It is rarely that I watch Uzbek content, but everything changed when this video popped on my YT recommendation page.

I've been closely watching Shirina's performances, and man, her voice is angelic.

Do check out her other videos!

Here are some of her performances on X Factor in case you're interested:

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBq9GsUpg3I

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3QCQxg8fV0

3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BFCSRL1J6U

4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwibPapOz84

5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQmYKJ0WR1U


Her personal YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@shirinaholmatova

2 out of 5 performances are where she sings Uzbek songs. This is so bold and daring. It is as though she is trying to beat Uzbek singers on their own turf. Not just a phenomenal singer, but also a fierce contestant.

POV

I walked into a restaurant earlier for takeout. I was in my everyday outfit—black sweatpants, light brown polo jacket, and my signature yellow beanie hat. The host asked me if I am a Yandex delivery guy who came to pick up an order. I wouldn’t blame the guy for mistaking me for Yandex Go given I was a bit shabby looking.

p.s. I actually wanna work as a Yandex driver for a day, undercover. It’s kind of a bucket list thing. Don’t be surprised if you get a driver with an accent one day

p.s.s Mad respect to all taxi drivers and delivery guys. Backbones of our economy

A quick sneak peek before the release

The podcast is testing well on the focus group so far

The program will be OFFLINE.

A gentle word of advice:

Quit playing identity politics.

It won't get you far in life, or in the afterlife (if that's what you believe in).

Regimes change, so do identities. What you call Uzbek or Russian will be XR-13 or some other code name in 200 years from now and all your petty games and bickering will have served nothing other than your own ego.

Your race, language, or religion is not what matters in the end. It is your intentions and actions that count.

If your intention is to spread division and hatred so that you can feel good about yourself, feel good about "owning or being something, you call out people for not speaking "your" language or not following "your" religion. This is evil and you are carrying it into this world.

Goodness is not in claiming your ethic group to be superior over another. Goodness is in loving and embracing each other and showing compassion.


(Gosh, I hate to be sounding like a preacher, but you guys are making me do it)


If you were any smarter, you would know we often don't get to pick our race, religion, or language. We just happen to be born into a family with its own tags (race, religion, or language) and we simply adopt them because they are the first points of reference in life, which we rely on for social navigation.

So, saying "don't speak Russian if you live in Uzbekistan" is absurd when the person you are saying it to may not have had a choice to begin with.

I see a lot of people commenting on the 'Fluent in Russian' part of the post. Let me elaborate a bit.

Yes we do live in Uzbekistan, where the primary language is Uzbek. But although the majority speaks Uzbek, there are still people whose main language is Russian, Tadjik, Kazakh etc. due to their or their parents' ethnicity. And that's why we still have public schools where subjects are taught in RUSSIAN, KARAKALPAK and TADJIK languages, among others.

How do you think they are supposed to learn English? Are they required to learn Uzbek first and then English? Why do things have to complicated rather than simplified?

To people complaining that all workplaces having the Russian proficiency requirement, don't worry, it's only one of the requirements for teaching Russian-speaking groups. Teachers instructing Uzbek groups don't have to know Russian in our school.

To people screaming ''milliy g'urur'' and ''defending national language'' I have a simple question: Why did you learn (or are learning) English, instead of sticking to Uzbek only?


This post doesn't intend to undermine the status of our national language or cause a conflict among different nationalities. It is just a vacancy post for an English teacher who can teach that Russian speaking minority in the region.

A word of advice from me: stop discrimination and get a life.

Peace ✌️

Let me end the language debate once and for all.

Nowhere in the Uzbek law it says you have to speak Uzbek if you are an Uzbek citizen.

If you want it to be a rule for Uzbek citizens to speak Uzbek in Uzbekistan regardless of ethnicity, (1) become an elected official, (2) introduce a law mandating Uzbek, (3) get enough votes in the senate and pass the law and (4) enforce it.

Unless it is in the law, whatever you say about some Uzbeks not speaking Uzbek in Uzbekistan is just your opinion. And I am thrilled to let you know no one gives a crap about your opinion.

Have a good night!