I consider myself lucky- I never suffered from the post-Azerbaijani-education-system-stress-disorder!

I consider myself lucky. Why?! Well, because I didn't have to suffer from post-Azerbaijani- universities- stress- disorder and the country's long outdated education system. I consider myself lucky, because I took my exams, I got good grades, I never had to pay a penny. I consider myself lucky, I had a parent who too was a professor but who never took a bribe. And I am proud I am his daughter. I cannot even imagine how children of school teachers and university professors feel when they carry the heavy burden over their shoulders of parents who take money every day (that is if they care of course). I consider myself lucky, I never had to endure the unwillingness and disinterest of people who supposedly become teachers because they want to teach (not sure what is there to teach but a bad lesson over and over, every day. Yes, well done, one thing our students learn is currency conversions while the rest of important life equations remain on the pages of books that no one even reads these days). I consider myself lucky, because hearing horrid stories from my friends and cousins who were studying back home, reminded me of how privileged I was for having the chance of actually learning something new every day. 

I consider myself lucky, I was allowed to think, to analyze, to create, to procrastinate when I was at the school. My time was spent in libraries, talking to professors, discussing new opportunities and most importantly being encouraged. Encouraged to read more, to ask challenging questions, to write critical and alternative papers. 

Azerbaijan's corrupted education system is not a surprise. The fact that students are obliged (yes! obliged) to pay bribes to pass exams isn't big news (otherwise, not paying a bribe requires painful fights and lower grades). We all know, in Azerbaijan anything is possible, including a pre-paid diploma. And while many students complain about this, nothing seem to change. Education establishments remain indifferent- because everyone is happy to make an extra penny, even if its at the expense of poor parents who are barely surviving, let alone need to cover the bribes of their children. 

So, when several hundred students of the Baku State University (allegedly one of the most corrupted education establishments in Azerbaijan) decided to finally raise their voices, the provost- Abel Maharramov decided to make a point! No one, not him, not anyone at the school is going to put up with the capricious behavior of "few"students [AZ] who are not even Baku State University students! 

Yes, I consider myself lucky because I never had a conversation with any of my professors or the provost telling me that "had I given the money, I would have passed the exam!"or that "I should keep quiet, otherwise no one would even find the trace of me". 

Well, we all know the trace Mr. Maharramov is leaving behind...

Azerbaijan, country of contrasts

My home is a country of contrasts. Here in Azerbaijan, achieved scholars and writers are stripped of their rights and honors as quickly as one would buy bread at the market. The moment it doesn't go down too well with the so- called democratic leadership, your years of work and commitment are tossed away in a moment.

Opposition leaders, organizers, advocates, get detained, thrown into jail with no further notice (also with an amazingly high speed), while those of "their own kind" get the safe treatment and "kindness" even if they have done something worth a life sentence. 

Your pockets and bank accounts can grow as quickly as your status if you are good with handing out bribes, at times losing your identity, or simply keeping your eyes, mouth and ears shut to the reality existing outside of the bubble. But there is no guarantee, everything can disappear swiftly. One day you are rich and famous, another you are a nobody.

Its leadership, close cronies and allies want to be rich, but spare their nickles and dimes when the time comes to share. Humanly values are of no value, but as long as their benefits at stake, suddenly values become their sole weapon. Honesty by all means, exists on dusted pages of our constitution, hidden somewhere far from sight. 

While many of our villages lack basic infrastructure Azerbaijani businessmen invest in multimillion projects, but not for the sake of the people. Its all about upscale market, the rich and the filthy rich. And as these filthy rich sip from their glasses its the little boys and girls who carry on dreaming of a school, with heating, electricity, toilets, running water and a bribes free education. 

It is ok, that the magazines like Baku, feature ads for Tom Ford, Burberry, Dior and Celine stores that enrich the shopping scene in the capital of Baku. After all, people need a choice and this is the kind of freedom of choice Azerbaijani rich value. 

Once upon a time there was a dream for this country, to have a democratic state, with equal rights and freedoms granted to its people, with prospering economy with revenues intended for its people and the future generations. But that was a long time ago. Is it finally time to forget that dream, or is there a hope? I sure would like to believe so...

What we teach our kids

In Azerbaijan the number one target group intended (for best purposes only) for government propaganda is students. Especially young ones, who have no idea whats going on, and who have disinterested, afraid, inattentive or simply careless parents to teach them, tell them, explain them, guide them otherwise. And so it should come as no surprise, that Azerbaijani kids, from their very young age are told that if it wasn't for the late President Heydar Aliyev, Azerbaijan would be... pretty much nonexistent or a rotten hole. 

This is the short story from the first grade textbook.

Basically the story is about this little girl (but more of a conversation between this little girl and someone who is old enough to be the girl's grandmother), whose name is Mehriban (I don't have to remind you who goes by this name in Azerbaijan) and Heydar Aliyev (nor do I need to remind you of who he was) and the importance of their names. But here comes the silver-lining, at the very end, the story takes on a twist, "It is thanks to Heydar Aliyev's strength that our Azerbaijan is nourishing. And that is why our nation will always remember him fondly". 

Its interesting how the story went from explaining the meaning of the name Mehriban and Haydar, to suddenly finding the girl looking at the statue of Haydar Aliyev and lastly praising him. I wonder if every story in this textbook has this kind of a twist.

***

Systematic brainwashing (though at this stage of learning curve, calling this brainwashing would be wrong I suppose) that starts at that age, is bound to bring success in the future. The end result- generations of brainwashed (and this would be the right time to use this word) people, programmed to function under existing conditions, without questioning anything and only saying what needs to be said in certain moments. 

And then there is of course the condition of our education system. Though calling it condition would do it no justice, since there is a much better word for it- a syndrome. Its sick and its dying of cancer in the form of bribery and old Soviet style teaching. 

But then who says anybody is dying, all is good in the la-la-land of la-la-president on the shores of the la-la-sea. And everyone who lives there is happy...

2+2= 5 or how Azerbaijan Ministry of Education sees the future?

We all know that 2+2= 4 but what if your life depended on the answer you gave? This short movie below questions the authority, the fear, and conformity of young students at a school during a math class. 

Lesson learned? We often underestimate the importance of education. We stop caring about the quality, the ethics and impact. Certainly in Azerbaijan this has been the case. Once upon a time there was a country that attached grave importance to education, unfortunately, this is not the case anymore.

So let this short film serve as a reminder to our Ministry of Education, because surely, this is the future it wants to see in Azerbaijan! Or how else can it explain the levels of corruption at our schools and universities?

What are human rights?- new education video initiative

A new initiative by OL (To Be) Youth Movement presents their first video titled "What are Human Rights?". The video is in Azerbaijani with English subtitles.

Well done guys!

Why we should strive to be better...

"... lets be clear, we are not comparing like with like" wrote Neelie Kroes on her personal blog reflecting on this past week's IGF held in Baku while referring to some of the EU member states as Hungary, Bulgaria, and Greece where freedom of expression issues are also present. Indeed, we are not and should not compare like with like, especially when that "like" has to do with which country has worse human rights record or more journalists facing bogus imprisonment charges.

Azerbaijan is no Pakistan yes, where recently a 14 year old school girl blogged about the difficulties at her school under the Taliban regime and got a shot in a head for that (this is not to say we should forget Elmar Huseynov's case, who too was brutally murdered on the door steps into his apartment in 2005). 

For all the critical remarks, statements and comments voiced during the conference there is a lesson to be learned for those who speak of the reality in Azerbaijan and for the Azerbaijani government. We, Azerbaijanis, living in and outside of Azerbaijan must continue telling the truth about the situation on the ground with regard to human rights, net freedom, freedom of expression, political prisoners, and prisoners of conscience. We must continue discussing the difficulties the country's citizens face as a result of lack of "generosity" of the country's greedy officials (lets not start debating which official owns how much). Azerbaijani government, should stop comparing itself to country's that are doing much worse in any of the above mentioned aspects and realize that counter arguing international reports that only state the obvious when it comes to human rights record or the state of the free press damages already shaken image of a country that once was a promising land of freedom, equality and liberty.

Why strive to be better? Well, one message to the authorities is to accept and try to improve rather than shrug it off. Why? Wouldn't be so much better when for once something positive is written about Azerbaijan? Why not improve the situation? Why not strive to be a better country?

What I saw during IGF was that Azerbaijan's government representatives actually do not understand the importance of hosting such important and global events. We might be the "Dubai of the Caucasus", we might have high-end boutiques selling non-affordable (at least for most of the Azerbaijanis) products, we might have construction boom but its not something to talk about during a venue as IGF nor it is a place to tell its visitors to enjoy the PRed-Eurovision-flashy videos while forgetting (or not considering?!) to provide translators (to Azerbaijani) for the opening session and boasting of the development of its ICT sector while failing to provide fast internet connection at an internet focused forum.

It is also not a place to prove anything. The majority of participants and speakers at IGF already knew the situation in the country. Watching short promo videos on Azerbaijan wont form their opinion. Few statements on how things are perfectly fine in the country wont convince them. If proving and convincing is the case, then why is it that every time someone from the government or pro- government raised a question in the audience or made a remark quickly disappeared from the room never staying for after discussion after the sessions (essentially showing that none of things said matter because they don't care because they refuse to accept)? 

I understand that its difficult to accept ones faults and weaknesses. But things can, should and must be improved. Instead of claiming to have free access to Internet why not assure and guarantee Azerbaijani citizens, advocates, activists freedom of expression? Why issue bogus arrest warrants? These people would not write what they write if things were as perfect as officials describe! 

Looking ahead, and trying to think positively, perhaps Azerbaijani state officials will take this forum as an opportunity to sort itself out (which doesn't mean to arrest more journalists, shut bloggers up, and take other terrible measures against advocates). We must be better! We could be better! We need to be better! We need to be building future while not destroying the wealth we have! We don't need Guccis, Burberrys and Dolce&Gabbanas. We need uncorrupted education. We need smarter spending measures. We need to work on our reputation and we need to start now. Perhaps, the first step would be to release imprisoned journalists and let them do their job?! 

IGF2012 is over, but the difficult situation in Azerbaijan isn't. So I am also asking international actors, organizations and representatives who were here this past week, don't forget of your promises and don't give up on Azerbaijan. There is still hope...

Who cares about average pensioner in Azerbaijan when he/she can die knowing there is White City

Yes, we've done reforming, we've done changing, our people live in prosperity and all they need is Baku White City project because there is nothing else they want more. 

Azerbaijan of 1918, 2012 and the future

Google images

"Its over now, calm down" said a Twitter user in response to my tweets about democracy issues in Azerbaijan during the final night of Eurovision song contest. Neglecting the reality is an easy way today in Azerbaijan and been this way for the last few years. Its easier to dust it off your shoulders and simply go with the flow. Its easy because you are untouched. Its easy because getting involved in the struggle for democracy, human rights, and freedom of expression puts you one step closer to a prison cell. It makes you the enemy of the state and puts you on the list of "wanted people". Sometimes I imagine that if it was a scene from one of the Westerns there will be small posters all over town pinned to the walls of buildings, coffee shops and restaurants with photos of activists, organizers and outspoken figures all with "WANTED" printed on them.

Its tiring to see constant criticisms of a country that could have potentially be the beacon of hope, the country rich in oil and gas resources with prospering life standards, well paid jobs for all, equality, free press and much more. But its not. And its unfortunate. Azerbaijan, today, though once a democratic state of 1918 is a corrupted, authoritarian, undemocratic state. Its current leadership and the ruling family has no respect to its past and especially to those two very significant years of our history. In fact, the name of the person who played an important role in bringing about this democratic state to life is systematically neglected. A spot where a statue should have been erected to M.E. Rasulzade is home to yet another fountain. And thats what is more important for Azerbaijani authorities than its history- fountains, parks, glamor and bling. 

Google images

In fact, just like many other things, history in Azerbaijan is used and referred to only at moments when it suits certain interests and when it comes to certain issues. But alas we speak of 1918 democratic state. We choose to butter up certain individuals when talking about them than pay our respects to leaders of the past. We choose to spend thousands or millions on imported flowers when celebrating a birthday of the late president than face the truth and do something about it. 

What we as people of Azerbaijan are failing at as a mass is making sure we have healthy, educated generations to take care of this country once there is no more oil and gas. What we have now is uneducated large portion of young society living in a lala land, disconnected from the world, sucked in to the vicious circle of devastating outcomes of being uneducated. Moreover we are raising generations who have little knowledge about people like Rasulzade and the significance of May 28th. We must change the way we think! We must work to raise educated generations and prevent further societal degradation.

Azerbaijan and Eurovision (post no. 19098942093)

Here is a piece of gossip you probably missed watching Eurovision today. A young man, by the name of Rauf Mardiyev sent me a tweet calling me "brainwashed" and "stupid" (indirectly that is, through his tweets) following tweets being sent out throughout the last give or take few years about Azerbaijan, its poor democratic and human rights record, not to mention issues and problems existing with free press, and freedom to speak one's mind. It turns out, Azerbaijan's democracy is limited to only praises and words of gratitude because when it comes to criticism its not all ok. 

Translation: @arzugeybulla Will you write anything positive about this #Eurovision? Why don't you understand (your brain doesn't take it literally), what you are doing is damaging #Azerbaijan in the first place

Now, personally I would love to raise praising words when it comes to Azerbaijan, was there a democracy I would be the first to say cheers! Would there be free press and respect for Azerbaijani journalists, I would be the first to say cheers! But Rauf, as long as none of this exists, people continue going through corrupted universities and schools, patients continue to pay bribes in hospitals and fail to receive proper health care there is nothing to praise this country for. Of course, we might have different perceptions of praise- as you say "thousands like you" see Azerbaijan as a shining beacon of whatever it is that you see it to be but as I have said it already earlier today, I am going to repeat it again- WAKE UP! 

Yes, Eurovision brought us the Crystal Hall, but at what costs? I much rather prefer couple of hundreds thousands spent on our very own pensioners, on the costs of drugs they need to get, make it free or at least equally accessible for all among so many things that could be done to make lives of Azerbaijani people better.

Yes, it is also true that Eurovision brought us the city beautification, but again, at what costs? So you don't care about those Azerbaijanis who still have no water, gas, or electricity constantly running in their homes in villages all the while you and the tens of thousands like you prefer watching Eurovision and indulge yourself in wealth that is not equally distributed, nor equally accessible to other young people like you. 

If you think there is something good to say about Eurovision then talk about illegal evictions our government carried out. You should also talk about beaten, arrested journalists in prisons. Or, wait, I know, you should praise our country for blackmailing, it does it really well. 

You might be one of the hundreds of thousands but the value and weight of spoken truth is so much more than the people like you. You are trying to tell a story backwards but what you are failing to see is that the story was already told, many times and just like me, people who know, know... So if you think that by sending me few tweets as the one above, calling me brainwashed I am going to be ashamed of my actions and become a "different" person then you are mistaken (in fact, I am not sure all together why you send me tweets to this day, didn't way close this subject a while ago when you continuously decided for some reason to take up your issues with me as if I am the only person who writes about our inspirational country?). I choose honesty over whatever it is you live and propagate for.

Maybe after watching this report on Azerbaijan (watch on BBC) you will at least stop harassing me on Twitter. Peace out!

Here are the rest of the tweets we exchanged after the initial one: 

"Baku- city of future"

Inspired by movies like Minority Report, Star Wars and if not more, this new ad about Baku is yet another insane investment project aimed at changing old Baku or at least what is left of it completely. Indeed a country once known as land of fires, will only remain in old photographs and documentaries just like in this video ad. I wonder, will the new technologies in City Administration make it work better or yet in fact, actually do work? Will computerized education make teachers stop taking bribes? 

When will we finally understand that it is not the technology or high rise glass buildings or fancy roller coaster rides that make one country the future. The change must come within, no matter how many buildings you construct or introduce online learning, the rotten system will remain rotten. 

If we are talking about a real change, then why not make a video about Azerbaijani regions having gas and electricity and sewage systems? Why not show better schools where students will actually have heating and proper bathrooms? Why not show corrupted leaders pay for everything they have stolen? Why not show a real city of the future? 

You be the judge... Is this the city of future you want? 

New promo video on Azerbaijan

It all sounds so perfect and pink.

The School of Authentic Journalism 2012

I wrote about my experience at the J-School last year. You can too become a part of this unforgettable experience this coming year. So if you are interested, please follow the following link on more application related details. You can also e-mail the following address to request an application package: 2012applicaton@narconews.com

Deadline is December 28th, so don't miss out. The application is also available in Spanish which you can request from the same e-mail provided above. 

Good luck and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to e-mail me.

A reality check...

My last two visits to Brussels  shaped up a rather clear vision of where EU stands in its relation to our region and Azerbaijan in particular. Conclusion drawn: my country, nor this region is a number one priority for international institutions, at least not when their interests are not at stake.

In a way, I am thankful to the honesty I saw in Brussels and yet I am frustrated at the same time. EU's biggest concert at the moment is the monetary crisis (surprise! surprise!). That is all parliament members talk about (more or less) and all they really care. Any discussion outside of this issue- including currently popular topics like visa- free travel/ visa facilitation are not of interest, let alone talk and lobbying on democracy building, human rights, freedom of expression and more.

In case of Azerbaijan, the situation is even clearer- "as long as Azerbaijan has oil and gas, no 'sticks' would be used" as having heating in their homes, is just as fair and a human right for every European citizen relying on Azerbaijan's natural resources (so who cares if people get arrested when Europeans are warm in their homes). 

To my surprise, things got even better, when during one of the meetings, a speaker suggested looking at all mighty mother Russia and asking for "democratic sticks" on its behalf towards Azerbaijan, especially as Europe will continue its cooperation with Azerbaijan no matter what.

For so many times now, I have been hearing the very same tune, that Azerbaijan presents a challenge and not an easy one. This challenge however, is not about improving the overall situation in the country and pushing the local government towards more democracy but rather to play it so well, that Azerbaijan is not pissed off and doesn't suddenly cut back its oil and gas delivery. As one of the officials mentioned "Azerbaijan makes it difficult for us to apply stricter rules because of oil and gas and that is a fact".

Yes, facts are facts, and reality is what it is. What is not clear is the whole basis and philosophy of such institutions. If European Neighborhood Policy is all about stability, prosperity and democracy, why then officials in Europe prefer looking the other way, only to resemble the "three wise monkeys"? 

Facts are facts, reality is what it is. If Azerbaijan is going to change, this change must and ought only come from within. The question is, will it be possible. Lets hope it is, sooner than later...

'Caucasus Triangle'

Few days ago, I was in Brussels for work. My visit coincided with the II Youth Convention on Volunteering that you can read more about here. Held at the main entrance of the EU Parliament, Convention hosted more than 1500 young people. 

I was lucky to participate at one of the workshops held on the last day of the convention. It was a film screening of a short documentary about the Caucasus prepared by a talented and bright woman Letizia Gambini. The documentary looks at youth, media, and democracy processes in all three Caucasus countries- Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. I was there as a guest speaker to talk about currently pressing issues, gender rights, youth rights and etc. after the movie ended. It was a fruitful discussion as we talked about issues ranging from human rights violations to gender equality, visa issues and more.

Overall, this trip to Brussels showed me how little is known about the Caucasus let alone its issues. Strange and ironic in a way especially since we vest so much hope in these higher European institutions for support and understanding and yet it is only a small fraction that is aware of the issues, problems, and difficulties these countries are facing. 

There is so much more that needs to be done to raise more awareness and attention to our region...

Free Thought University (Azad Fikir Universiteti)

An outstanding project. The video below is compilation of different voices and opinions about the university. You can read more about the school here. 

Azerbaijan's never ending insane development projects

If Azerbaijan was a place where people lived in full equality, where journalists had their full rights, where social welfare was at its best and everything was just fine, I would have probably applauded this project. But in a country where minimum salaries can't cover living costs and where freedom of expression, human rights, social protection programs, education, health care and other services are literally collapsing this is for sure a waste of money. And don't tell me Azerbaijani people need this- what Azerbaijani citizen living in a a village in Lenkoran needs, is a proper sewage system, heating and electricity, not to mention a salary and conditions good enough to keep his/her family happy and healthy. Perhaps instead of commissioning these over-the-top initiatives, our respective bodies of governance should channel this money to at least some of the multiple problems that actually are more important at this point than building an Olympic Stadium?!

Are you a good citizen journalist?

Recently, NDI and the Lebanese NGO ASWAT organized a training in Beirut on "Citizen Journalism, Professionalism and Ethics". At the end of the training, a code of ethics for citizen journalists was established. And here it is (you can also visit this website, to access the code in Arabic and French):

I would like to thank the Global Voices Team and in particular Collins for sharing this with all the other GV authors.

Caspian Sea

Came across this video earlier today on Facebook. The band is called Brazzaville and the song "Caspian Sea". Enjoy!

Azerbaijan in the shadow of the hijab

Azerbaijan and its authorities keep a tight lid on many things, among these is religion. This is an article I wrote recently for Osservatorio on new developments evolving around religion, religious dress and arrest of the leader of the Islamic Party. 

Here is a short excerpt from that article. The full version is available here:

On 10 December, the Minister of Education in Azerbaijan, Misir Mardanov, announced the introduction of a ban on headscarves in schools. While many have criticized this move, authorities claim that it is in line with the existing law on school uniforms. “The law […] clearly states that you have to go to school in a uniform and that all other forms of clothing are unacceptable”, the minister told a local news outlet, APA, dismissing claims that the ministry’s decision limits or restricts people’s freedom of religion.

Whether simply a matter of uniforms or something else entirely, the statement spurred heated debate across the country. The actual intentions behind the move have so far left many questions and unsatisfied parents, not to mention many young girls who must now face a choice: keeping their headscarf but leaving school, or the other way around.

The view from above

Despite mass protests  in Baku and across the country  (which also involved burning  of the Minister of Education’s picture), the ministry is determined to stick to its decision given this is not the first time that the headscarves-in-school issue has appeared in Azerbaijan. Just a few years ago (in 2007) a high school student was suspended for a week for wearing a religious headscarf but was allowed to come back to school after protests in the country’s second largest city, Sumgayit.

In addition, officials at the Ministry of Education consider headscarves a violation of basic rights, especially if a student as young as six or seven is obliged to cover her head on parental orders. Comparing the hijab to honor, an idea chanted by many protestors during the protests, is also wrong according to pro-government political analyst Mubraiz Ahmedoglu. Ahmedoglu claimed in apress statement , “it is unethical to associate the concept of honor with the issue of schoolgirls wearing the hijab […] It makes uncovered women in Azerbaijan seem dishonest, does it not? […]”.

There are also fears that unless strict rules are introduced to curb the wearing of religious dress, including hijabs, in public schools, it will just be a matter of time before separate schools for boys and girls are introduced in Azerbaijan.

...

Teaching loyalism

I came across this image on Facebook. Taken at one of the schools in Azerbaijan, students demonstrate their "love and loyalty" to Heydar Aliyev. I wonder what they teach these kids at school?! 

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1821591339331

&set=a.1426637905742.59856.1226618491