OCA Magazine:  Tell us about yourself and your work/creativity

Khalida Abdulkhakovna: My life was such that literature was my teacher. Our class teacher, Lidia Afanasyevna Vorobyova, was a teacher of Russian language and literature. She managed to develop in me a love of fiction. I was very fond of writing essays, and on any topic. Probably, it was important for me to Express my opinion and my attitude to the given topic. I remember even sending some essays to the regional competition.
I wanted to go to drama school. I don’t know why. But in my 15 years I was not allowed to leave home and I finished 10 classes and went on my first trip to the Crimea on my own. On the train, I met people who advised me to read interesting books.
I don’t remember if I found all these books or not, but at the age of 17 I became the head of the village library. Then I saw that not only I live in the world of books, but there were many readers in the village. My duties included educational work, I went to the farm every day, hung out lightning
bolts. Here my literacy in the Russian language and ability to Express my thoughts correctly came in handy. But the twists of fate are unpredictable.
My Universities were held in Kazan. There in the mechanics and mathematics he studied my sister. Probably, I was very Executive, and mathematics is a mandatory subject, so our school math teacher, Mars Abdrashitovich, had some hopes for me that I would follow in his footsteps.
When I arrived in Kazan, I found out that the entrance exams were already over. My mother’s friend advised me to go to work in a factory. Youth accepts everything with joy, we can do everything. At the factory, she worked as a Turner, and in the evenings studied at University preparatory
courses. So I enrolled at MSU, and graduated in 1984.  Literature, Russian language and mathematics came together in my professional activity when I worked in the system of SPO of the Ministry of education of the Samara region. Information technologies were just beginning to be introduced in the field of education and needed specialists who knew different programs. Then I created my first website of our technical school. It was interesting. We worked with a colleague, a history teacher, on the content of the site in the evenings. We had such a noble creative tandem. We sent our work to various competitions, received awards and were happy with our success.
OCA:  What is “Eurasianism” for You?
KA: Books have always been a mystery to me, I wanted to reread everything at once. Then somehow everything came together: literature, authors, Internet resources. And so, perhaps, Eurasianism was born in my soul just then. I have collaborated with booksellers, so to speak, from Germany. I supplied books for the Bavarian library. The book about Crimea, the Crimean Tatars, the history of Crimea-all this was very popular. Our cooperation stopped when the Crimean spring came. My colleagues from Bavaria ended their relations with me, taking the side of Ukraine.
Although, since school, I loved to be friends and always corresponded with girls from other countries. I remember the name of the girl from Czechoslovakia Dunk Masia. Then at the University we studied together and were friends with Cubans and Germans, lived in the same hostel.
I always studied and improved. I was interested in any case. Faced with social activities. I should have sent articles about the work done. I wrote for the website “world Congress of Tatars”. She worked as a journalist At the center for the protection of citizens’ rights, was a representative of the world  Tatar news Agency, ran the Republic of Crimea page, and collaborated with the Tatmedia news Agency. It was almost a volunteer job. Then we created a media Center named after Ismail Gasprinsky at the Committee on ethnic Affairs. There I worked as a lead editor of “Our
Crimea” and also the editor of the “Hoffnung”, which is printed on RNKA the Germans of Crimea.
In parallel, she was engaged in social activities. Perhaps my Eurasianism began when I arrived at Kazan airport at three o’clock in the morning, as the head of the delegation of Tatar women of Crimea to the world Congress of Tatar women, I met a delegation from France and some other Russian cities. Little Galia from Paris in a red kerchief sang the song “and Tugan tel, and
matur tel”. Of course, we all picked it up. At some point, everyone merged in this song with their love for their native origins. It seemed that here, at the airport, at three o’clock in the morning, was the place to Express our solidarity, our feelings, our attitude to each other and to our people. After all, many spoke English and Tatar, and did not know Russian. But most importantly, we were United by our native language. In the autumn of the same year, I was again invited to Kazan for the first international women’s Congress. There was a proposal to create an organization “women of Crimea” in Crimea. So I became the Director of the Regional public organization International center of culture and creativity “women of Crimea”. Members of our organization are women-
representatives of different nationalities. Our goal is to consolidate the women of Crimea for active social activities, preservation and development of national cultures and traditional family values. (for more information, visit: http://womencrimea.org/)
I cooperate with the magazine “Union of nationalities”, I am a member of the Union of journalists of Russia, I constantly maintain the website of the NGO “Interethnic center of culture and creativity “Women of Crimea”. My training at the Russian presidential Academy of national economy (Ranepa) under the program “Reputational technologies in state and municipal management” was the final step in improving my skills. I am currently working on the publication of the book “the Saga of a strange woman” by my friend and like-minded Adolina Gordon. Adelina lives in Lower Saxony, the city of Quakenbrück, Germany. We met her when I was working in the magazine “Our Crimea”. Then she came to the international Crimean women’s Congress “Blooming almond”, which we hold in Crimea every year. My Eurasian friends include journalists, artists, writers, artists, and even a ballet master. There are no boundaries for creative interaction.
OCA: What are your favorite artists?
KA: At different ages, everything is interpreted differently, and through the creativity of others, we are simply filled with the spirituality that opens up new ways of development for us. Of course, there are idols whose energy flows into our blood, becomes our part, with which we live on. I Love
Chekhov, Ivan Efremov, George Sand, Larisa Rubalskaya, George OTS, Muslim Magomayev, Luciano Pavorotti, Tchaikovsky, Mikhail Zadornov. The list goes on indefinitely.
OCA: Have you participated in the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London)?
KA: Yes, I have twice participated in ETG events that took place in Crimea. The first time I met Marat Akhmedzhanov was during a photo exhibition in Yalta. For the second time, we met with Megan Werner at the Zhukovsky library in Simferopol. Now we have become closer through online conferences.
OCA:  What does the Eurasian Creative Guild mean to You and how has it influenced Your work?
KA: ECG for me is first of all new interesting people, an opportunity to find your audience of fans on a global scale. You know, if you’re always among the roosters, you can’t help but crow . In good sense. I feel the team spirit, goodwill, interest in creativity and the prospect of growth here. I admire the ability to organize everything, keep up with everything. It is very difficult to successfully develop an organization in just a few years. There are no analogues of our Guild in the whole world.
OCA: Do you have a personal project that you would like to talk about?
KA:  There is a wonderful project “international Crimean women’s Congress “Blooming almond”, which I am the initiator and organizer of. It is held annually in Crimea. The highlight of the
event is the planting of the almond alley “Peace and harmony”. When women of different Nations from different countries plant trees together, give rise to a new life in nature, this is the Foundation of the future of our planet Earth. There is an idea to spread the experience in different countries. If we plant almonds in Crimea, other countries also have their own symbols of nature. It would be great if our Guild initiated such a tradition.
OCA: What projects have you participated in and what projects do you plan to participate in?
KA: My dream is to publish Lina Gordon’s book “the Saga of a strange woman”. I am its editor, and I really want to participate in the International literary festival.
OCA:  What would you wish to the members of the Guild, just starting their creative path?
KA: Be bold, truthful, sincere, never change yourself. And, of course, great success in your chosen work and always remember your roots. We are strong in unity with our people.