ASTANA – A new series of short videos called “Opening Kazakhstan” hopes to educate and entertain visitors and the people of Kazakhstan alike with facts about this country. The 10 videos, lasting no more than two minutes each, were launched during Nauryz on the Kazakhstan and Khabar TV channels.
The bright, colourful short films aim to show audiences fascinating tidbits about Kazakhstan. Topics include the rules of the game asyk atu and the aitys bard contest, the processes of making a dombra (a Kazakh musical instrument), as well as basic history and the richness and imagery of the Kazakh language. Sport enthusiasts can learn about kazakh kuresi (a Kazakh wrestling) and tazy hounds. There are also shows about national style and the production and health properties of kumis, a traditional dairy product made of mare’s milk.
The project’s representatives are Chair of the Board of RTRK Kazakhstan Nurzhan Mukhamedzhanova and Deputy Chair of JSC Agency Khabar Almagul Ahmetzhanova. The idea for the project came after President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s meeting with media representatives in December 2012. Then, the president asked, “How should we open up and show the youth the unique way of life and culture of our people? I think it should be done through original projects, promoted on TV, but in plain language and in a modern format.”
All ten videos will be shown throughout the year on the Kazakhstan, Khabar, El Arna, Kazakh TV, 24KZ and Bilim channels. In addition, they are available on YouTube and photo materials and infographics are available on the photo hosting website Flickr
At the event to launch the films, organisers played asyk, an ancient bone game. A journalist from the newspaper Zan, Tynysh Ahmetzhanova, won the mini-tournament.
