Madina Japarova came to Moscow 12 years ago to study at the at Moscow Humanitarian Institute named after E.R. Dashkova. Before that, she has already managed to master layout designer, photographer specialties, graduated from the Faculty of Journalism of the Osh State University in Kyrgyzstan and took the post of a deputy editor at a local newspaper. But she wanted to try her hand at directing.
Now, documentary films for Zvezda TV channel are being filmed under her leadership, not a single event of the Kyrgyz in Moscow is held without her participation: meetings of compatriots, feasts and etc. Sometimes she is a cameraperson, photographer and sometimes is just a representative of her next media project (Madina Japarova has 4 of them).
She told 24.kg news agency what her experiences and desire to improve the image of Kyrgyz migrants in Russia have led to.
— What films have you shot for Zvezda TV channel?
— I have been working as a director of the production studio at Zvezda TV channel since 2014. There are 15 people in our team. Almost all the documentary films on the channel is our work. Channel One, NTV and others buy our works. All the films are related to the military theme, that is why I cannot tell in detail about my work.
— Why did you decide to open a newspaper and an information portal for migrants?
— I was walking in the market in my free time. There were a lot of them in Moscow at that time. I saw Armenian women who were distributing newspapers among sellers. I asked for one and started asking who published it and why. It turned out that the local diaspora of Armenians distributes free newspapers among compatriots in their native language. Then I thought: Why is there no newspaper in Kyrgyz?
I knew that our migrants needed information and advice.
In those years, due to lack of information, many migrants were deceived by fraudsters and spent money on fake documents. But even those who had an official work permit, still came across the police, who threatened them and took the money.
Madina Japarova
I wanted to help, tell how to avoid trouble, how to protect their rights.
While thinking about the release of such a publication, I saw vacancies for an advertising newspaper of the Kyrgyz in Moscow. They needed a layout designer, a correspondent and a photographer. I sent my resume and started working.
Since then, I have been a regular participant of all the activities of the Kyrgyz in Moscow. I witness the successes, failures, tears and joys of our migrants.
Then we opened KruG studio. We shot short TV shows, commercials. This is my first project in Moscow. Then we created the social project Birge. Within the project, we published newspapers, had a website in Russian and Kyrgyz.
— Who sponsored your project?
— The editorial staff consisted of 10 people. We all considered it our duty to contribute to the development of our compatriots, to publish a newspaper in our native language. Therefore, we spent our own funds, because in parallel we worked in other places, there were advertisers. The newspaper with a circulation of 10,000 copies was distributed free of charge. Then the newspaper was closed, but the website is still working, helping migrants in search of work and housing.
In 2015, I opened Supara advertising website for companies of our compatriots in Moscow.
— Have you recently opened an online radio for migrants?
— Yes, this is my fourth project. Supara was presented in 2015, but it started working only this year. This is a YouTube channel, website and radio.
Our project is not only for migrants in Russia, but also in other countries. We want to unite them all.
I do not know yet whether the project will be profitable. Honestly, we exist on bare enthusiasm far. Many people ask to raise the level of broadcasts and hire professional journalists. But I am not able to pay a good salary now.
— You once interviewed the first president of Kyrgyzstan, Askar Akayev. I wonder what he thinks about migrants in Russia?
— I interviewed Askar Akayev for Birge portal. I asked him to give advice for the growth and development to our young compatriots. He immediately agreed.
Askar Akaevich is well acquainted not only with the situation, political intrigues in Kyrgyzstan, but also with the life of migrants in Russia.
Naturally, he does not think badly about compatriots, treats them with understanding, because he, like no one else, understands what emigration is.
— In addition to documentaries, television programs, you still shoot weddings and other family events of compatriots. How do the feasts of migrants differ from those in homeland?
— Feast of migrants differ from Bishkek ones by modesty, 50-60 people are invited to them here. Those who obtained Russian citizenship, as expected, begin everything from a registry office, then drive in a limousine to the Red Square, along the Moscow River, and continue celebration in a Kyrgyz cafe in the evening.
Why do they celebrate weddings in Russia? Because they want to save money and time. Therefore, they invite parents and modestly organize everything. Well, it happens that they marry without parents. But in any case, every migrant in Russia has a relative, so there is someone to invite.
— What event of migrants do you remember the most?
— If we talk about my shooting, then it is the commemoration in 2010 after April 7 and the Osh events. Then many countrymen gathered, and it was painful for me to shoot the tears of our sisters and brothers. Everybody cried. Although those who died in those events were strangers for many people. But everyone was worried about relatives, homeland, and the future of the country. It turns out that you begin to appreciate and love motherland more being far away from it.
— There is a lot of information that gives a reason to negatively treat migrants from Kyrgyzstan. Has the culture of behavior of our compatriots in Russia changed recently?
— This is the main reason for creation of my media projects, especially our radio.
The information reaches Kyrgyzstan in a distorted way. Therefore, I believe that migrants should also be given a microphone. Maybe they will better tell about their lives?
I know how many migrants work for years, sending all the money to Kyrgyzstan, they save on tickets and live missing their loved ones.
It is necessary to take into account the fact that young people from villages come to work here. Naturally, they are not familiar with the big city, they do not know the laws, the rules of behavior. But in any case, the level of behavior of Kyrgyz migrants has improved, as well as their self-control.
