[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 157 (Thursday, December 8, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2483]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E2483]]
               TRIBUTE TO BOULDER-DUSHANBE SISTER CITIES

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                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 8, 2005

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
Boulder-Dushanbe Sister Cities organization and its ongoing work to 
develop friendship and understanding between the citizens of Boulder, 
Colorado, and the citizens of Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
  In 1987, two cities on opposite sides of the world, in countries on 
opposite sides of the political spectrum, collaborated to bring their 
respective traditions, culture, and history to one another in a 
peaceful manner. During a time of great conflict and tension, the 
cities of Boulder, Colorado, and Dushanbe, Tajikistan, united as the 
Sister Cities. Over the next 3 years, dozens of Tajikistani painters, 
woodcarvers, and ceramicists worked on completing Dushanbe's gift to 
Boulder, the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse. The result was a magnificent 
structure and a wonderful restaurant that offers exquisite cuisine and 
atmosphere.
  Now it is our turn to give back to the people of Dushanbe. Planning 
is well underway for Boulder's reciprocal gift of a cybercafe, which 
will be part restaurant, learning center, and Internet connection 
point.
  Most of all it will be our way of connecting to Tajikistan--by 
sharing our culture, helping Tajiks communicate with the outside world, 
providing educational resources, and investing in their community. At a 
time when international understanding between countries and their 
citizens is more valuable than ever, this project deserves strong 
support.
  Mr. Chairman, I've attached a June 2005 newspaper article from The 
Daily Camera highlighting progress on the cybercafe project. I think 
it's important to call attention to this project and the volunteer 
efforts of the Boulder-Dushanbe Sister Cities organization. On its 
website, the group writes about the cybercafe that it ``hopes that that 
gathering place, offering computer and Internet access rare in that 
part of the world, will bring to life the goal of helping people 
connect through what they have in common rather than what keeps them 
separate.'' I share that hope and commend the Boulder-Dushanbe Sister 
Cities organization for helping this project come to life.

                 [From the Daily Camera, June 20, 2005]

Residents Work To Repay Debt: Dushanbe Cybercafe Project Is Expected To 
                             Start in Fall

                            (By Ryan Morgan)

       Boulder owes the city of Dushanbe a cybercafe to 
     reciprocate for a teahouse from the Tajikistani capital that 
     opened in Boulder in 1998.
       Now, after years of work, the Boulder residents organizing 
     the cybercafe effort have received good news from Dushanbe 
     officials: They expect to break ground on the project this 
     fall.
       Don Mock, a former Boulder city councilman and co-president 
     of Boulder-Dushanbe Sister Cities, said his group learned 
     late last week that city planners in Dushanbe had approved a 
     new site for the cafe.
       ``It looks like some of the final hurdles have been 
     cleared,'' he said.
       Much of the delay came after Mock and other committee 
     members realized that the site originally proposed for the 
     cybercafe--one that would have placed it in downtown 
     Dushanbe, next to a large concert hall and the national 
     library--wouldn't work.
       It turned out that city planners there wanted every 
     building in that district to be at least five stories tall, 
     far beyond the expected scale and cost of the planned 
     cybercafe. So organizers had to find a new site and alter the 
     building's design.
       If all goes well, the cybercafe will sit in Dushanbe's Park 
     of International Friendship, Mock said.
       Mock said he thinks the cybercafe will give something of 
     real value to residents of Dushanbe. It will offer books in 
     Tajik and Russian and a ``cultural center,'' he said.
       ``It's going to be more than a place to check e-mail.''
       With a final plan in place, the sister cities committee 
     will now start redoubling its fundraising efforts.
       ``We want to be able to tell these big donors exactly what 
     they'll be getting for their donation,'' Mock said.
       The committee has raised about $400,000 and will need to 
     raise an additional $300,000, he said.
       Vern Seieroe, an architect helping to design the building, 
     said he is relieved the process of navigating an often 
     confusing bureaucracy located 7,000 miles away will finally 
     yield dividends.
       ``You can only imagine the obscurity of what the process 
     is, seeing it and attempting to understand it from this 
     distance,'' Seieroe said. ``We're learning a lot. Our 
     learning curve is almost vertical.''
       Boulder's colorful Dushanbe Teahouse was also the 
     culmination of several years' work and delays. Tajik 
     craftsmen carved the intricate structure, disassembled it 
     into 14 sections and shipped them to Boulder in 1990. The 
     sections sat in storage for years. In 1998, they were re-
     assembled and the teahouse finally opened its doors.

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