l'aviva travels

of the many, many conversations we engaged in around the social + political structure of kyrgyzstan during the course of our visit (the majority spurred, of course, by the revolution), none came close to approaching the poignancy of those we had with our new friend nurilya barakanova, who spoke to us at length about the tragic phenomenon of bride-kidnapping - a phenomenon which is shockingly, and  rapidly, on the rise.

it’s a heart-wrenching situation - and an amazingly complex one; an issue which illustrates the incredibly tangled social fabric of the kyrgyz nation, and draws focus to the juncture at which ancient traditions, the soviet legacy, and the challenges of modern times come together (and often collide) within the country.

visiting aidai, our designer friend in bishkek (who i talked about in an early entry), we learned that one of the women in her studio had been recently abducted and forced to marry against her will - bringing the issue all that much closer to home for us.

i’m looking forward to nurilya’s visit to the states in july - and to our continued conversations about possible ideas of what can be done to abate the tide of kidnappings. i’ll certainly be posting more about it.

in the meantime, through nurilya, i was introduced to the work of jackie dewe mathews - a young british photographer who spent time in kyrgyzstan last year documenting the phenomenon. i’ve attached a few photos, along with her very eloquent summary of the situation, below.

if you would like to see the entire photo essay, with her comments, please visit: http://www.jackiedewemathews.com/stories/alakachuu/alakachuu.html.

‘Ala Kachuu’, Bride Kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan
by Jackie Dewe Mathews

A third of all marriages in modern Kyrgyzstan are non-consensual kidnaps. The Kyrgyz words ‘ala kachuu’ mean to grab and run. Typically a man abducts his bride by force or deception, enlisting his family to break her resistance, through hours of persuasion. If successful, the following morning the bride will be sitting quietly in a curtained off area wearing the traditional white wedding headscarf and an imam will be called in to marry them.

Some brides are kidnapped by total strangers while others by men they know. Some escape after violent ordeals, but most are persuaded to stay by tradition and lore and with their virginity and purity in question after a night at a man’s house, they accept what they believe is their fate.

Ala kachuu was outlawed during the Soviet era and remains illegal under the Kyrgyz criminal code although kidnappers are rarely prosecuted. Since the Kyrgyz declaration of independence in 1991 incidents of ala kachuu have surged for a number of reasons: it is seen as part of a national identity that was denied by Soviet rule, little social structure for sexes to mix exists but parental pressure on a man to take a wife at a certain age remains strong and compared to the expense of ritualistic weddings and the custom of gift exchanges between the families it is considered a cheaper alternative.

Although the practice is said to have its have its roots in nomadic customs, the tradition has been corrupted and remains at odds with modern day Kyrgyzstan.