The festival is over!

So the much anticipated Silk Road Heritage Festival ‘Rangorang’ in association with Somon Air finally happened at the weekend and it was a huge success.  

All the performances perfectly mixed modern acts with more traditional dancing and music, a great reflection of Tajikistan today. 

There was something for everyone; a puppet show to entertain the youngsters, Rahim El to make all the young girls swoon while he sang and a camel that could be ridden by the brave. After working up an appetite dancing you could relax with a plate of tasty osh, the national Tajik food, before making the hard decision of what souvenirs to buy. 

There were handicrafts from all over the country, representing the different regions and traditions, and the vast choice and variety left everyone spoilt for choice, and our relatives and friends back home will soon be the proud owners of beautiful suzanis, handbags made from national fabrics and traditional hats. 

Thanks to the hard work of all the ICS volunteers, along with some extra local young volunteers, the festival turned out to be a fantastic and fun-filled day. It was a great celebration of Tajik culture and an inspiring display of what young people can achieve by working together. 

FESTIVAL PROGRAMME

Hey everyone! Below is the programme for Saturday for your perusing. Hope to see you there!

There will also be a puppet show for kids between 2pm and 3pm near the dance floor between the huts. Signs to the puppet show will be available on the day!

Can't wait to see you all there!

Short film on cable car project

VSO Tajikistan, in partnership with Bactria, TATO and Handicap international has proposed a project to the European Commission under their call for proposal "Investing in People - Supporting culture as a vector of democracy and economic growth" for the establishment of a cultural centre at the cable car station in Victory Park, Dushanbe - Check out this film about the project

ASIA PLUS INTERVIEW!

Hey guys! 

Some exciting news, listen out on Asia Plus radio between 7pm and 8pm where we talk about all the music and performance on the 31st of August!

Tweet us if you hear it, or write a message on our facebook wall!

 

A massive thanks to Somon Air.

WWW.SOMONAIR.COM

Thanks so much to Somon Air, we are so incredibly happy to be sponsored by them for our festival this year.

We really couldn't have done this without you.

Check them out for all your Flight needs. Go forth and fly my children.

Panjakent and Gharm trips

Some the festival organisers (ICS volunteers) have visited the ancient city of Panjekent and the city of Gharm. The aim of those trips was to meet local musicians, performers, handicraft makers and other talented people and invite them to participate in the Rangorang festival. 

Both trips were very successful meaning that we can have crafts made by disabled people of Panjakent will be presented and sold during the festival, local music performance from the cultural centre, singers and artists of Art school of Panjakent too.

Volunteers travelled to the Rasht valley to visit local communities and learn more about tourism opportunities in the city of Gharm which is located near the Surkhob River amid high mountains. They had a chance to meet with over ten local groups of musicians, performers, and craftsmen. Some of those talented representatives of Gharm will participate in upcoming “Rangorang” Festival.

This is great news for the team and means that we can include people from more marginalised and rural areas which is really exciting. The festival is really hotting up guys!

IMPORTANT: Only one date for festival.

We would like to inform you that the Festival is only going to be one day on the 31st of August and will be running from 10am until 6pm.

It is going to be an incredible event with so much to look forward to.

Keep watch for the announcements about musicians which will be coming soon!

Saturday 10th August

GARAGE SALE!

If you are free this Saturday (10th) then head on down to the Morning Star cafe where we will be having an all day garage sale!

We are raising money so that we can have even more exciting events at the festival, with more music and performance!

We will be selling DVD's, Books, Clothes, all kinds of stuff for cheap prices. Come down and say hello and maybe buy a few bits and pieces.

It will be running from 8am until 5pm with all the volunteers there throughout the day.

Join the event on facebook to let us know if you are coming.

SO COME DOWN AND SAY HELLO!

Hope to see you all there!

Radio Vatan and Asia Plus!

Hey guys!

So some exciting news for you all, we have been working with Radio Vatan and Asia Plus and have recently found out that we will be having an interview with both soon! Keep an ear open for our announcements running from 2 weeks before the festival on Radio Vatan - tweet us or write on our Facebook wall if you hear it!

Some of our volunteers also traveled to Gharm and Panjakent this week to get some exciting music and performance acts from more rural areas of Tajikistan. While they were there they were interviewed for Safina TV and the show aired last night at 8 o clock. They talked a lot about the festival and their wonderful experience in Dushanbe so far. Did you see it? Tweet us what you thought!

We have a load of NGOs and Charities working with us, with stalls throughout the weekend selling local produce and handicrafts also with opportunities to ask them for further information about what work they are doing.

KEEP CHECKING BACK FOR MORE UP TO DATE INFORMATION!

Exciting new acts.

So with only one week gone, and 7 weeks left until the festival, the acts are rolling in.
We have some exciting musicians and handicrafts to tell you all about, but for now we're keeping quiet.

So keep an eye out. More information coming soon. Get excited!

Its back! And its bigger than ever... RANGORANG FESTIVAL 2013 IN ASSOCIATION WITH SOMON AIR!

So we're back guys! And this time we're bigger, we're better and we're spread over 2 days for maximum heritage excitement.

Keep and eye out for more information about musicians, workshops and competitions over the weekend of the 31st August and the 1st of September.

Last year was great, but this year we aim to be so much better, and much of this is thanks to Somon Air and their incredible funding which enables us to make this event the best it can possibly be.

This is going to be the best Tajikistan Heritage festival of 2013 so keep checking back, or got to our facebook, twitter or odklassnike.ru for more information.

Something big is coming. Keep your eyes open for more.

Victory Park Cable Car - Flickr stream

Silk Road Heritge Festival "Rangorang"

Volunteer with VSO Tajikistan!

 We are looking for:

• Young males or females who must be between the ages of 18 – 25;
• Motivated, enthusiastic and opening to learning;
• Open to learn in a new cultures and to share own their culture;
• Good communication and problem solving skills;
• Determination and resilience in the face of challenges;
• Full time commitment for the duration of the placement from the June 22nd to September 22nd 2013;
• Able to attend selection and training in Dushanbe before the programme starts (date to be confirmed);
• Basic English as a minimum

Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) is a charitable organization that works in 32 countries around the globe. In Tajikistan, VSO works through volunteers to build the capacity of local partner organizations in various areas, such as tourism, business, marketing and social work.

VSO in Tajikistan is implementing the third cycle of the International Citizenship Service (ICS) programme in Tajikistan. ICS is supported by DfID and championed by the British Prime Minister. The programme enables young people to volunteer on community development projects and strengthen co-operation and friendship between UK and other countries, including Tajikistan and Afghanistan. This is a fantastic opportunity to develop new skills, make new friends from the UK and Afghanistan, and have the experience of a lifetime!

Volunteers must be between the ages of 18 and 25. They will work on a volunteering project, which will develop skills and provide experience that has the potential to increase their employment opportunities and contribute to their communities. VSO Tajikistan is currently recruiting young people from Tajikistan who are open and willing to volunteer in Dushanbe. The volunteers will learn from, and volunteer alongside, their counterparts from UK and possibly Afghanistan. The duration of the programme is three months from June 22, 2013 to September 22, 2013 and volunteers will be based in Dushanbe for the duration.

If you are interested, please email habib.rakhmonov@vsoint.org or contact on (+992) 37 224 2828/2245054 with your contact details to request an application form.
The deadline for submitting your full application form is June 10, 2013. Late applications will not be considered.

Only in Tajikistan: Silk Road Heritage festival with the real Camel.

 

With over 1,000 visitors, Saturday October 6 saw the first “Rangorang” Silk Road Heritage festival spring to life in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

The event was the culmination of 3 months work by 18 ICS volunteers. “Rangorang” means multicoloured in Tajiki and so was an appropriate name for this diverse and inclusive festival. There were various performances by singing groups, disabled students with young music school kids and children from an art school that offers free extra-curricular lessons to gifted children from all backgrounds. These groups shared the platform with popular dancing groups of Tajikistan.  The puppet show was not left unattended by many excited visitors as well.
 

The craft seller’s bazaar in the festival offered economic opportunities for marginalised groups. The “Caravan of Hope”came to sell handicrafts and jewellery created by women who have suffered domestic abuse to help fund refuges; there were paintings for sale from young orphan artists.  Those craftsmen who took part in such an event for the first time were invited to join the crafts exhibitions in the future.  Handmade bags from genuine leather with national ornaments, embroidered souvenirs, beautiful pottery, handmade fabric, traditional costumes and many other things were being sold.  Fresh fruits and candy floss as well as 20 % discount in local restaurant was offered for participants only in this day.

 

The festival was organised in partnership with the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Service that trains young people to work in the tourism industry of Tajikistan. It was significant that the festival was marketed to the young people of this University and that many students attended as the festival represents a new concept for Tajikistan. Other partners that supported the creation of the festival were the City of Dushanbe, The Tajik Association for the Tourism Organisations (TATO) and the Committee for Youth Sport and Tourism. The event clearly illustrated what can be achieved through the energy and enthusiasm of young volunteers.  Lochin Fayzulloev, Vice Minister for Toursim in Tajikistan commented that the “Tajik people are beginning to understand what volunteering is” and DilshodAlimov, Executive Director of TATO said “it is a pleasure to see the young volunteers’ eyes shining”.

With well over 1,000 members of the public attending, including many expatriates, and even a camel, this first year of the “Rangorang” festival and the ICS project in Tajikistan can be seen as a great success.  The hope of everyone involved is that this success can be built upon to provide even more opportunities to the people of Tajikistan.  It is also a great volunteering experience for Tajik young volunteers and many organizations expressed their interest in further cooperation.