“Heirs of the Victory,” a new exhibition dedicated to the feats of World War II veterans, opened May 4 at the Museum of the First President of Kazakhstan.
The museum organised special celebrations in conjunction with the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, said deputy director Botagoz Kaipova, Ph. D. Together with its partners, it prepared a celebratory concert-musical, “A Great Victory – Bequeathed to the Descendants,” which students of high school No. 17 presented to the veterans attending the ceremony.
“We want not only to reflect the pages of the great victory but also, more importantly, show the continuity of generations that we need to protect. Our generation might still remember the distant events of that terrible war from the stories of fathers and grandfathers, but the children who take part in this festive event know about the war only from books and documentaries and feature films,” said Kaipova.
“Heirs of the Victory” is primarily a retrospective exposition that tells about the harsh days of the war and the courage and heroism of its soldiers. The exhibition presents archival documents, photos, videos and many other materials. In particular, the display is dedicated to the heroism of Kazakh soldiers, Heroes of the Soviet Union Bauyrzhan Momyshuly, Alia Moldagulova and Manshuk Mametova and the heroes of the 316th Infantry Division under the command of Major General Ivan Panfilov.
The exhibition also presents more modern materials illustrating decisions made by President Nursultan Nazarbayev in his capacity as the Commander in Chief of the country’s armed forces in the early years of independence that predetermined Kazakhstan’s stable and secure development. Nazarbayev initiated a number of strategic steps, such as renunciation of nuclear weapons, solving the acute problems of the disputed territories in the border areas and the delimitation of the border, as well as creating paramilitary higher education institutions.
The target audience of the exhibition, in addition to residents and guests of the capital, are cadets of various institutions of the Kazakh Armed Forces. The idea is to acquaint them with the glorious examples of heroism from the tragic years of war.
The building served as the office of the president until the Akorda was constructed on the left bank of the Yessil River.
The museum also houses a number of permanent exhibitions free for the public, including On the path of independence, National symbols of Kazakhstan, Atameken (Fatherland), Kazakhstan’s model of presidency, The Republic of Kazakhstan: state-building and strategy of development, Kazakhstan and the world community as well as an exhibition dedicated to the country’s achievements in sports.
