The government of Uzbekistan is using film to promote the traditional way of life, love for the homeland and patriotism and to shun Western values.
According to EurasiaNet.org, official media started vigorously pushing respect for parents and the elderly, love for the motherland and patriotism after the 2005 Andijan Massacre, when government troops killed hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people, mostly unarmed protesters. Afterwards, authorities started to close independent non-governmental organisations and media outlets, and expelled Western media and human rights organisations. Authorities even went so far as to instruct teachers and local village councils to report whether their neighbours’ behaviour is conforming to "traditional values."
As reported by EurasiaNet.org, Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov and his administration are using the country’s carefully scripted media to promote so-called Uzbek traditional values – patriotism and obedience, above all – while pillorying vaguely defined Western values as "destructive" and "harmful".
One film that was financed by the government, for instance, plays on fears of the Internet and social media. As reported by EurasiaNet.org, the film titled Odnoklassniki is about a group of young people who meet online and end up getting into serious trouble: the girls are forced into slavery by a trafficking ring and the boys are recruited by Islamic militants.
Meanwhile, Uzbek authorities have even classified Valentine's Day and Santa Claus, as well as rap music and video games as threats from the degenerate West.