Almaty Hosts 2015 Capital of Islamic Culture Int’l Artistic Festival
ALMATY – Prior to the city day celebrations, the Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Sports treated citizens to a festival of artistic groups and individual performers from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries as part of the Almaty – 2015 Capital of Islamic Culture event, reported the city’s administration on Sept. 16. The…
Kazakh Diaspora Chooses Unique Ways to Maintain Identity
ASTANA – Kazakh diaspora in diverse parts of the world chose different ways of maintaining their identity and traditions. Associations and student communities organise various events to celebrate Nauryz and Independence Day holidays. They have also shared traditions which have become outdated to maintain them in the countries where they reside. The Kazakh American Association…
Astana Opera to Premiere ‘Abai’ This Month
ASTANA – A grand début of “Abai,” the story of Kazakh poet and philosopher Abai Kunanbayev, will be held Sept. 25-26 at the Astana Opera. The modern interpretation of the opera promises to provide the audience with maximum open stage space, 3D video installations and luxurious costumes and decorations, according to the company’s press release.…
Kazakh FM Opens 2015-2016 KAZGUU Academic-Diplomatic Club Session
ASTANA – Kazakh Minister of Foreign Affairs Erlan Idrissov launched the Aug. 8 opening of the 2015-2016 session of the KAZGUU University Academic-Diplomatic Club. He shared his thoughts in a lecture on the country’s foreign policy and its role in multilateral organisations. “We are a part of China’s new policy ‘One Belt, One Road’ through…
Int’l Ethnic Cultures Festival Has Spectacular Opening in Astana
ASTANA – The capital city’s Tlep Qobiz Sarayi concert hall opened the history and culture international festival of ethnic cultures contest Sept. 2. The three-day jubilee was devoted to the 550th anniversary celebration of the Kazakh Khanate. “The event aims to popularise Kazakhstan in the world and the revival of Kazakh ethnic music and choreography,”…
Astana Street Musicians Perform for People, Fun and Money
ASTANA – Despite pressure from local law enforcement bodies, guitar and saxophone performers play and sing in an underground crossing and near the Yessil River. They are not always banished, except possibly during official events and checks, yet busking is quite difficult for most of them. “Depending on the season or their moods, buskers in…
Kazakh Factory Produces School Uniforms that Protect from Cell Phone Radiation
ASTANA – One domestic factory is sewing clothing for school pupils that manufacturers believe protects wearers from the electromagnetic radiation of mobile phones, Khabar.kz reported Aug. 17. The approximate price for the new uniform is 15,000 tenge (US$62). “Kids nowadays are very tech savvy and spend too much time with their phones,” Aigul Naushabayeva, mother…
Theatre Director Ersain Tapenov Says Kazakh Theatre Scene Changes Dramatically
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s classic theatre scene has changed quite a bit since the Soviet Union times, but the classical masterpieces of William Shakespeare, Anton Chekhov, Evgenii Brusilovskii, Murat Auezov, Gabit Musirepov and Beimbet Mailin can never become old. Famed plays such as “King Lear,” “Sonnets,” “Сhaika,” “Kyz Zhibek,” “Karakoz,” “Akan Seri – Aktokty,” “Kozy Korpesh…
Kazakh History to be Presented as Cloud Computing Game
ASTANA – A cloud computing gaming strategy developed in Kazakhstan will present Kazakh history in the form of an interactive game, the 24 KZ television news channel reported on Aug. 13. The Tengrion Сloud Gaming Strategy is scheduled to be released online in 2016. “The youth of today does not go to libraries, but learns…
Cuban Singer and Kazakh Ethnic Rock Band Release ‘Kara Zhorga’ Video
ASTANA – Combining rhythmic Spanish motif with traditional Kazakh sounds, Cuban singer Isaac Real and Kazakh ethnic rock band Aldaspan released a video on “Kara Zhorga,” a Kazakh folk song and dance. Performed in the native language, it included performances by students of an Almaty choreography school and Cuban dancers. The video premiered July 3…
Kazakh Women Entrepreneurs Work to Develop Leadership Skills
ASTANA – A public speaking skills seminar was held Aug. 1 within the Women’s Leadership School and supported by the city’s internal policy state management institution. The workshop was aimed at teaching talents to potential women leaders such as preventing fear of public speaking, using body language, setting correct physical posture, keeping the person’s attention,…
Kazakhstan’s Deaf Population Works Toward Greater Integration
ASTANA – More than 150,000 people in Kazakhstan have impaired hearing and related disabilities. Approximately 5,000 reside in Almaty and many in Shymkent, although only about 500 adults and children with hearing problems live in Astana. Although the capital has a variety of programmes for youth, like the Komek programme which teaches young people with…
Kazakh Tour Operator Bankruptcies Force Tighter Industry Regulations
ASTANA – The bankruptcies of Kazakhstan’s major tour operators, such as Travelsystem, GulnarTur and other smaller companies, terminated the existence of many small travel agencies across all regions of the country and created vacation problems for thousands of tourists. As a result, government bodies will begin toughening requirements for businesses involved in tourism activities. The…
Timur Bekbosunov, A New Page in Kazakhstan’s Image Abroad
Kazakh-born glam-rock opera singer and interpreter of contemporary and cross-cultural music Timur Bekbosunov got his start in Kansas, United States, where he discovered opera, said pri.org. He has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and a musical project in Kazakhstan, collaborated with numerous notable composers and now tours with his own dark glam-opera band, “Timur…
Galymzhan Moldanazar, Break of Reality Offer Cross Cultural Musical Collaboration
ASTANA – American band Break of Reality (BoR) and Kazakh artist Galymzhan Moldanazar met in Almaty in February. The musicians rehearsed and gave two concerts together attended by hundreds of residents and guests of the city. The band arranged Moldanazar’s visit to New York in May, inviting him to come earlier and perform in their…
EXPO 2017 to Benefit Economy Beyond Tourism, Say Experts
ASTANA – Experience shows that hosting large-scale events, such as EXPO 2017, helps develop not only the tourist industry but other areas of the economy, General Manager of the Marketing and Promotion Department of Astana EXPO 2017 National Company Daniel Serzhanuly announced during a press conference held in the Central Communications Service July 31. “A…
Kazakh Defence Minister Honours 12 Military Women
ASTANA – Defence Minister of Kazakhstan Imangali Tasmagambetov recently congratulated 12 female members of Kazakhstan’s Armed Forces at an award ceremony of the first national Batyr Arular (Warrior Women) contest, reported the ministry’s press service. “This contest allowed us to find and learn about women soldiers who devoted their lives to serving their native land…
Beibut Shumenov Captures WBA Interim World Championship Title
ASTANA – Kazakh professional boxer Beibut Shumenov defeated American B.J. Flores to become an interim world champion under the WBA. The fight, held in Las Vegas, lasted 12 rounds. Shumenov claimed the title by unanimous decision, scoring 116:112 on all three judges’ cards, said the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The Kazakh boxer believed he earned his…
Kyrgyzstan Requests Changes to 800 Metres of Shared Border with Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Kyrgyzstan has asked Kazakhstan to deal with an 800-metre stretch of the border between the two countries in the Chu region, zakon.kz said on its website with reference to informburo.kz on July 20. During a bilateral meeting with Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Karim Massimov, Kyrgyzstan’s Prime Minister Temir Sariyev offered an agreement to find…
Yoga Gaining Popularity in Kazakhstan
It would be early to rate the popularity of yoga in Kazakhstan from five years ago, since the idea of this ancient practice was not welcomed very well in 2010. The practice of yoga has begun to grow and the major reasons for starting it are fitness and general rehabilitation. Eight percent of Astana’s population…
Kazakhstan, Germany Agree to Expand Energy Cooperation During Astana Forum
ASTANA – The first Kazakh-German forum on energy and infrastructure networks was held July 14 in the city. The delegations, headed by Kazakh Ministry of Investment and Development First Vice Minister Albert Rau and the German Energy Agency Managing Director Ulrich Benterbusch, signed a memorandum on cooperation in energy conservation and efficiency. Government delegations and…
Number of Innovative Enterprises Projected to Increase 20 Percent by 2020
ASTANA – By year 2020, the share of innovatively active enterprises is expected to increase to 20 percent of all enterprises, announced Laura Sadykova, deputy director of the Department of Technology and Innovation of the Ministry for Investment and Development on June 29. Their implementation is included in the second five-year plan of the State Programme…
