On January 19, 2024, Lincoln South Rotary Club heard from Parviz Jamalov Fulbright scholar who is from Tajikistan. The title of his topic was The Land of Mountains and Legends - a general overview of Tajikistan as a country and a nation.
Parviz shared the sights and sounds of Tajikistan with a number of videos and photos that showed the beauty and culture of the country. Mountains make up 90% of the country.
He explained that the name Tajikistan means the place of the crown.Holding up the flag of Tajikistan he pointed out the components:
Red Strip - unity; Parviz stated it also represents the blood shed to gain independence
White Strip - the color of cotton which is a large crop in Tajikistan
Green Strip - agriculture, environment
Crown - signifies that the country's independence
Parviz told us about a large flea market that would be open on Mondays in a village titled the "City of Mondays". That then became the capital of the independent Tajikistan - the City of Dashanbe.
Tajikistan has an abundance of water and 90% of the country's energy is hydro power. There are numerous lakes and nearly 1000 rivers and Tajikistan is home to 1085 glaciers. The country shares their water with much of Central Asia covering about 60%o of the water they use for energy, agriculture and drinking. Tajikistan is one of the first countries impacted by climate change and the reduction of icebergs because of their reliance on water.
Sharing some general facts, Parviz told us about:
- Geography
- 54,952 sq mi (Slightly smaller than Wisconsin)
- mid-latitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains
- 93% of the territory of Tajikistan is mountainous
- Home to more than 900 rivers
- Population
- 10,147,000 (slightly more than of Michigan)
- Dushanbe, Khujand, Kulob, Bokhtar, Istaravshan (Cities)
- Tajiks: 84%; Uzbek: 12%; Kyrgyz: 0.8%: Other: 2.5% (Tatar, Turkmen, Russian)
- Languages: Tajik (official), Russian (business), Uzbek, Persian (Farsi & Dari)
- Government
- Republic of Tajikistan
- Head of State: President Emomali Rahmon
- Independence: 9 September, 1991
- Other
- “Tajikistan is a sovereign, democratic, secular and unitary state”
- Religion: Sunni Muslim (96%), Christian (1.6%),Other (1.7%)
- Rural: 74%. Urban: 26%
Records of Tajikistan
- Dams - Nurek Dam is the 2nd tallest in the world at 300m; Roghum Dam is under construction and, when finished in 2028 it will be the tallest man-made dam in the world (335m)
- Glacier - the world's largest glacier outside of the polar regions is Fedchenko Glacier which is 47 miles across and area of 435 square miles
- Highway - home to the world's second highest road - Pamir highway; average altitude of Pamir mountains is 22,965 ft
- Flagpole - world's second tallest flagpole - once the tallest until Saudi Arabia broke the record
- Sarez Lake - this lake in Tajikistan is one of the world's deepest lakes reaching depths over 1,650 feet. It was formed as a result of a massive landslide initiated by an earthquake.
BIO for Lincoln South Rotary Club
Parviz Jamalov
Parviz in a nutshell:
- Parviz Jamalov is an ardent speaker, experienced communication specialist, passionate storyteller and educator with 14 years of experience in public speaking and knowledge-sharing.
Education:
- Parviz currently studies for a Master’s Degree in Journalism & Mass Communications at the University of Nebraska Lincoln
- Parviz graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Russian-Tajik Slavonic University in 2013 earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism.
- In 2009 as a Senior high school student Parviz won the Gold Medal in the National Russian Language Olympiad, showcasing proficiency and excellence in language skills at a national level.
- In 2008 he attained 3rd place at the International Russian Language Olympiad among 36 participating countries, demonstrating exceptional proficiency and competitive prowess on an international platform.
Scholarships:
- He is a proud alumnus of the U.S. government-funded Global UGRAD program (2011) and a current recipient of the U.S. Government’s Fulbright Foreign Student Program (2023 cohort).
Work:
- Parviz has worked as the Press & Public Affairs Officer and Projects Manager at the British Embassy in Dushanbe (Tajikistan) over the past six years. As part of his job, he planned and executed numerous highly effective awareness campaigns and projects including U.K. Government’s flagship Chevening Scholarship Program and the BBC’s Green Planet Climate Awareness Campaign.
- In 2022, he made history as the inaugural Tajik to undertake a temporary role at the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) located at King Charles Street in London. During his month-long temporary placement in FCDO he developed and supported communication plans for UK Foreign Ministers and delivered capacity-building sessions for the full network of more than 150 communication officers in the office and overseas.
Social Entrepreneurship:
- In 2011 he founded a TOEFL Academy to teach business and academic English.
- In 2017 he co-founded the Youth Business School – an education venture aimed at empowering local communities through entrepreneurship.
Community initiatives:
- As a community leader, Parviz organized the first independent TED Talk event in the history of Tajikistan in 2012 bringing together the nation’s brightest minds on one stage.
- In 2018 he co-organized the first TEDx Salon event in Tajikistan together with the TED community at Florida State College Jacksonville, FL – TEDxFSCJ Fearless Salon: Fearless Innovation that used live video streaming to connect thought innovators in Tajikistan with innovators in Jacksonville, Florida.
Parviz also spearheaded several massive youth-oriented community projects and initiatives including:
- An International Youth Peacemaking Leadership Conference jointly with the South Korea-based Universal Peace Federation – 2012
- Tajikistan’s First English Community Theater Project – 2013
- Model United Nations Conference in Dushanbe, Tajikistan – 2015
- Tajikistan’s first and only national English Public Speaking Competition - 2016
- Tajikistan’s first and most popular Startup Choikhona National Business Pitch Competition – 2016, 2017.
Business Events:
Parviz co-organized significant events for the business community of Tajikistan including:
- The Business Seminar of American bestselling business author, motivational speaker and personal development trainer Brian Tracy in Tajikistan.
- The Business Seminar by American “Customer Service Guru” and bestselling author John Tschohl
- Parviz was also a mastermind behind Tajikistan’s staple G5 Startup Forum – the most famous and massive event for startupers and entrepreneurs in Tajikistan.
Awards:
- Youth Ambassador for Peace Award by the Universal Peace Federation –for outstanding efforts to empower the youth of Tajikistan. 2012.
- TOP-50 Award by Radio Vatan for outstanding contributions to community development. 2013
- U.S. Government Alumni of the Year Award by the U.S Embassy and U.S. Alumni Network of Tajikistan. 2021.
Speaking Engagements:
- Delivered 295 talks, presentations, seminars, and workshops on diverse topics
- Delivered talks in the U.K., the U.S.A., South Korea, Malaysia, Turkey, Thailand, Spain, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
- Included to the “Hall of Fame” for Speechwriting and Speech Delivery by Southeast Community College (2011)
- Best Speaker of the Russian-Tajik Slavonic University (2013)
- Recognized as one of the Top-5 Speakers in Asia by the International Association of Youth and Students for Peace Asia Pacific One
- Spoke at Tajikistan’s most popular for including TEDx Talks, ITalks, Tcell Talks, Go Viral Central Asia
- Acted as an MC or a Moderator at big in Tajikistan including G5 Startup Forum, Go Viral Central Asia, Startup Choihona, PEAK Demo Days, UN Youth Day, U.S. Alumni Network Alumni Conferences, BBC Green Planet Screening events, etc.