Hi all,

I’m writing and recording this week’s intro from my new home in Almaty. The weather is perfect, as it so often is in late summer. I spend my days getting to know my neighborhood, walking my dog, meeting friends old and new, and writing. I’m very grateful to be back in Central Asia after almost four years in Europe. I hope Almaty will be a good host for me — and for Turan Tales. If any of you, dear listeners, are around, make sure to drop me a line.

This week’s guest and I will be discussing a topic that always draws a lot of attention: first daughters and the female face of Central Asian politics. Since the five Central Asian republics gained independence, there has been no shortage of presidential daughters. Some have been famous, audacious, and highly ambitious, like the legendary Gulnara Karimova and Dariga Nazarbayeva. Others have been more low-profile but still played important roles in their fathers’ administrations, such as the Mirziyoyev sisters or some of the many daughters of Tajikistan’s president, Emomali Rahmon. And some are only now stepping out of the shadows, like Oguljahan Atabayeva from Turkmenistan.

Regardless of their public profile, all of them play a role in preserving their fathers’ rule. The questions are: Could any of them succeed their father? Could a woman ever become president in Central Asia? And what role, if any, do first daughters play in changing the position of women in their respective countries?

Joining us is Galiya Ibragimova, an Uzbekistan-born freelance journalist and researcher focusing on political transformation in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. She is also a PhD candidate in political science at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy in Tashkent.

I hope you enjoy this one!

Have a great end of the week,

— Agnieszka

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