Ostalgie, Part 1

Marx and Engels, the intellectual fathers of Communism,
  deliberating in Dubovy Park, adjacent to the AUCA library

Any visitor to Berlin would inevitably be struck by the charming Ampelmännchen at nearly every crosswalk.  What many tourists, myself included, likely do not realize is that this symbol is idiosyncratic to the former German Democratic Republic, and has only been retained, despite reunification, by the phenomenon known as Ostalgie. This useful portmanteau arises from the words 'ost' (east) and 'Nostalgie', implying a nostalgia for the trappings of everyday life in the GDR and, by extension, in other regions of the former eastern block. In Central Europe, where the material conditions of the average citizen has greatly improved since the end of Communism, Ostalgie takes a mild form, indulging in kitsch and creative advertising, such as the advent of Vita-Cola in unified Germany.

The facade of AUCA's main building

The case of Ostalgie in the former USSR is perhaps even more interesting because here, unlike in Europe proper, the average citizen's quality of life has, particularly outside of regions rich in fossil fuels, worsened since the end of the Union. In Kyrgyzstan, therefore, Ostalgie takes on a level of seriousness and the past is not scorned in the manner seen in Europe. Rather, Soviet era art and architecture continues, uncorrupted, to adorn Bishkek's center. This art reaches its height in close proximity, ironically to some, to the American University of Central Asia; respectfully and tastefully, the university administration has refrained from effacing these poignantly Soviet details. Ignoring any ideological significance the art may possess, its aesthetic value  is extremely great; most decorations in the center of Bishkek refer back to the Soviet era.

Perhaps almost blasphemously to the idea of an independent Kyrgyzstan, Lenin stands with a guiding hand across from the home of the legislature, the Joghorku Keneš. At his feat is a stellar red flowerbed. Though once in a grander locus on Ala-Too Square, now occupied by the national hero Manas on horseback, the statue of the first Soviet premier is of such aesthetic and historical value that he remains in a place of privilege. One wonders if more nationalistic statesmen ever flinch at the sight greeting them from across the street; alternatively, one imagines also an elderly passerby reminiscing on an easier life under the Soviet regime. Indeed, some have theorized that Ostalgie is in fact not a yearning for the old system, but for material reminders of one's youth. The survival of grand architectural features on the face of Bishkek suggests an element of serious Ostalgie, but more important still is the sentiment of Kyrgyz people, young and old. In Germany, an nostalgia for the experience of the old system confers on 'Ossies' a sense of identity; what role does the relationship of contemporary Kyrgyz to their history play in their identity?