Aigul Bazarova from Kazakhstan | Europe/Central Asia | DW | 05.02.2015
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Europe/Central Asia

Aigul Bazarova from Kazakhstan

This 25-year old journalist wants the media in her country to become more critical and independent. DW Akademie’s summer program in Bishkek, Kyrzyzstan, strengthened her determination to make changes.

Aigul Bazarova is from the eastern Kazakh city Ust-Kamenogorsk and works as an editor for the television channel "Kazakhstan""(KTRK). From June – August 2014 Bazarova took part in the ten-week Summer Academy for young Central Asian journalists. The program is held annually by DW Akademie and the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and offers journalists in the region solid, practical training in all media formats.

It seems you started your journalism career by jumping in at the deep end. Would you agree?
Aigul Bazarova: Absolutely! I was new to journalism when I started at KTRK, but the director decided to give me a chance. He realized I didn't have a theoretical background or practical experience, but saw that I was eager to learn. So he sent me off to the news department where a woman gave me a chair - but there was no desk to go with it! "Great start," I thought. So I sat next to a board pinned with story ideas, and staff would come up and discuss them. It also gave them a chance to size me up.

How did you become part of the team?
I got tired of watching people at the board so I decided to suggest my own stories. The first ones got turned down, of course, but at some point the others said we should start working together. I was only 19 at the time, but I'd already made the most important decision of my life – to become a journalist. That was six years ago and I've never regretted it. For me, journalism is a passion, a calling. I'm now a news editor and part of a very friendly team. I also have my own programs, including one called "Syrgalym" that's aimed at a young, female audience.

To what extent is there a free press in Kazakhstan?

Aigul Bazarova, TV journalistin from Kazakhstan, and Lydia Rahnert, DW Akademie's project manager (photo: DW Akademie).

Summer school in Bishkek: Aigul Bazarova and DW Akademie project manager, Lydia Rahnert

On the one hand, things are progressing: there are now several new media formats, and that's good. But there's really nothing like an independent media sector here. Any criticism of the government or parliament has to be authorized, and we're certainly not allowed to criticize the president. Basically, reporting here is always given a positive spin, and that's something I'm always coming up against as a TV editor. Given Kazakhstan's social problems, critical reporting is essential, but people in power don't see it that way and take any kind of criticism personally.

Is it possible to criticize the business sector?
Business relations in Kazakhstan function on the "one hand washes the other" principle, and family connections also play a major role. For example, if an "important" building contractor has planned a social housing project that's financed with tax money, but doesn't finish on time or doesn't pay salaries regularly or simply disappears - well, you won't find any reports on that. In 2014 Freedom House rated Kazakhstan as "not free", ranking it 187 out of the 197 countries on its index; that's five positions lower than it was a year ago. Independent opposition newspapers such as Pravda Kazakhstana, Pravdiviya Gazetaor Ashyk Alanoften have to suspend publication. According to Adil Soz, an international foundation that works to protect press freedom, ten journalists in Kazakhstan were assaulted in 2013, 21 were taken to court, and 14 websites were banned. Things like this make me want to chuck it all so that I don't have to listen to how "great" things supposedly are.

What role do journalists play in Kazakhstan?

Aigul Bazarova, TV journalistin from Kazakhstan (photo: DW Akademie/Mathias Bölinger).

"I want to get out of the shadows" - TV journalist Aigul Bazarova

The media in Kazakhstan is referred to as "the fourth estate" or a "bridge" between the citizens and those in power, but politicians are shrewd. They muffle the media outlets with so-called "state contracts" that involve millions of dollars; without these contracts TV stations and editorial offices can't pay decent salaries or afford technical equipment. So those who want to do well just keep their heads down and do the work they're given. But this makes the media less credible and people tend to lose any faith they’d placed in it.

Regional reporting is even more of a sham since local journalists just kowtow to those in power – not always because they think it's right, but because that's just the way things are done. Sometimes wet get a "ukas" which is a type of order that comes from the top and that tells us what we can say or write about and what we can't. When a mayor or another politician meets with local citizens, for example, any critical remarks are simply edited out and replaced with expressions of gratitude given by people who've been coached to do this.

What is the greatest challenge for you as a journalist?
I want to be a journalist who stands up for the interests and concerns of ordinary Kazakhstanis, but I’m working in a country with a media sector described as "not free". My greatest challenge, then, is to get out of the shadows, remain credible and stay connected with ordinary citizens. I feel for people - especially for those who live in rural areas where there's great injustice and scarce employment.

What did you learn at the Summer Academy for Central Asian journalists?

Participants of DW Akademie's summer program for Central Asian journalists in Bishkek (photo: DW Akademie).

Better equipped for the job: participants in the summer course for Central Asian journalists

I learned a lot over the ten weeks and developed new plans and goals. I'm also now clear on the direction I want to take as a journalist.
The trainers were experts and inspired us to continue working as journalists. They also taught us how to work in teams. Thanks to DW Akademie, I can now work with a number of different media formats. I learned what makes a good article, and how to look for and develop a story. I learned how to bring radio reports alive with sound and words that listeners can "feel". I also learned how to produce a TV report, put people at the center of the story and how to edit. At my station we always wrote the text first and did the editing later but here I learned to do just the opposite, and that’s exciting. In the final week I explored new ideas, and a trainer helped me develop a blog aimed at young women. I also want to help rural women learn how to improve their lives and escape from the cycle of poverty.

What did you learn from the other participants?
I learned patience…respect…commitment… and how to see the world in all its beauty. Every one of us was different and we all had a different way of seeing and feeling things. I'm grateful for that. So thank you my friends - for your honesty and your support! I won't forget the time I spent here. I learned new things and met new people. And I also learned a lot about myself.


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  • Date 05.02.2015
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  • Date 05.02.2015
  • Author Lydia Rahnert / hw
  • Print Print this page
  • Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/1DT9K