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Ola Fiedorczuk

Journalist and Social Media Manager

Ola Fiedorczuk is a freelance journalist, radio personality, presenter, podcaster, musicologist, and social media manager.

Articles

History Geopolitics The Great Game

The Ruthless History of the Great Game in Central Asia

In the so-called New Great Game, Central Asia is no longer a mere backdrop; with its strategic location, massive oil and gas reserves, and newfound deposits of critical raw materials, it’s a key player. In stark contrast to events in the 19th century, this time, Central Asia finds itself courted by four great powers - China, the EU, the U.S., and Russia - instead of caught in the crosshairs of conquest. The region finds itself with agency. However, the original Great Game was anything but fair play. Comprising vast steppes, nomadic horsemen, descendants of Genghis Khan’s Great Horde, and a lone nation of Persians, during the 19th century, the once-thriving Silk Road states became entangled in a high-stakes battle of expansion and espionage between Britain and Russia. Afghanistan became the buffer zone, while the rest of the region fell under Russian control, vanishing behind what became known as the “Iron Curtain” for almost a century. The term “Great Game” was first coined by British intelligence officer Arthur Conolly in the 19th century, during his travels through the fiercely contested region between the Caucasus and the Khyber. He used it in a letter to describe the geopolitical chessboard unfolding before him. While Conolly introduced the idea, it was Rudyard Kipling who made it famous in his 1904 novel Kim, depicting the contest as the epic power clash between Tsarist Russia and the British Empire over India. Conolly’s reports impressed both Calcutta and London, highlighting Afghanistan’s strategic importance. Britain pledged to win over Afghan leaders — through diplomacy, if possible, and by force, if necessary. The Afghan rulers found themselves caught in a barrage of imperial ambition, as the British and Russian Empires played on their vulnerabilities to serve their own strategic goals. Former Ambassador Sergio Romano summed it up perfectly in I Luoghi della Storia: "The Afghans spent much of the 19th century locked in a diplomatic and military chess match with the great powers — the infamous 'Great Game,' where the key move was turning the Russians against the Brits and the Brits against the Russians." The Great Game can be said to have been initiated on January 12, 1830, when Lord Ellenborough, President of the Board of Control for India, instructed Lord William Bentinck, the Governor-General, to create a new trade route to the Emirate of Bukhara. Britain aimed to dominate Afghanistan, turning it into a protectorate, while using the Ottoman Empire, Persian Empire, Khanate of Khiva, and Emirate of Bukhara as buffer states. This strategy was designed to safeguard India and key British sea trade routes, blocking Russia from accessing the Persian Gulf or the Indian Ocean. Russia countered by proposing Afghanistan as a neutral zone. The ensuing conflicts included the disastrous First Anglo-Afghan War (1838), the First Anglo-Sikh War (1845), the Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848), the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878), and Russia’s annexation of Kokand. At the start of the Central Asian power struggle, both Britain and Russia had scant knowledge of the region's people, terrain, or...

1 week ago

Kazakh Films Documentary

Segiz: Exploring Kazakhstan’s Beauty on the Road Less Traveled

The Times of Central Asia’s cinematographer for the World Nomad Games, Ilyas Otan, is on a mission to put Kazakhstan's tourism on the map. An independent film producer and fixer, Otan took a bold step to showcase his vision, producing Segiz with director Almas Maksut, a captivating short documentary that brings together eight international travelers to uncover the secrets of a mysterious mountain lake in Central Asia. The film premiered at the 2021 Eurasian Film Festival and snagged the Best Documentary award at Czechia's International Road Movie Festival. Now, it is available to stream. A Werner Herzog quote opens the film, setting the tone for a brooding, atmospheric nod to late sixties and early seventies indie cinema. It’s not about the plot or commercial tourism — it’s all about ambiance, feelings, and the road less traveled. The narrator paints Kazakhstan as a land steeped in epic history, from Genghis Khan's sweeping conquests to the first nuclear test. Then the adventurers are introduced, and lured by the wild unknown they share what drove them to wander off the beaten path. A vivid taste of Kazakhstan’s rich culture and rugged beauty, this film dives headlong into an existence deeply connected to nature. Sampling the charms of nomadic life such as camel milk, majestic falcons, galloping horses, and cozying up in yurts. It’s a meat lover's paradise — not exactly a menu for vegans, vegetarians, or the fainthearted. The soundtrack amplifies the sixties' folky vibe, layering guitars, ukuleles, kalimbas, lutes, shakers, drums, harmonicas, and flutes for immersive incidental music. Two of the travelers, both talented singers and musicians, perform 20th-century ballads on the move, transporting listeners to long-lost worlds and forgotten eras. It’s rare to see a short documentary road movie about Kazakhstan hit streaming platforms. You can now catch this unique short film on TV+, Megogo and venture into the pioneer tourism of Kazakhstan today. [video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://timesca.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Trailer-SEGIZ.mp4"][/video]

3 weeks ago

UNESCO Cultural Heritage

Eagles, Heritage, and History: A Glimpse into Kazakhstan’s Ancient Art of Falconry

Inspired by TCA’s coverage of the 2024 World Nomad Games and the incredible showcase of falconry events, I reflected on a visit to the Sunkar Entertainment Complex near Almaty, Kazakhstan. Established during the Soviet era, the complex was originally designed as a mountain retreat for workers, featuring saunas, horseback riding, skiing, and other snow sports. However, its defining feature today is the bird sanctuary founded in the 1990s to conserve the region's dwindling population of birds of prey. The sanctuary serves as both a conservation effort and an entertainment venue, highlighting the delicate balance between preserving natural heritage and creating an engaging visitor experience. A practice the beginnings of which are shrouded in mystery, many experts trace the origins of falconry back to the steppes of Mongolia, dating between 4000 and 6000 BCE. Bronze Age cave paintings suggest falconry was already established, and a third millennium BCE pottery shard from Tell Chuera, modern-day Syria, depicts a bird of prey. The oldest visuals of falcons, however, are etched into rocks from the Altai Mountains, spanning Central and East Asia, circa 1000 BCE. Finding information on falconry in Europe and the Middle East is easy, but uncovering its ties to Kazakhstan's nomadic traditions proves more challenging. A podcast featuring two generations of a Kazakh family from the Altai Mountains sheds light through oral traditions. This narrative highlights falconry as more than a sport – it's a historical bond between humans and birds of prey, offering profound insights into nomadic heritage. [caption id="attachment_29223" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Hunting with birds at the World Nomad Games, Astana, 2024; image: TCA, Stephen M. Bland[/caption] The Golden Eagle, often called the "Empress of the Sky," holds a divine status in falconry. Renowned for its ability to stare directly at the sun without harm, it's a symbol of freedom and pride for the Kazakh people. The Kazakh language boasts a staggering vocabulary for falconry, exceeding 1,500 unique terms. Its importance is also immortalized on Kazakhstan's national flag, echoing the legacy of Genghis Khan, whose banner also featured an eagle at its center. This speaks to his passion for falconry, a tradition vividly documented by Marco Polo, who described eagle hunting with Khan's grandson as early as the 1100s. The bond between humans and birds was so blurred that in ancient times, a nursing mother could share her milk with golden eagle chicks, even when her own child faced food scarcity. The Siberian golden eagle, or burgut, is among the largest of its kind. The formidable females, favored for hunting, boast wingspans of two meters and talons stretching up to six centimeters. Weighing over six kilograms, these birds demand not just expertise but also exceptional strength and courage from their handlers. Female eagles are traditionally captured before they learn to fly – old enough to survive outside the nest, but still nest-bound. They’re considered larger and more reliable hunters once tamed compared to their smaller, less-predictable male counterparts. Breaking eagles is a foundational skill in falconry, requiring meticulous preparation and...

2 months ago

Silk Road Exhibition

Silk Roads Exhibition: Beating Heart of the Ancient World

On a gloomy winter’s day, The Times of Central Asia visited the Silk Roads Exhibition at the British Museum. The sight of a significant queue wrapped around the museum for entry was startling. Once inside, the exhibit thronged with visitors snaking their way to peruse artifacts arranged by region and era. Concerned about blocking display views as you read descriptions? No need to worry — thick guidebooks with full narratives greeted you at the entrance to borrow during your visit. The exhibition envisions the Silk Road as the beating heart of the ancient world, with arteries stretching across seas, mountains, and deserts. With over 300 artifacts spread across five geographical zones, it can be hard to know where to start. I observed a nearby gentleman in tweed who offered a simple tip: start with a place that interests you and go from there. Then I overheard that he was going to Cairo. New partnerships with Uzbekistan’s Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF) and Tajikistan’s museums had seen fresh items loaned to the exhibit. These collaborations highlight Central Asia's important role in this sweeping narrative, helping to connect the dots in this continent-spanning story. Immersed in the culture and history, I couldn’t help but wonder — what did the audience think? After a few unsuccessful attempts, I spoke with an English visitor named Georgie Bennett. [caption id="attachment_27908" align="aligncenter" width="2029"] Georgie Bennett visiting the Silk Roads Exhibition; image: TCA, Stephen M. Bland[/caption] TCA: What drew you here today? I think the thing for me is I have a really poor knowledge and understanding of this bit of history. So, I heard the exhibition was on and some of my friends already booked tickets, I said yes, I’ll absolutely come along because… I wanted to learn more. TCA: What’s the one item that’s caught your eye the most? I really like the story of the silk princess; it was a very humanizing story about this lady who’s newly married and brings the knowledge of how to make silk to her husband’s kingdom… I feel like I've learned so much. I’m enjoying it, though I almost wish I had a notebook and pen because I'm getting a general impression without knowing any of the details. [caption id="attachment_27909" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Charred wooden door panel from Kafir Kala, near Samarkand, Uzbekistan, circa AD 500, on loan from the State Museum reserve[/caption] The Times of Central Asia also spoke to one of the curators, Luk Yu-Ping to delve deeper into the Silk Road experience. TCA: Globalism is considered a modern concept of interconnectivity, but looking at the vast connections and influence within the Silk Road Exhibition it’s implied that this concept may have been prevalent in the past along these trade routes. Could you expand on this? This exhibition highlights the movement of people, objects, and ideas across Asia, Africa, and Europe during the period 500 to 1000 CE. The focus is not only on trade but also other ways of contact and exchange. Audiences might be...

3 months ago

Music Silk Road Treasures USSR World Music Uyghur Tashkent Crimean Tatars

A Synthesis of Sounds: How the Silk Road Became the Melting Pot of Music in the Soviet Empire

As a DJ, radio podcaster and music enthusiast, I love discovering hidden retro gems like Nuggets-style compilations. There is an unspoken agreement on an era’s sounds depending on the artist’s breaking into the mainstream at the time. Then there are the obscure cuts and one hit wonders that for some reason didn’t make it big upon release, but dated well or were ahead of their time and found an audience at a later date. On other occasions, it’s about geography; if it had been premiered in a different part of the world, it would have been successful or far more celebrated than it was. In my search for such sounds, I feel it shouldn’t be limited by location; good music has no boundaries. [caption id="attachment_25764" align="aligncenter" width="950"] Yalla band, commemorative stamp, Uzbekistan, 2021 [/caption] There are many compilations touching upon niche genres and moments in time which can transport one to sonically experience a particular era. As a Westerner trying to peek behind the Iron Curtain to gauge the music and arts scene of the 1970’s and 80’s, what flickered across the Cold War barriers seemed controlled, state-approved, and mostly a mystery. It was a delight to learn that under this supposed monochromic blanket, a dynamic underground music scene was flourishing in regions that had a long history of cultural fusion. SYNTHESIZING THE SILK ROADS: Uzbek Disco, Tajik Folktronica, Uyghur Rock & Crimean Tatar Jazz from 1980s Soviet Central Asia features musicians from countries such as Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan, who were creating a unique sound that stood apart from anything else being produced in the USSR. TCA spoke to Ostinato record label boss Vik Sohonie about the release. TCA: How does this statement by Peter Frankopan quoted in your liner notes - “The bridge between east and west is the very crossroads of civilization” - relate to or define the music you chose? The music itself is the greatest evidence we have to this argument, because you can hear the cultures of Europe, South Asia, East Asia, West Asia - the Middle East - all mixed into it. Indeed, Central Asia was influenced by all of these regions musically given its unique geography, but it has also influenced the cultures of so many of those parts of the world. During the era of the Silk Roads and the "golden age" of the region, its musical theory, as stated in the liner notes, influenced the music of Europe. [caption id="attachment_25766" align="aligncenter" width="2172"] Natalia Nurumkhamedova album cover[/caption] TCA: How did World War II and Stalin create the circumstances behind the Tashkent and Uzbekistan scene? When the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union, Stalin put the best and brightest minds on trains bound for Soviet Central Asia, mainly Uzbekistan and its capital, Tashkent. There were recording engineers on board who went on to set up one of the biggest press plants in the Soviet Union that produced millions of records. A little-known story of World War II - the evacuation from the Eastern...

5 months ago

ISS Space Exploration Baikonur Cinema

Unveiling the Magic: Behind the Scenes of “Baikonur”

Space continues to capture our imagination and inspire our stories, as we try to make sense of this vast final frontier. In the last part of our series on Baikonur, we explore its depiction within cinema. In 2011, German filmmaker, Veit Helmer released Baikonur, a story about space, scavenging and misguided love that was shot within the region. TCA spoke to him about filming in this heavily restricted landscape. TCA: What was the inspiration behind your film, Baikonur? What drew you to this subject matter? Helmer: I was fascinated by the actual place, or what I knew about it; a hidden city with such a glorious past. Whilst researching, I found out about the scavengers who collect the pieces which fall on the steppe when the rockets are heading to space. To tell both stories at the same time intrigued me: space exploration and hunting for scrap metal. TCA: Given you also directed Absurdistan and Tuvalu, would it be fair to say you’re drawn to far-flung places? Helmer: Yes, I love to explore and find locations which haven’t been filmed before. But compared to the locations of my previous films - Tuvalu, which was shot in Bulgaria, and Absurdistan, which was shot in Azerbaijan - to travel to Baikonur was a much longer journey. [caption id="attachment_21684" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Still from the film, "Baikonur," Alexander Asochakov as "Gagarin" leaving, villagers standing near yurt; image: Veit Helmer[/caption] TCA: As stated in the tagline of your film, “Whatever falls from heaven, you may keep. So goes the unwritten law of the Kazakh seppe. A law avidly adhered to by the inhabitants of a small village, who collect the space debris that falls downrange from the nearby Baikonur space station.” The village scavengers portrayed in your film are based in reality; how did you find out about them, and what was your experience with them? Helmer: It was very funny reading the first review from Kazakhstan, where a young journalist wrote that the film is based on the old Kazakh law “Whatever falls from heaven, you may keep,” which in reality was an invention by my screenwriter, Sergey Ashkenazy. But as this fable seems to feel so real, I never tried to dispel that myth. When writing the screenplay, Sergey and me went to Zheskaskan and the surrounding steppe, talking to the hunters of the scrap metal. It was not an ideal moment, because Roscosmos started to collect the debris themselves and the local villagers’ activity became illegal. The new reality was not villages against each other, but villagers against Roscosmos. [caption id="attachment_21685" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Still from the film, "Baikonur," Alexander Asochakov as "Gagarin" (center) cleaning assembly hall in Baikonur ; image: Veit Helmer[/caption] TCA: As a Western filmmaker you were granted a unique opportunity to film within Baikonur - what did you observe of the landscape? What were the highlights of this experience? Helmer: There was a saying among the early cosmonauts that the Central Asian steppe was for them...

8 months ago

Cold War Space Exploration Baikonur

Baikonur: An Alternative Journey Into Space

The moon landing is imprinted on the Western collective psyche, but Baikonur is not. Like most children growing up in the U.S., I watched William Shatner on Star Trek, and when we think of space, we think of Neil Armstrong and NASA, not Kazakhstan. However, on April 12, 1961, the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, took off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in what is now Kazakhstan. Like WWII, however, space is the subject of parallel narratives, and the “Space Race” was an integral part of the Cold War. Baikonur Is a Place of Firsts Baikonur is a place of firsts - the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, the first dog, Laika, the first higher living organisms to survive a journey to outer space, Belka and Strelka, the first man, Yuri Gagarin, and the first woman, Valentina Tereshkova, all took off from Baikonur. Originally constructed during the Cold War as a missile test site, the area was chosen for several reasons; it’s isolation from densely populated areas and proximity to the equator made it easier to launch rockets, and the flat landscape ensured radio signals would not be disrupted. The battle for control over space between the U.S. and the Soviet Union was both ideological and military in nature. Baikonur was baptized in Cold War misinformation tactics. Located thirty kilometers south of the launch facilities, the closest town was originally known as Tyuratam. In 1961, Soviet officials swapped its name with a town located some 350 kilometers away, “Baikonur,” to misdirect Western intelligence. A fake spaceport constructed from plywood was erected in the “real” Baikonur to deceive enemy spy planes. In the early 1960s, the Soviet Union's covert actions allowed it to advance its space program faster than the United States, which faced public and media scrutiny. While U.S. space missions were broadcast live, exposing any failings, the USSR could operate clandestinely, protecting its missile technology and maintaining a strategic edge. A key example is the R7 rocket used to launch Yuri Gagarin into space; the largest intercontinental ballistic missile of its time, its details were closely guarded. [caption id="attachment_21512" align="aligncenter" width="1622"] Fifty year commemorative stamp of the first woman in space, Kazakhstan, 2013[/caption] “Space Race” Propaganda Another tool of Cold War propaganda was the flight of Valentina Tereshkova, the “First Lady of Space.” Prior to her journey to the stars in June 1963, Tereshkova had worked on an assembly line in a textiles factory. Her parachuting experience with a local paramilitary flying club proved crucial in her selection. In her three-day flight, the every-woman clocked up more space hours than all American astronauts up to that time combined. Tereshkova may have been a propaganda tool dispatched for Western audiences as proof of gender equality in the USSR, but it would be a nineteen year wait for the next female cosmonaut. In 2007, at the age of seventy, Tereshkova volunteered for a one-way mission to Mars. Having turned to politics as her primary concern following her spaceflight, in...

8 months ago