Flowers of Freedom (Mirjam Leuze, 2014) is a documentary film about a seven-year battle between the government of Kyrgyzstan and a group of women trying to protect the local water supply from cyanid contamination. On April 11, 2016, the director and lead protagonist of the film, former Kyrgyzstan parliament member Erkingul Imankodjoeva, visited Dickinson for a screening of the film. Senior Russian and IS major Kevin Doyle served as the translator and interpreter for Ms. Imankodjoeva—first from Russian into English, as she gave her opening remarks, and then from English into Russian during the discussion that followed.
According to Kevin, “Flowers of Freedom was a great demonstration of Dickinson’s two core values: a global education and sustainability. This was not just an event for the Environmental Studies department or for the Russian department, it was for every student at Dickinson College to see the intricate linkages between politics, science, business, environmental concerns, and so much more. It was exciting to see someone as influential as Erkingul at Dickinson College and it was an honor for me to translate for her.”
Kevin spent the 2014-2015 academic year studying abroad in Russia and Kyrgyzstan (one semester each), and he is currently taking a senior seminar in the Russian Department called “Workshop in Translation.” Starting next fall, he will be attending Harvard’s masters program in Regional Studies: Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia (REECA).
