Endings and Beginnings

I feel a bit like Mo Farah. The finishing line is in sight (for this particular race), success looks possible, but everything could go horribly wrong on the last straight and it needs a sprint at the end…

Actually, on reflection, I don’t feel a bit like Mo Farah. I don’t seem to have the keenly honed physique of a top athlete and I could only walk 10,000 metres if there were a couple of pub stops on the way, far less run it in under half an hour. Anyway I’m sure you get the point.

The Tajikistan Tourism Action Plan goes to the President next Friday. We’ve just had a small industry conference in Dushanbe to present the recommendations and now it’s just about keeping everyone upbeat until approval is confirmed. Then it’s just the simple matter of finding a few million dollars to implement and other minor details. I’ll be passing the hat around.

Perhaps it’s because this is a world without constantly streaming news and views but this must be one of the few places on the planet where the passing of Nelson Mandela seems to have gone relatively unnoticed.  And if anywhere could do with the moral compass that Mandela brought to government, it’s central Asia. Anyway, I’m glad to see pictures of singing and dancing in Africa. Nelson Mandela was the greatest statesman of at least the last 150 years and it’s right we should celebrate his life and the fact we were lucky enough to see his ultimate triumph.

By way of contrast, the big story here is that Tajikistan has joined the war on Santa Claus. For reasons that I’m sure do not escape you, Christmas is not a big deal here. New Year, Father Frost, the giving of presents and decorated fir trees are all popular relics of a Russian past however. In the struggle to establish a new national identity, though, these symbols and habits are not considered very Tajik. So, following a lead from Uzbekistan last year, such references are now banned from State television. Take that you western capitalist dogs!

Looking on the bright side, at least there won’t be another repeat of The Snowman here and we’re blessedly free of Slade and synthetic Christmas carols booming from the shops.

A couple of years ago someone dressed as Santa was murdered on the streets of Dushanbe. I think they tried to put Al Qaeda and Islamic extremists in the frame for the crime to get more money from the US for the “war on terror” but I think they should go back and question Mrs Claus. After all, she’s had a lot to put up with; him rolling home every Christmas morning, drunk from free sherry and exhausted, just when she needs help with the kids and the turkey…

Regardless of all the above, you get the weather and the scenery to put you in the mood for Christmas here; two pictures below looking down on Dushanbe from the hills to the south.