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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

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...

7 days ago

Silk Road Treasures Music USSR World Music Crimean Tatars Uyghur Tashkent

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...

2 months ago

Space Tourism Space Exploration Baikonur International Space Station

Blast off to Baikonur: A Space Tourist’s Odyssey

Space tourism is a growing industry, with visitors to Baikonur attending launches, especially missions to the International Space Station. The town is a leased Russian enclave ensconced within Kazakhstan, including the cosmodrome which is controlled by Roscosmos, the Russian space agency. After NASA ended its Space Shuttle program in 2011, Baikonur became the only launch site to the International Space Station (ISS) until 2020. Now, 60 years after space travel began, it still remains an important gateway to the stars. As described by Megan Eaves, “Baikonur is in many ways a perfect relic of the Soviet 1960s. Stoic mosaics depicting muscular comrades heralding a new era of space still decorate entrance gates and the walls of the town's functional, Brutalist apartment blocks, which once housed construction workers, aerospace engineers and space families. Inside the cosmodrome, crumbling hangars stand side-by-side next to the original, minimalist cottages where Yuri Gagarin and the early cosmonauts slept.” [caption id="attachment_21654" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Statue of Yuri Gagarin in the town of Baikonur, Kazakhstan; image: Ric Gazarian[/caption] Near a hotel where visitors stay is Cosmonaut’s Alley, a path in a wooded area surrounded by trees planted by all those who launched into space from Baikonur. The first tree that greets visitors is Yuri Gagarin’s from 1961. Continuing our coverage of Baikonur, TCA spoke to renowned travel blogger, Ric Gazarian, who in 2018 witnessed the MS-08 launch which sent three men on the 55th expedition to the ISS. TCA: Your blogs about your experience at Baikonur contain a lot of history on the Russian space program; where and when did you find out about Baikonur and the space program? Was there anything in particular that piqued your interest? Gazarian: There wasn’t a specific moment, but I’ve been intrigued by space travel since I was a kid. NASA is exceedingly cool and fascinating, and so is Roscosmos, but with the addition of the exoticness from a Western perspective. The history and rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union’s space program is so rich. So, when I found out about the opportunity to visit Baikonur and witness a space launch, it was immediately added to my bucketlist. It was this unique opportunity to witness firsthand Soviet/Russian space traditions. The added bonus is so few people make the effort to visit. [caption id="attachment_21619" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Museum in the Chelomey International Space School, Baikonur, Kazakhstan; image: Ric Gazarian[/caption] TCA: You stated that “This was not your typical tourist trip to Paris…This was a group of space geeks and Soviet fan boys.” Which one are you? Gazarian: A little bit of both. One experience we had was watching the cosmonauts leave their quarantine hotel and board the bus to take them for their final preparations before the launch. A crowd of a couple of hundred people had circled their bus; it was a rock star moment. To know these guys were soon to be launched into space touches you emotionally. And yes, this is a dream come true for Soviet...

6 months ago