many people were crying as if they were saying farewell to one of their loved ones, because they believed the Soviet Union beat the fascists only because of Stalin’s strong will, high intelligence, and heroic character. I did not really cry. I thought that if he died then it is the way it should be. On one hand people were mourning because they had lost their beloved leader. On the other hand, they were panicking: What will happen in the future? What kind of leader will come to power next? Will he be as strong as Stalin, able to lead the state to a good, bright future? All these kinds of questions were in the minds of our villagers. Along with these questions there was fear among our people that the U.S. or West Germany would occupy the Soviet Union.

A couple of years after Stalin died, Khrushchev came to power. I don’t really remember any changes he made except that he decreased the number of horses in the Soviet Union and, as I remember, people started getting their wages in cash.

My favorite food was always beshbarmak, which is made of handmade pieces of pasta and plenty of meat. Unfortunately, this traditional Kyrgyz food has been changing over time. In the past, people used to make the pasta by hand, but now they just buy pre-made noodles. I really like the old way of making beshbarmak. Modern beshbarmak does not taste like real beshbarmak. Also, I have noticed that people’s table manners are changing. Kyrgyz people used to eat almost every kind of food with their hands. Now, many people – even me – eat with either a spoon or a fork. Besides beshbarmak, I used to enjoy eating dishes made from meat and drinking alcohol from time to time.

As time has passed, my taste has changed a lot. At the moment, my favorite foods are basically milk products. This is probably the result of getting old. Now, I usually eat bread or jupka [3] and drink milk. I also enjoy kaimak [a kind of a sour cream] and have quit drinking alcohol. When I was a child, I used to dream about eating kaimak but, because there was lack of domestic animals, my family could not afford it. I hated eating potatoes, but I had to eat them because they were one of the few things my family used to grow. Since I lived in a small village I did not even have the chance to trying eating foreign foods, except when I was working with Dungans and I ate with them.

When I was young, there was no question of choosing a religion. All I knew about religion was what my parents told me about Islam. When I grew up, I learned that our government didn’t allow religion – it used to teach that there was no God. There were no mosques, no imams; it was really hard to imagine being religious. None of my relatives attended a religious school or anything like that, because there weren’t really any religious schools. I was always afraid that I would be fired from my job if I had anything to do with religion. I didn’t want to risk pursuing my ancestors’ religion. Instead, I lived the way the Communists told me to – I even avoided celebrating Ramadan.

However, deep in my heart I always believed in God and, when restrictions on religion were removed after the 1970s, I began to consider myself a little bit religious. After the Soviet Union collapsed, I turned fully religious. Now we have freedom of religion – or at least freedom to be Muslim. Legally, all religious people are free to practice their faiths, but I see some social pressure on minor religions, especially in rural areas. So, I would call the freedom of religion in Kyrgyzstan, freedom of religion for Muslims. Now Muslims can be open about their faith and even try to convince the government to adopt laws that are based on Islamic principles. Now I believe in God and I perform almost all the Islamic rituals: I read namaz [pray], believe in the oneness of Allah, give alms to the poor, and fast every year on Ramadan. I have even completed the Haj. After returning, I financed the construction of a mosque in our village. Soon, I am going to build a new madrassa here, too.

Although many things have changed over the years, my family life has not really changed. We succeeded in building an integrated, strong, and healthy family. In my opinion, in order to build this kind of family, there should be a strong patriarchal father. There should not be democracy within the family. If there is democracy, the family will disintegrate – there will not be a unity among the family members and the children will not listen to their parents. Islam says that man should lead woman, not vice versa. There is also a Kyrgyz proverb: bring up the children properly from early childhood, train your wife from the beginning.

Before the Soviet government was established, women did not really have any voice. They would listen to whatever their husbands said and generally were not allowed to go out. Most of their lives were spent inside their houses. Women could not even argue with their husbands if they did not agree with them. When the Communist government was established, a new law was passed that stipulated that men and women were equal. After that, women started going to school and even to institutes and universities. They started holding high positions in government. Their role in the family decreased and their role in public life increased. As the role of women in public was increasing, the role of men in public was decreasing and their responsibilities at home were growing. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, many husbands have started sitting at home, doing housework and taking care of the children, while their wives are working and earning money to support their families.

The changing roles of men and women are clear, but it is hard for me to say how the role of youth in society has changed. To avoid exaggeration, I can only say that the youth of my time were much less educated, but used to show more respect for older people, since they were important sources of information and knowledge. Today’s youth are modern and well-educated, but have no respect for old people. However, more young people are going to mosques today than in the past.

After the Soviet government collapsed in 1990s, the process of privatization began. If collectivization was good at a certain period in history, privatization was even better. But this is only what I think. Many other people seem to regret the dissolution of the kolkhozi. I think these people have not been able to understand capitalism. They did not even understand what was going on when the privatization process started. They rejected privatization and thought they would remain on the kolkhoz. Personally, I understood that capitalism was good and embraced the privatization process.

I was born in this village and have live here all my life. Now I have children who live and work in Bishkek and they send me some money if ask, but I do not really need their money. I am self-sufficient. Since privatization, I have acquired 100 hectares of farming land, plus tractors and combines. Everybody got “shares” from the government, but only a few people became successful, since many didn’t have the experience and skill to manage private farms. I am one of the most successful farmers in our village and I think that all problems have solutions if you just look for them. Currently, I do not really see any problems with water supply, equipment, or financing. We feed the land and the land feeds us; the more you invest, the more you get. But the ones who rejected privatization are having major problems. I think that the issue is not that these problems exist, but that some people do not understand capitalism and do not want – or do not know how – to solve these issues.

During my childhood, we did not even think about entertainment. We did not even know what entertainment was. Now many people enjoy going to sanatoriums, resorts, and spas, and the young people have found many types of entertainment: they play football and traditional games such as kok-boru. [4] As for me, I enjoy going to Susamyr, Sary Chelek, Cholpon Ata, and Issyk-Kul to rest. [5] During my childhood my hobby was to play chuko. [6] Now I guess my favorite thing to do is to visit people. Everyday there is some occasion in the village and, as one of the elders in the village, I am invited. I also enjoy visiting my children and seeing my grandchildren. Television appeared in my village in 1962 and that has become one of the most popular forms of entertainment here. Before that, youngsters used to like to sit together and drink kumys [fermented mare’s milk].

My first language is Kyrgyz; this is the language I was brought up with at home. I also speak Russian. I learned it when I was in the army and when I was in college. I have always used Kyrgyz in most aspects of my life, but Russian is also important. I speak Kyrgyz with Kyrgyz-speaking people and Russian with Russian-speaking people. Some say that English is getting more prestigious and some say that we should learn Arabic, especially if we want to understand our religion more deeply.

I think Kyrgyz is sufficient within the boundaries of our country, because I can communicate in Kyrgyz with the people from all the other regions of Kyrgyzstan. Unfortunately, though, the use of Kyrgyz has changed during my lifetime: in urban areas, many people now tend to speak Russian and are russified, in terms of culture and mentality. I think that is because the Kyrgyz language was neglected during the Soviet period. Still, I think Kyrgyz is the fastest-growing language in Kyrgyzstan. That is because it is associated with our religion and our culture and it is unlikely that Kyrgyz people will neglect their religion and their native language.

These days, labor migrants have started moving to foreign countries in search of better lives. I think that only works in the short run. Their lives improve, but only temporarily. There is a Kyrgyz proverb: it is better to be slave than to be a governor in a foreign nation. Those who move to foreign countries do not have relatives to support them in case of emergency. And it doesn’t matter how well they live there, they will have to come back home eventually. They cannot be buried in foreign country; if Kyrgyz people are buried outside of their native land, it is a great shame for our society. If my children were living permanently abroad and asked me to live with them, I would visit, but I wouldn’t stay forever. I would rather live in my homeland with my people than live in a foreign country with my children. But I think external migration is good for our economy. Though labor migrants’ incomes do not affect our country’s budget, they help the people directly, because the migrants send remittances to their parents, families, and relatives.

As far as internal migration is concerned – from villages to cities – I think there should be restrictions. So many villagers are leaving their homes in the search of better lives in the cities that there is shortage of agricultural workers in rural areas and a surplus of laborers in urban areas like Bishkek. The migrants are making life in both the city and in the village worse; it would be better if they would return to their villages. So I think there should be some kind of law prohibiting migration of villagers to cities.

However, I think this is a temporary phenomena, which will resolve itself. There is still an inflow of villagers into cities, which means the cities must still have the capacity to accept new migrants. But, as this process continues, cities will have massive excess population. This will mean no jobs or very low salaries and newly arrived, unskilled villagers will not be able to find jobs and will have no choice but to return to their villages. I have already seen quite a few youngsters return to the village, since they were not really successful in finding a better life in the city. So it seems like the issue has already started solving itself.

I think both the city and the village are have pluses and minuses. Living conditions are good in the city. There are cinemas, theaters, and parks. There are apartments with hot and cold water and central gas and heating. There more chances to use innovative technology and get educated. But you should keep in mind that you will benefit from all these things only if you have money. If you have no money, you will just be discarded. And also, the polluted air and constant noise make people stressed out and unhealthy. On the other hand, in the village, there is clean water, fresh air, and beautiful nature. All the food is healthy because it is produced in our own gardens. And villagers do more physical work, so they are healthier.