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Producer’s Notebook: What life is like in modern-day Xinjiang

Published

4 years ago

April 20, 2021

It seems anything about Xinjiang will be criticized by the West now. And anything Chinese media do on Xinjiang will be labeled as propaganda.

That said, the new documentary, “Beyond the Mountains: Life in Xinjiang,” was not commissioned in response to the current rounds of debates, but had been planned for a very long time. It was produced together with “The War in the Shadows: Challenges of Fighting Terrorism in Xinjiang,” starting from the end of August 2020. The same team, two documentaries, and two different images of Xinjiang. It’s all about how you see the region.

Breaking the stereotypes

In 2016, when we were doing a special series “Exploring China’s New Frontier,” we went to the north of Xinjiang’s Zhaosu County, in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. It has some of the best grasslands in Xinjiang. We wanted to go back to Zhaosu to tell the story of “Grassland Generations.”

My original thinking was traditional Kazakhs are a nomadic minority, good at singing and riding horses. I called Ili Normal University to find a male student who is majoring in music, whose grandfather lives the traditional herding lifestyle. The university provided four candidates: three music majors, and one dance major. I dismissed the dance major without hesitation, believing ballet and ethnic dancing are for women. But on second thought, I dialed his number to learn more about his story.

The story of Erjanat Nurkidir and his grandfather gave us a surprise. They became the opening story of this documentary. Erjanat’s grandfather once argued with him: “Dancing and dancing will come to nothing.” Erjanat says: “Times have changed and I have my own ideas.” When his grandfather watched him on stage, it was a revelation: “I shouldn’t have said those words.” Stereotypes are often inevitable. Sometimes, they come from ourselves.

Ordinary people with amazing stories

Xinjiang has conflicting images outside China. We try to record this region’s process of change through its people.

My first question to Samira Arkin, a bridal shop owner in Kashgar, made her cry. “What did you want to change when you returned to your hometown after graduation in 2010?”

“I saw many women covered themselves up. All women want to be pretty, so this was hard for me to take. I wanted to change how they dress and how they think about it,” says Samira.

It’s a simple wish, but back in 2010 in Kashgar, it took great courage just to think in that way. When Samira got married, she really wanted a white gown. Her extended family were all against it. When she decided to go into the bridal business in 2014, it was the same. “Many people in the old town believed dressing up and wearing makeup in public wasn’t proper.” Today, Samira says women in Kashgar dare to wear what they like, to accept the white gown and the makeup she puts on them.

This documentary profiles some 20 ordinary people like Samira. They are representatives of today’s life in Xinjiang.

Mardan Ablimit, who runs a coffee shop in Kashgar, wants to embrace modernity and combine it with tradition. “I hope to dispel all those misconceptions held by people who’ve never been here.” Memetjan Metqasim, a musician from Hotan, says his impression of Xinjiang is as richly varied as the rainbow. “The prejudices have grown out of a lack of understanding.” Meng Lulu, a leather artist in Urumqi, says Xinjiang’s ethnic culture itself is such a treasure trove. “Then you will see how different ethnic groups have mingled and lived together.” Tiemerbat Darimzhan, abbot of Balun Kure Monastery in Hejing County, says preserving the water source is as important as their religion. “Water is the milk of Mother Earth.” And Yang Zongzong, a botanist, is on a mission to find and catalogue every species. “With every new discovery, I love this land even more.” …

I think as Xinjiang continues to open up, people from around the world will have more access. The world will see a more balanced and truer picture.

To change with the changes

This documentary is also about the changes and the price of change. It’s how social changes affect the lives of ordinary people, and their efforts to bring new changes in society. Xinjiang is like many other places in China, on a track of fast development. And yet progress often comes at a cost. Many Western countries have had similar experiences that resulted in social changes, too. And the situation in Xinjiang is very complicated, as it involves ethnic, religious and anti-terrorism issues.

The changes are not only for the ethnic Uygur minority. They also affect all other ethnic groups in the region, like the Kazakhs, the Kyrgyz, and the Mongolians. Perhaps the only way to see a true picture is to give up stereotypes and keep up with the changes. As I said in the opening promo:

“Decades of development have taken modern Xinjiang from isolation to economic dynamism.

The Tianshan Mountains are part of that story …

And there are other mountains … many of them in the mind.”

Special thanks

Special thanks go to the China Society for Human Rights Studies, as well various institutions and individuals who have contributed to this program.

I’m extremely grateful to the production team, especially senior international consultant and English script editor Laurie Lew and chief photographer Huang Xiaodong. Our “triangle” produced the previous four documentaries on Xinjiang – “Fighting Terrorism in Xinjiang,” “The Black Hand,” “Tianshan: Still Standing,” and “The War in the Shadows.”

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Dikko And The New Vision Accountability and Development in Sports

Published

7 days ago

December 16, 2024

The Gleamer

Felly Mammah N.

Since the Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Alhaji Shehu Dikko assumed office on the 30th of October, 2024, he has systematically and deliberately been putting in place structures that would result to proper development of sports in Nigeria. Shortly after he was first appointed by President Bola Tinubu as a leading strength of sports, the Director General (DG), Hon. Bukola Olapade was appointed to compliment his efforts.

Many sports analysts believe that the duo of Dikko and Olapade who have been very visible in sports administration will be one of the best combination to take the sports sector to the next level. The DG no doubt, is the head of administration in the Commission, but it should be noted that the financial enablement to manage the affairs of staff and the political might that shops for the finance needed in the running of the sector rest on the Chairman who has the task of liaising with the President directly.

It is also, worthy to note that there is a huge difference between the administration of in the Civil Service as it is controlled by a Permanent Secretary and Directors while the administration of a Commission involves Board Members and experts whose voices and actions are also, game-changing; more so as Commissioners are likely going to take charge of the different zones to proffer solutions for a way forward. The defunct Ministry of Youths and Sports Development which later in 2023 metamorphosed into the Ministry of Sports Development on the assumption of President Bola Tinubu, produced a minister who was not versed in sports administration and as a result, faced mass criticism especially from men of the media.

These men of the pen profession are the torchlight of global sporting activity; they equally keep the history of both sports participation globally as well as the records of athletes’ performances. Their torchlight on past Minister’s and particularly the recent past, have revealed that most of the people who presided over sports administration do not really have any knowledge of the sector before their appointment.

The exit of the immediate past Minister, Sen. John Owan Enoh, refreshingly paved the way for change and this has brought in sports personnels that are expected to place sporting activities in the digital world. Suffice it to also, say that the new management of Sports Commission in parts of her changes is expected to sanitize athletes’ attitude and character for better reflection of children who have seen and communicated with their peers in the Western world.

However, the clarion call for President Tinubu to remove politics in sports may have changed the leadership of sports going by what many sports fans saw in the last outing of both Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris 2024, where a country like Nigeria did not measure up to her potentials.

Despite the poor performance of atheletes during the World Olympics Games, the past immediate past Minister deserves to be commended that during his tenure, the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) Games was reawakened as the participation of our Super Eagles brought back hope and jubilation to sports fans including the President and higher authorities. Yes whopping sum of N12 Billion was released two weeks to the Olympics Games and at a time the country was not financially stable. Despite the presidential financial support, the medals presented to the country were crisis and ignorant of both the atheletes, Nigeria Olympic Committee and the Atheletic Federaton to do the needful.

Therefore, it is heart-warming that the President harkened to the appeal of his fellow sports lovers to handpick a known figure in the sports arena to share his wealth of experience that gave him both a name in Sports and positions as the former Chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Chairman League Management Company (LMC), FIFA match Commissioner of significance, 2nd Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and presently, CAF Committee Member, in addition to his new portfolio as Chairman NSC.

My reference point here is that Alh. Dikko has been given the authority to effect positive change in sports sector, co-ordinate over 40 Sports Federations in the sector, welcome ideas of both sports stakeholders, individuals and veterans of sports that will enable him x-ray the reasons for poor performances in the sector and to chat a way forward for success story. There can never be a new testament without an old testament, thus the reason Alh. Dikko’s doors have remained opened to receive courtesy calls that included the visits by past administrators and foreigners who want to facilitate with whom the cap fits.

Still, in the mood of celebration to formally welcome Alh. Dikko to office was the peculiar power of sports which gathered momentum and the crowd for happy moments as seen in the recent novelty match organized by his friends, associates and sports veterans at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja recently. That gathering clearly announced not just a man who has made a name for himself at a height in global political decision making in sports circle, but a man who has also, given voice to our country’s leagues and international activities.

Sports is a significant sector that comprises emotion, tension, happiness, sadness even death and hope irrespective of the fact that it has the potential to feed many mouths. The sector cannot be compared to other Ministries with delayed bureaucracies and frustration of abilities. While in the civil service the head will rather submerge a growing talent for fear of power thrown, a coach who discovers a talent takes the credit for showcasing a star athelete discovered. Sports has been proven to generate revenue as well as attract public partnership which are all aimed at enhancing podium performance by the athletes.

Shehu Dikko’s business vision and wide participation in football contributed in making him the right candidate to place the sector in its expected level, increase the GDP of the country’s economy and equally be accountable with administrative roadmap for success.

The novelty match organised for him by his sports fans and League managers had the likes of Samson Siasia, Victor Ikpeba, Mutiu Adepoju, Dominic Iorfa, Ahmed Musa in attendance to share their joy with him as they displayed their talent with their foot.
Others that graced the occasion were Super Sports General Manager, Felix Nwogu, former and present Chairmen of House Committee on Sports, NFF President, NOC members and persons from across the globe. That singular act indicated a clear fact that Dikko can actually gather momentum with persons that can support his ideology to deliver as charged by the presidency.

However, the Chairman’s meekness to open his doors to all does not mean weakness neither does it mean that he has not commenced work officially. His work is more of brain tasking because ideas actually rule the world. I will boldly say that he has resumed work with like minds that will not only be on the same page with him but will as well be on success Guinness Book with him.

Felly Mammah N.
Press Officer (NSC).

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