The Mongolia Charity Rally and the The Roof of the World Rally 2013
Intrepid adventurers, noble steeds and farewell speeches
Horse Guards Parade
July 6, Satturday, 11.30am – 1 pm
RSVP to Francesca francesca@gohelp.org.uk by July 1
When: 20 June, 2013
Where: Yunus Emre Turkish Cultural centre
Address: 10 Mapple Street, W1T 5HA, London, UK
Admission free, RVSP is required to event@ocamagazine.com
This novel is the most recent book by internationally acclaimed author and National Writer of Kyrgyzstan, to be translated into English.
Based on a real incident which occurred in his country some ten years ago, it also references Akmatov’s own conflict with USSR officials, who accusing him of producing anti- Russian and anti- Communist literature, censored much of his early work at the beginning of his career.
The story involves the harrowing experiences of a young and very naïve Norwegian woman who has come to Kyrgyzstan to teach English to schoolchildren in a remote mountain outpost. Governed by the megalomaniac Colonel Bronza, the community barely survives under a cruel and unjust neo-fascist regime. Immersed in the local culture, Erika is initially both enchanted and apprehensive but soon becomes disillusioned as day after day, she is forbidden to teach. Alongside Erika’s story, are the personal tragedies experienced by former soldier Sovietbek , Stalbek, the local policeman, the Principal of the school and a young man who has married a Kyrgyz refugee from Afghanistan . Each tries in vain, to challenge and change the corrupt political situation in which they are forced to live. Continue reading
Few will have heard of Mukhtar Ablyazov, but the accusations towards him of embezzlement and fraud are spread far and wide. A now fallen and fugitive former politician, running from persistent criminal allegations, his story is one that brings intrigue and mystery to those who may never have heard of him, as one Kazakh voice recalls…
“The name Mukhtar Ablyazov, the exiled oligarch who set up a transnational criminal organisation that is wanted by the law-enforcement agencies of the UK, Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, is well known to many fans of crime fiction. And many look upon the life this man led as if it were entertaining light reading, a serial of many episodes with a complicated plot. Continue reading
Dolma is a stuffed vegetable, that is, a vegetable that is hollowed out and filled with stuffing. This applies to courgette, tomato, pepper, eggplant, and the like; stuffed mackerel, squid, and mussel are also called dolma. Dishes involving wrapping leaves such as vine leaves or cabbage leaves around a filling are called sarma. The filling generally consists of rice, minced meat or grain. In either case, the filling includes onion, herbs like dill, mint or parsley and spices. Continue reading
The main goal of marketing is to make customers loyal and to maintain their loyalty. The usual way to solve this problem in the past has been the use of plastic cards, sending text messages and offering promotions. LoyaltyPlant, however, offers an innovative solution that now makes such customer communication easier and is likely to drive business profitability in many areas, but particularly in fast-evolving economies such as in Central Asia.
LoyaltyPlant creates a business’ own mobile app that helps it communicate with customers and build a profitable and efficient loyalty program in a remarkable leap forward for the technology. The very first users to embrace the app will likely stand out from the competition and the novelty will mean that trendy business owners will catch a wave of young customers all easily conversant with app use. Customers will no longer need to keep plastic loyalty cards in their wallets which is both convenient for them and saves money for the business that has to administer the loyalty scheme.
All mobile apps by LoyaltyPlant have customised looks and can suit any business. But more important than this, the apps will allow businesses to collect relevant customer data into an easily searchable database, without having to fill out paper forms. Once such preferences are logged, customers can easily be targeted with specific promotions and events, unique to them and their preferences. Further, the efficiency of these marketing tools can be tracked and modified to ensure customers remain loyal and satisfied. If a customer hasn’t visited for a long time, the business can send further special offers or gifts to entice them to come back.
Of course, mobile app functionality is key in the trend spreading and the LoyaltyPlant app appears to be very easy to use. The customer finds their “loyalty card”, which appears on the phone screen, collects bonus points, and spends them on rewards. Customers can also refer their friends on Facebook directly from the app and create a powerful word-of-mouth effect, something that young Central Asians will effectively willingly do for free as they embrace the new technology. The app works on smartphones, of course, but also on other, more simple phones. Whilst the marketplace for such apps is still relatively immature, LoyaltyPlant is clearly attempting to become the market leader in Central Asia for its advantageous features and its affordability.
LoyaltyPlant now has an office in Central Asia, and is bringing new technologies to its Asian partners. Two mobile loyalty programs have already been launched in Kyrgyzstan using the app. The first one is a sports club called K2. They broadcast information about events such as climbing competitions and skiing tours through their app. Ethno-complex “Supara” is another Kyrgyz partner which offers rewards: by collecting points customers can be rewarded with a romantic dinner for two, for example. Tea-room “Cafe” is one of LoyaltyPlant’s Uzbek partners. Their mobile app is an example of a personalised, clear and easily understood business-customer communication tool. They talk directly to their customers in a friendly easy-going manner.
LoyaltyPlant uses patented technology for its services, and operates in Russia, CIS and Europe. In a world where mobile phone usage is growing for everything from internet shopping to gaming, it won’t be long before these loyalty apps become commonplace amongst the population. Who will ever remember that a mobile phone used to be just that…a phone, for making phone calls!
Recently, a colleague and I went to a yasnovidyashi, a Kyrgyz fortuneteller (the name actually translates to “Clear Seer”), for the first time. Why? We’ve never done it before, we were looking for a new experience, and we were curious to know more about these infamous women of Bishkek with the “dangerous” reputation of hypnotizing you into a stupor while stealing your jewelry. Call us mini-adventure-seekers. Or fools. We wanted to check it out.
First, we enlisted the help of a local Bishkeker, the friendly and ever-helpful Ph.D student, Bermet, who found a yasnovidyashi through one of her friends. Like most things in life, it is always best to go through personal recommendations. Bermet set up an appointment with this vetted yasnovidyashi for a Friday afternoon at 3:30pm, and settled on a meeting spot on a sidewalk off Sovietskaya Street, Bishkek’s main thorough-way. She really made it easy for us. You could, however, just as easily find yasnovidyashis through ads on the Internet; in newspapers, such as the Kyrgyz-language gazette, Asman (“Heaven”); and on television, such as on the news-and-entertainment channel Piramida (“Pyramid”). Continue reading
The developing countries intend to propose to the world community a new framework for responding to global challenges. Having launched the interactive G-Global forum, Kazakhstan intends to voice its recommendations to the heads of the G20 countries. These have been drawn up from the outcomes of the 6th Astana Economic Forum (AEF) and the World Anti-Crisis Conference (WAC) with the participation of representatives of 132 countries.
Some commentators contrast the dialogue in the Kazakh capital, which has now become a tradition, with the World Economic Forum in Davos. The honoured guests of this year’s AEF and WAC included 35 current and past ministers, 10 Nobel Prize winners and over 40 heads of international organisations, corporations and companies. They took part in 73 events held over three days between 22 and 24 May. The forum concluded with a dialog between the leaders entitled “Securing sustainable economic development in the G-Global framework”. Continue reading
Few would argue that the world faces increasingly tough challenges that include rising energy demand, tightening energy supplies, the growing impact of climate change and intensified economic volatility. Companies and governments need to urgently develop new ways of looking at the future. By acting now to decide how to meet people’s energy needs, while preserving the health of the planet for the next generation, the leading powers can seek new ways to ensure global sustainability and stability.
As Peter Voser, Chief Executive of Royal Dutch Shell, stated recently in a speech he made in China, “It’s clear the combination of a growing population and rising prosperity…will continue to drive a sharp increase in global energy demand. By 2060, our planet could be home to 9.5 billion people, up from 7 billion today. That is the equivalent of adding one new city of nearly 1.5 million people every week for the next four decades.”
The risk of energy shortages in the world and the drive to seek new ways to solve this problem is the theme of EXPO-2017, an international exhibition to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, after its candidacy beat the Belgian city of Liège to host the event. With the help of its award-winning promotional video, “The Great Expectation of Kazakhstan,” the Kazakh capital will provide a grand stage to showcase the most notable achievements of mankind in the development of green energy under the general theme of “Energy for the Future”. As a country whose economy has historically been kept balancing on the sharp edge of an angle, there is sure to be plenty of “zest” in the event. Continue reading
Kazakhstan’s contemporary art exhibition, ONE STEP/PE FORWARD, will be for the first time presented in Venice.
Introducing this project, IADA (International Art Development Association) comes with the initiative of establishing the Pavilion of Kazakhstan at Venice Biennale in 2015, creating the idea of independent art scene of the country in the international cultural arena.
The project is supported by the Permanent Delegation of Kazakhstan to UNESCO
The participating artists Galim Madanov, Zauresh Terekbay, Said
Atabekov, Gaisha Madanova present several outstanding works in diverse range of media such as painting, photography, installations and video.
This exhibition expresses the idea of the contradictory nature of the territory; unbounded and deserted space of the steppe from one side and the dynamic effervescence from another.
ONE STEP/PE FORWARD is a conscious step into the future, through the being in the current reality, based on the acceptance of the historical past. Continue reading
Discovery Central Asia is the premier Central Asian travel and culture digest and the only English language publication about Central Asia. It is dedicated to exploring exciting locations, discovering fascinating people, cultures and the histories of the region. The first issue of Discovery Central Asia was launched in 2002 and has experienced strong growth ever since. It is now in its 11th year and 37th issue of publication.
Published quarterly, each issue has over 140 pages dedicated to a single theme which were published: Mountains, Museums, Music and National instruments, People and their traditions, Legends, Soviet heritage, Outstanding people, Spiritual journeys and Sacred places, Modern literature, National clothes and Fashion of Central Asia. Continue reading