Chevron and Wikibilim Public Foundation presented its Audiokitap (which translates as Audiobook) mobile application at the Nazarbayev Intellectual School in Almaty recently. The application, unique for Kazakhstan, provides a convenient access to an online library of Kazakh language audiobooks.
Nazarbayev Intellectual school Almaty
Zhanbolat Ussenov, who represented Chevron at the ceremony, said: “This innovative and technologically advanced project was sponsored by the company to handle multiple tasks, including preservation of Kazakhstan’s cultural heritage, promotion of Kazakh language and introduction of modern information technologies to make literature and book-reading more popular with the younger generation.”
Alibek Kisybai, President of Wikibilim Foundation, added: “In the digital age, content adaptation to mobile technologies is of paramount importance. Kazakhstan is actively developing a culture of gaining knowledge through audio media. Audiokitap is a contribution to bridging the digital divide. Initiatives, like ours, will support the further development of Kazakhstan’s cultural and educational environment.”
So far, Audiokitap’s ever-growing online library provides access to almost 2,000 audiobooks, including academic publications, fiction and foreign books translated into Kazakh. The audiobooks are split into four categories: national literature, foreign literature, kid’s literature and fairy tales.
More and more Kazakhs give preference to audio means of learning and exploring the world. Available through App Store and Play Market, the Audiokitap application has been downloaded 3,500 times in the very short time span since its launch. The organisers expect this number to grow over 10,000 listeners soon.
