LEFT BEHIND (Tadzhikistan, 2007)
Under the Soviet Union the autonomous soviet republic of Tadzhikistan was the leading producer of cotton. The privatisation and economic liberalisation that were introduced after independence were disastrous for individual farmers, who saw their incomes collapse. It was the starting signal for an exodus of trained agricultural personnel, who chiefly went to Kazakhstan and Russia to earn money to send home. The 800 million dollars that is sent home annually is desperately needed by the poorest land in Central Asia. But there is a down side, especially for the women who remain behind, caring for the children and the elderly and running the households – and who are respon-sible for the harvest. Mashid Mohadjerin portrays the women, children and elderly of Tadzhikistan. These are images of a life that is dominated by hard work – and waiting.
