Today More than 60% of the Tashkent population is under the age of 25, however there are virtually few services geared toward them. For most of the Soviet Union’s remaining years, photographer Stanislav Magay resided in a small industrial village outside of Moscow that was developed particularly for the staff at his family’s Institute of Nuclear Physics. When Magay and his contemporaries in Uzbekistan were growing up under the 25-year authoritarian dictatorship of the country’s first president, Islam Karimov, a new youth culture emerged in several former Soviet republics. This all begins in school, where students are forbidden to colour their hair, apply eye shadow or get piercings. Even at college, there is a clothing code that must be followed.
Nightclubs and bars in contemporary Tashkent are routinely shut down by the government, and performances at the theater, rock concerts, and art exhibitions, such as the recent Tashkent PhotoClub group show, are frequently censored and frequently cancelled. Magay has been photographing his buddies as they live out their twenties at various establishments such as restaurants, cafes, movie theaters (even if movies are also banned), and parks. These are the most common hangouts for young people. Many young adults in Uzbekistan are forced to continue living at home with their parents due to the unstable economic condition in the country. They get together for kvartirniki, which are essentially little parties held at friends’ apartments and take place on weekends. “Sometimes it’s a busy party in the kitchen of a teeny-tiny Soviet apartment, and other times it’s a sizable gathering in the backyard of an expat’s private property,” said the author. It’s possible that we’ve unconsciously taken on a Western way of life as a result of the books, movies, and television series that we’ve watched or read.” This is a narrative about young people of both sexes hanging out together and having a good time “According to the photographer, who was born in Uzbekistan but currently resides in Tbilisi, Georgia. House parties are a less expensive alternative to nightclubs and bars for young people in Europe; nevertheless, for young people in Uzbekistan, they are also a source of little pockets of independence.
Reference:
Calvertjournal.com, https://www.calvertjournal.com/tiles/show/9463/tashkent-in-your-twenties-youth-parties-uzbekistan.
