Kyrgyzstan: Germans Fading Away on Central Asian Steppe

Eurasianet ^ | November 8, 2011 | Nate Schenkkan

[cunning_fish]

Amid commemorations marking 70 years since the 1941 deportation of the Russian Germans to Central Asia, there is a palpable sense that the community is disappearing. In Bishkek, roughly 30 people gather each Sunday to pray at the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Empty seats are abundant in a room that once was routinely filled to overflowing. Although the pastor is from Germany, services for the past 10 years have been held in Russian. Congregants say perhaps one-third of the worshippers have any German heritage, and only a handful can speak the language. According to the German Language Center in Bishkek, a partner of the German government-funded Goethe Institute in Almaty, approximately 250 ethnic Germans from across Kyrgyzstan are currently taking language lessons. “The main goal of these groups is no longer to prepare to immigrate to Germany, but not to lose their language and their culture,” said Ainagul Atakaeva, the center’s director. Geinrich Schindler is among the remaining Germans who tries to maintain a strong cultural connection, even though his grasp of the language is now tenuous. Born in Kyrgyzstan to Russian German parents, he grew up speaking German at home, and still talked about “meine mutter” as he recounted his life story.

[Perdogg]

ping

[Tainan]

Not really very surprising. Many immigrant groups tend to dissolve after a number of years pass.
The U.S.A. is full of such areas and communities that once were enclaves of non-English speaking immigrants that are now remembered only by neighborhood and street names and buildings that once reflected the heritage of the immigrants.
All things pass.

[mosesdapoet]

Is this a reference to the Volga Deutch ?

[cunning_fish]

Not exactly. Kyrgizstan is closer to Afghanistan and Iran than it is to Volga.

[mosesdapoet]

During her reign Catherine the II, known as The Great, (German) Empress of all Russia (after she had Pete’s kid Pete the duce wacked) encouraged Germans to settle in the Volga region because of their productivity as farmers.They were known as the Volga Deutch. With the onset of WWII Stalin resettled most of them beyond the Caucsus and that included Kyrgisstan as well as Siberia.

[SunkenCiv]

GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach	join list or digest view topics view or post blog bookmark post a topic subscribe
Thanks Perdogg. Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.

[Stonewall Jackson]

FYI

[Cossak]

All Kirghizian industry was built on USSR budget money and was part of USSR economy. After dissolving USSR their economy collapsed local nationals became hostile and Russian-speaking folks moved to other places. Just like in other post-USSR Stans