The main influence for the theme of our festival is that of "The Ancient Silk Road". This iconic trade route ran through Tajikistan over 2000 years ago, and the legacy of it's influence is still seen today.
We plan to embrace this theme as it is a world wide brand, one that symbolises the blending of cultures that helps to make Tajikistan and, in particular, Dushanbe so unique. With our partners TATO and the Institute of Entreupernership and Service we aim to bring the true experience of the Silk Road to the slopes of Victory Park.
Through the demonstration of ancient crafts such as Clay Sculpture and showcasing of traditional sport in Buzkashi we will aim to convey the journey not only through time, but through ever changing traditions and the new adventures that come from this.
With the full support of the Comittee for Youth, Sport and Tourism we are creating a true journey through time and at the same time promoting the new face of Tajikistans youth culture. We look forward to seeing you at Victory Park on October 6th from 10am in order to share the story with us.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Tajik Rally
I own an eight-year old car and it gives me a little bit of trouble. You might have a good idea what I go through, but in this part of the world cars seem to be made of tougher stuff. All over Dushanbe you can see ancient Soviet cars, trucks and things in between that seem just to have kept going forever. Patching over the rust and making do, I suppose that must have been what kept these guys going. Raising money for Habitat for Humanity as well as their own chosen charities, the seventeen teams on the Tajik Rally, raced from Munich to Dushanbe using cars that had to be both at least ten years old, and with a capacity of 1.2 litres or less. Apart from these small restrictions, the teams each had more or less total freedom to choose their routes. I suppose finding someone to do an engine rebuild in rural Georgia would be a great part of the adventure. This is a summary of the routes, apparently.
Just as the rally was coming to a finish, we met up with Hugh, the race organiser to see if they'd like to have a presence at the festival. If you're going to travel from Central Europe to Central Asia, you're pretty much on your own Silk Road adventure, so we thought we'd try and get these folks on board, maybe display the unaccountably clean looking cars that dragged through.
Part of the whole project, though, was that the cars would be sold in Tajikistan as soon as they arrived, and the proceeds donated to Habitat for Humanity, and the competitors were heading back soon after arriving, with a little relaxation time in Dushanbe. That suited us pretty well, and we joined them at their welcome party at Orash for a couple of beers/colas. A really cracking bunch, they were nearly as diverse as we were, and had a really interesting experience getting here. Definitely have to get them on board for next year!
By Andy Gra
Tajik Business Woman of the Year 2012
Friday 7th September 2012
6pm
Whilst in Tajikistan we have met a large number of kind and interesting people. One of these people is Vicky Fletcher who we met at the beginning of the week of 3rd September.Vicky Fletcher is a VSO volunteer working in Tajikistan as an advisor on small and medium business development, placed with the National Association of Business Women in Tajikistan.
'Farah' - Tajik Business Woman of the Year 2012 was Vicky's last major responsibility in Tajikistan before her time here came to an end, and she invited the VSO ICS volunteers to help out at the prestigious event at the Hyatt Hotel.
We were delighted to be involved in such a special charitable event and spent the night helping on reception, signing guests in and showing them to their tables.
The VSO volunteers had a great night and were really interested to observe and learn from the way the event was run in such a professional way. We hope to deliver the same level of professionalism and enjoyment to our guests at Rangobarang Festival!
6pm
Whilst in Tajikistan we have met a large number of kind and interesting people. One of these people is Vicky Fletcher who we met at the beginning of the week of 3rd September.Vicky Fletcher is a VSO volunteer working in Tajikistan as an advisor on small and medium business development, placed with the National Association of Business Women in Tajikistan.
'Farah' - Tajik Business Woman of the Year 2012 was Vicky's last major responsibility in Tajikistan before her time here came to an end, and she invited the VSO ICS volunteers to help out at the prestigious event at the Hyatt Hotel.
We were delighted to be involved in such a special charitable event and spent the night helping on reception, signing guests in and showing them to their tables.
The VSO volunteers had a great night and were really interested to observe and learn from the way the event was run in such a professional way. We hope to deliver the same level of professionalism and enjoyment to our guests at Rangobarang Festival!
Nigel Mills Meeting
A day with Mr Nigel Mills, our guest from the UK
Today
was one of the most rewarding and successful days for our team and for VSO so
far. Along with other VSO volunteers and staff, we met with Nigel Mills, a
British Member of Parliament who, as well as being a member of the ruing
coalition, is himself a VSO volunteer.
During
a relaxed and informal meeting, we discussed our future plans for a “Silk Road”
festival, and also Mr Mills’ experience of Tajikistan, which he has found very
friendly and hospitable. With his experience in working internationally and in
the business sector, Mr Mills offered very valuable advice on our planning for
the festival. We noted that despite his position and status, he was very modest
and open, and was always ready to speak to anyone, language barrier or not!
The British volunteers shared their feelings on the London Olympics as did Mr Mills.
The First Fundraiser
Saturday 18th August 2012
11am
In order to generate funds for the festival, the fundraising committee took it upon themselves to arrange a garage sale. The sale was made possible by VSO Tajikistan country director Catherine Hine, who donated a large majority of her own household items in preparation for her departure from her role in Tajikistan.
The Garage Sale was held in Catherine's own backyard where tables were set up and an array of items including books Dvds, clothes and utensils were placed. Signs led the way to Catherine's house and the team took turns taking to the streets to persuade people to come to the sale.
By 12pm Catherine's backyard was full of interested people looking for a bargain and the sale was well underway. The marketing team took the chance to talk to those who came to the sale in order to garner more views on the festival and what would encourage people to come to it. This feedback proved invaluable as we moved forward with the creation of Rangobarang Festival.
Derek Bethom also made an appearance in preparation for his assumption of the country director role.
The day was an overwhelming success, with over 1,500 somoni raised to go directly towards funding the festival. In addition to the charitable benefit, we also gained the highly important ideas of our festival's target audience and had our first experience with the buzzing expat community.
11am
In order to generate funds for the festival, the fundraising committee took it upon themselves to arrange a garage sale. The sale was made possible by VSO Tajikistan country director Catherine Hine, who donated a large majority of her own household items in preparation for her departure from her role in Tajikistan.
The Garage Sale was held in Catherine's own backyard where tables were set up and an array of items including books Dvds, clothes and utensils were placed. Signs led the way to Catherine's house and the team took turns taking to the streets to persuade people to come to the sale.
By 12pm Catherine's backyard was full of interested people looking for a bargain and the sale was well underway. The marketing team took the chance to talk to those who came to the sale in order to garner more views on the festival and what would encourage people to come to it. This feedback proved invaluable as we moved forward with the creation of Rangobarang Festival.
Derek Bethom also made an appearance in preparation for his assumption of the country director role.
The day was an overwhelming success, with over 1,500 somoni raised to go directly towards funding the festival. In addition to the charitable benefit, we also gained the highly important ideas of our festival's target audience and had our first experience with the buzzing expat community.
Monday, September 17, 2012
International Youth Day 2012
We relish the opportunity to spend time in the local community to promote our festival, volunteering and self development and get to know Tajikistan a little better. International Youth Day was therefore a great chance for us to meet young Tajiks who were interested in volunteering and to talk to them about the opportunity to volunteer with VSO and other organizations.
As part of International Youth Day 2012, the VSO ICS Volunteers were invited to participate in the Youth Fair held by the U.N in collaboration with VSO. The fair was held in Junior Cinema and opened by British Ambassador Mr Robin Ord-Smith . It was our first public appearance and we were all in high spirits; excited to spread the virutes of volunteering!
One of our major tasks was to help make the day go smoothly by helping with admin duties. During the day we grabbed any chance we could to chat to young visitors about working in Tajikistan as an ICS volunteer and how we were benefitting from the experience.
After the workshop we were able to reflect upon what had been a massively succesful day and a great start to our time in Tajikistan.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
The Vision
Why a festival?
Rangobarang festival has been created with one overarching goal: to increase inclusive economic development within the beautiful Capital City of Dushanbe.
In creating Rangobarang Festival, VSO volunteers aim, together with the City of Dushanbe, The Committee for Youth, Sport and Tourism and The Tajik Association for Promotion of Tourism Development to encourage more expats and tourists to celebrate the past, present and future of Dushanbe in order to increase spending in this unique city. In turn, the festival will help to improve the livlihoods of disadvantaged people.
We hope that the success and learning from our festival can be built upon so that the festival can be repeated each year, and becomes a regular feature in Dushanbe's calendar; providing opportunities in the future.
Why 'Rangobarang'?
What is VSO and what is the ICS Programme about?
This year VSO Tajikistan was awarded the International Citizenship Service (ICS) programme. The initiative is supported by DfID and championed by the British Prime Minister himself. ICS enables young people aged 18-25 to volunteer on community development projects and strengthen co-operation and friendship between UK and other countries, including in Tajikistan.
Rangobarang festival has been created with one overarching goal: to increase inclusive economic development within the beautiful Capital City of Dushanbe.
In creating Rangobarang Festival, VSO volunteers aim, together with the City of Dushanbe, The Committee for Youth, Sport and Tourism and The Tajik Association for Promotion of Tourism Development to encourage more expats and tourists to celebrate the past, present and future of Dushanbe in order to increase spending in this unique city. In turn, the festival will help to improve the livlihoods of disadvantaged people.
We hope that the success and learning from our festival can be built upon so that the festival can be repeated each year, and becomes a regular feature in Dushanbe's calendar; providing opportunities in the future.
Why 'Rangobarang'?
The word 'Rangobarang' is Tajik for 'multicoloured' and represents the multifaceted nature of the festival's themes and goals. 'Rangobarang' encapsulates the spirit of international cooperation between Tajik and British volunteers so important to the success of the festival. The name also represents the fusion of tradition and vibrant cultures that remain so integral to Tajikistan; a country whose modernity has been determined in part by it's Silk Road past.
What is VSO and what is the ICS Programme about?
VSO is a charitable organisation that works in 32 countries around the globe. In Tajikistan VSO was registered in 2008 and works through experienced volunteers, who build the capacity of VSO local partners in various areas such as tourism, business, marketing, organizational development, social work, etc. VSO’s work in Tajikistan is focused on ‘inclusive economic development’ that allows it to reach marginalised groups including youth.
This year VSO Tajikistan was awarded the International Citizenship Service (ICS) programme. The initiative is supported by DfID and championed by the British Prime Minister himself. ICS enables young people aged 18-25 to volunteer on community development projects and strengthen co-operation and friendship between UK and other countries, including in Tajikistan.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
The Rangobarang Festival
Welcome to the Home Page of Rangobarang Festival!
6th October 2012 at The Serena Hotel, Dushanbe
Rangobarang Festival is a brand new Silk Road themed Festival coming to Dushanbe.
Created by a mix of Tajik and British VSO ICS Volunteers, the festival will be a celebration of Tajik culture from a unique and exciting perspective. Expect food, drink, music, crafts, interaction and even a camel!
Visit the Official Rangobarang Twitter Page to keep up to date with the latest news: https://twitter.com/RangobarangFest6th October 2012 at The Serena Hotel, Dushanbe
Rangobarang Festival is a brand new Silk Road themed Festival coming to Dushanbe.
Created by a mix of Tajik and British VSO ICS Volunteers, the festival will be a celebration of Tajik culture from a unique and exciting perspective. Expect food, drink, music, crafts, interaction and even a camel!
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