First Central Asian festival, dubbed Media Camp Fest, kicked off in Dushanbe yesterday.

Organized by Internews Network under support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the event has brought together about 200 media specialists from all Central Asia’s nations to exchange experience and ideas as well as discuss new challenges facing media in the region.  

Twenty-three speakers from Central Asia, Russia, Ukraine and Eastern Europe are delivering lectures on the future of the regional media.

Documentaries will be shown on the sideline soft the festival that runs until September 21. 

The event will end with an award ceremony for winners of the Central Asian contest, Media Camp Award.  36 finalists have been selected out of 400 applicants in four nominations: Power and Society; Generation without Borders – Time of Opportunity; Time to Help; and Heroes Are Nearby. 

The CAMP Program is one of the many assistance projects made possible due to assistance of the American people.  Over the last 27 years, the U.S. Government has provided more than US$1.8 billion in programs that support Tajikistan’s security, democratic institutions, social sector, and economic growth.