“Why do you and your brother have different last names?”

I stared back at them, deciding whether I should give them the conscientiously formulated response that had been perfectly sculpted to appeal to a westerner’s mind or go with the uncomplicated response- “I’m Russian”. Sure, it eliminated further alienating explanations of why I have a surname ending in “-ova” whilst my brother’s ends in “-ov”.

Yet, it left me plagued with burdensome guilt as I denied my culture once again in favor of western acceptance. 

It has been over 30 years since the Soviet Union collapsed but an astounding number of 72 million Central Asians still remain to have Russian occupied names- a constant reminder of past colonialism. Our ethnicity, our culture and heritage have been stripped from us as the goal of “cultural homogenisation” is prioritized by Russia- erasing the history that brought life to ethnic surnames. They serve as a microcosm for colonization, with aspects of the Soviet Union having far greater long term repercussions on Central Asia: instability within the economy, efforts to suppress Islamic religion, conversion of latin alphabets to Cyrillic; the list goes on. 

Though these have had an overall substantial impact on the countries, surnames remain to have a personal influence over a person’s identity. 

Fortunately, times have changed now and people are fighting back, more than ever, to reclaim their own culture. The Soviet ascendancy seems to be fading as repressed fragments of Central Asian culture are reemerging through arduous efforts. According to the New York Times, Tajik president, Emomali Rakhmon, outlawed Slavic endings on surnames in 2007 in promotion of developing a traditional and patriotic character; especially for younger generations in establishing a Tajik identity. Similarly, Azerbaijanis in Georgia have taken matters into their own hands by legally changing their surnames, once again from slavic endings to traditional, in hopes of salvaging a concealed ethnicity. The Uzbek alphabet officially reverted back to latin script after using Cyrillic under Russia’s rule for 28 years with several other countries following in similar footsteps. 

A significant time in history in which Central Asia has regained its cultural consciousness after decades of burial. Doesn’t it feel liberating?

For an incessant time, Slavic ending surnames uniformized the territories ruled by Russia with deindividuation taking over the Central Asian countries. Its presence was only ever perceived adversely by Westerners of Russia’s cruel imperialism, not of each nation’s enriching culture that fuels the country’s character. And in some cases the perpetual fear of losing lives lurks due to their surnames previously provoking discriminatory practices including violence.

Our ethnicities shouldn’t be silenced in favor of another one, especially years after gaining independence. 

We’re not Russia’s property anymore.