Uzbek Children
You notice right away that Uzbekistan is a “young” country. Children are all over the place. Some claim that up to 45% of the population is under 15 years of age (UNDP human development report 2004). Chidren are everywhere and in many cases one only notices them when children live on the streets, work on the markets or beg you for money. But they also play, have fun and can get on your nerves pretty much if you don’t take your time to understand them.
In Samarkand I started thinking about a way to take pictures of children who play on the street, without having to ask them. At some point I figured out a good way which is actually exremely simple. You just have to take out the camera and take pictures of something. If there are kids around, they will spot you and ask you to photograph them. Funny thing is. They do pretty much the same things I did when I was a kid and somone took a picture of me. These are details like the donkey or rabbit ears (the V-sign with your hand behind the head of your friend) and that children like to be either completely cool or dead serious.
Well, the photos are staged but still show a lot of the way the kids see themselves:
Four boys in front of a car
![](http://static.flickr.com/40/102922971_f1b01fff88.jpg?v=0"/)
Children can be nasty
Coolness counts
The old and young Uzbekistan
on March 30th, 2006 at 4:28 pm
Why am I wondering that there are only boys playing on the streets there?
on March 30th, 2006 at 8:07 pm
Wrong, there are also girls playing on the streets. But boys (and men) have much more the wish to produce themselves
on March 30th, 2006 at 9:37 pm
The chances are that these are in fact TAJIK children (if photos are taken in Samarkand). I see only a couple of Uzbeks (those who look east asian).
on March 31st, 2006 at 4:32 am
Nice photos by the way!
on March 31st, 2006 at 3:43 pm
Ok, I should have called it then Central Asian children. Would this be a good compromise Tajik boy?
on April 1st, 2006 at 2:49 am
Tajik Boy,do not play that song here at least!
on April 3rd, 2006 at 4:03 pm
Rumil, No offence, but you know it is the truth…Tajiks mainly live in Samarkand and Bukhoro. I have been there and seen it. They call themselves Tajik, not Uzbek so we should at least respect their will. You realize this site does not necessarily reflect Uzbek GOV propaganda.
on April 3rd, 2006 at 5:12 pm
night eulen,
that sounds generic enough not to hurt anyone’s feelings I suppose.
on July 10th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
To tajik boy, yes they call themselves tajiks, but when it comes to their passport the iranian or tajiks never say thay they are tajiks or iranian.I do not know why maybe they are scared of going back to their native countries. By the way I am real Uzbek.