I am a journalist, volleyball player, and blogger.
Latest posts by Mahina Shodizoda
Another Tajik Blogger Speaks Out For Alexander Sodiqov
Fifty days and counting since Global Voices' Alexander Sodiqov was arrested by authorities in Khorog, Tajikistan. Sodiqov has been released but not acquitted. Here, another Tajik blogger defends his name.
Informal Wedding “a Small Victory” for Gays in Tajikistan
Tajikistan may just have had its first informal gay wedding. Many Tajiks are unhappy with what they see as "western propaganda".
Kazakh Artist Remembers Zhanaozen Oil Riot
Photo blogger Serikzhan Kovlanbaev presents [ru] a photo report from a recent exhibition of works by Saule Suleimenova, perhaps the best known contemporary artist in the country. Suleimenova has been described by another blogger as “one of Kazakhstan’s deepest, most interesting and prolific artists”. The theme of the exhibition is Zhanaozen,...
Speaking Through Graffiti in Kazakhstan
Over the last ten years, a street art group based in Almaty, Kazakhstan, has been using graffiti to express ideas and statements. The group, Repas Workshop, presents [ru] the most recent examples of their impressive graffiti artworks in a blog.
“Hands Off Russian-Language Press” in Tajikistan
Is Russian-language print media in Tajikistan a "threat" or is it "under threat"?
Winter in Tajik Capital, the “Worst City in Asia”
An expat blogger writes about how she spent winter in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. I spent most of the coldest times huddled next to the space heater (pechka), cup of tea in hand. Some mornings everything in the kitchen froze. I once tried to pour hot water into a...
Expensive Plants for a Poor Country: Tajikistan Spends Millions on Belgian Trees
Tajikistan where more than a third of the population is poor has spent 4,5 million US dollars on chestnut trees for the capital city.
Ukraine's Capital After Yanukovich, Through a Kyrgyz Blogger's Eyes
A Kyrgyz blogger writes about his three-day trip to Kyiv observing everyday life in the city after the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovich.
Kazakhstan's Charyn Canyon
Sergei Terekti presents [ru] a photo essay about his recent trip to Charyn Canyon, Kazakhstan's own smaller version of the Grand Canyon in the United States: The main canyon is about 150 kilometers long; the Charyn River crosses it. Multiple gorges, valleys, and smaller canyons surround the Charyn Canyon. One of the main...
Women Out For The Evening Risk Arrest in Turkmenistan
The Vienna-based opposition blog Chronicles of Turkmenistan reports that police in northern Turkmen town of Dashoguz raid cafes and restaurants in search of women out for the evening. According to the blog, single ladies and women dining without their husbands are taken to police stations. Chronicles of Turkmenistan alleged back in...
Tajikistan's Tastiest Blogs
There are three blogs in Tajikistan that are a must read for anyone interested in Tajik cuisine. Tajik Restaurant [Tarabkhonai Tojiki] [tj] shares cook-it-yourself videos and recipes of popular Tajik dishes. Suhailo's Cooking Diary [Daftari pukhtu-pazhoi Suhailo] [tj] teaches its readers to bake pastries popular in the country. Finally, Osh...
Kyrgyz MPs Explain Themselves Over a Prayer Room in Parliament
The recent opening of an Islamic prayer room in the Kyrgyz parliament has triggered a heated online debate about the boundaries between the state and religion in the Central Asian country. Responding to criticisms, MPs designed and circulated among journalists and bloggers a six-page document suggesting that prayer houses in...
Despite Bans, Central Asians Observe Valentine's Day
Looking at how people in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan observed Valentine's Day.
“Celebrating Valentine's Day Is a Direct Way to Hell” in Tajikistan
Popular among younger people in cities, Valentine's Day struggles to gain broader acceptance in Tajikistan.
An “Increasingly Uncertain” Future for Central Asia's Fergana Valley
On the Caravanistan blog, Cycloscope writes about radioactive landfill sites in the Fergana Valley, a region “absurdly divided between Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan”: Unaware of the dangers of radioactivity, the locals take the equipment in the old abandoned mines and sell them as scrap, risking not only their own lives...
“Dreamlike Kyrgyzstan” As Seen by a Photographer
Kloop.kg presents [ru] a collection of photos from “dreamlike Kyrgyzstan” by Russian photographer Danil Korzhonov.
‘Good Girls’ Don't Use Social Media Sites in Tajikistan
Sexist bullying and harassment of girls and women is widespread on social media sites in Tajikistan, according to Radio Ozodi [tj] (Tajik service of the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty). The problem has to do with a strongly-held stereotype that female social media users are sexually promiscuous. On Odnoklassniki, the most popular...
Kazakhstan's Largest City Hides Its “Beautiful” Side from Cameras
Top rated Russian photo-blogger Ilya Varlamov presents [ru] a photo report about his recent trip to Almaty, Kazakhstan's capital before 1997. What the blogger found most surprising about the city is that police officers do not allow anyone “photographing anything good, beautiful, and new” in Almaty. Curious travelers are, therefore, restricted to...
Best Dresses of Kazakhstan Selected
On January 23, 2014, an international jury named the winners of the ‘Best Dress of Kazakhstan’ contest, a competition for young fashion designers in the country. Ten designers competed in the event, showcasing one or two of their best dresses. The three winners of the contest will represent Kazakhstan at...
“There Are No Other Problems” in Tajikistan Besides Name Games
More than a week after Tajikistan's Prosecutor General made a controversial statement about “unpatriotic” surnames, Internet users in the country continue debating whether the ending of one's surname is a good measure of the person's level of patriotism. Many netizens, however, are angry about the fact that the Prosecutor General...
Kyrgyz Woman Abducted for Marriage Tells Her Story on Twitter
A young woman was recently kidnapped for marriage in Bishkek. After police saved her from the kidnappers, the woman told the story of her "nightmare" on Twitter.
