I’ve been asked what exactly are the bantiki that were mentioned in Tuesday’s short story, ‘Amateurs’.
Well, at the start of September every year, on the first day of school, Kyrgyzstan is full of little girls in their new school uniforms, carrying bouquets of flowers to present to their teacher.
They also all have their hair done up in elaborate white ribbons that look exactly like flowers – bantiki.
It’s a delightful sight, and a sure sign that school is starting and autumn is about to arrive.
And now, back to my usual themes of blood, violence and corruption.
