In Uzbekistan, endurance is not just a character trait. It is a philosophy, a source of national pride, and a pathway to respect in society. From childhood, everyone hears proverbs like: “Endurance and modesty are half of wealth”, “Those who endure will reach their goal”, “Endurance is gold”.
But behind this culture lies a harsh reality: every third woman in the country faces violence. And in response, she hears only one word — chida (“endure”). They humiliate you? Endure. They beat you? Endure. They throw you out? Endure. The word endure became so dominant that the language itself had no negative form for it.
So we created a new word — CHIDAMA (“don’t endure”). We turned it into a cultural symbol and gave it to the country’s most popular musicians — Lola and Konsta. Together, they recorded the song “Chidama”, transforming it into an emotional manifesto for millions of women. Music became the voice that broke the silence. For the first time, women received a word that gave them the right not to endure violence.
The song stormed into the top-3 of the national music charts. The hashtag #CHIDAMA trended on X. Thousands of women recorded videos to the track, sharing their personal stories and, for the first time, using a word that had never existed before.
The project reached more than 20 million people. Leading national media covered the campaign. But most importantly, society received not just a word, but a new strength: the right to stop enduring violence. We gave a word that became the beginning of change: CHIDAMA — don’t endure.
Release date: December 2024