ALI ARTAMAN: THE SILK ROAD ADVENTURER CA Magazine: Please tell us the most important things about yourself and your creative work. What is your creative, life credo and motivation for your creativity? Ali Artaman: I am an academic and adventure traveller. I promote wellness on the Silk Road, am inspired by the Caucasus and Tien […]
GENNADY GOROVOY: “I BELIEVE IN YOUR TALENTS!” OCA Magazine: Please tell us the most important things about yourself and your creative work. What is your creative and life credo and motivation for your creativity? Gennady Gorovoy: Hello to my new and old friends. My name is Gennady. I grew up by the principle “Live and […]
NARGISA KARASARTOVA: SO, I WOULD WISH ALL CREATIVEPEOPLE FLEXIBILITY,CONSITENCY, AND PURPOSEFULLNESS OCA Magazine: Please tell us the most important things about yourself and your creative work. What is your creative, life credo and motivation for your creativity? Nargisa Karasartova: My full name is Karasartova Nargisa Omurbekovna. I was born in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on August 29, […]
NATALLIA THOMPSON: LIFE IS CREATIVITY, A CONTINOUSINTERACTION WITH THE WORLD AND WITH PEOPLE tant things about yourself and your creative work. What is your creative and life credo and motivation for your creativity? Natallia Thompson: I’d like to clarify that it’s not quite accurate to say I represent Belarus and the United Kingdom. I currently […]
NURLAN TOXANOV: EVERY WRITER IS UNIQUE, SHAPEDBY THEIR OWN INNER WORLD OCA Magazine: Please tell us the most important things about yourself and your creative work. What is your creative and life credo and motivation for your creativity? Nurlan Toxanov: I mainly write detective stories, sometimes with a mystical touch. For me, the detective is […]
NURYM TAIBEK: LOVE FOR ALL, HATRED FOR NONE”— MY MISSION AND CREATIVE PATH OCA Magazine: Please tell us the most important things about yourself and your creative work. What is your creative and life credo and motivation for your creativity? Nurym Taibek: My creative mission has been to translate spiritually enlightening literature into Russian. My […]
SALTANAT KHAMZEYEVA: MY ADVICE TO THOSE JUST BEGINNING THEIR CREATIVE JOURNEY – CREATE! OCA Magazine: Please tell us the most important things about yourself and your creative work. What is your creative, life credo and motivation for your creativity? Saltanat Khamzeyeva: Khamzeeva Saltanat Malikovna – editor, writer, Custodian of the Eurasian Creative Organisation, and representative […]
NURLAN MUNBAEV: I WISH YOU THE COURAGE TOBE YOURSELF, THE PATIENCE TO FINDYOUR OWN VOICE… OCA Magazine: Please tell us the most important things about yourself and your creative work. What is your creative, life credo and motivation for your creativity? Nurlan Munbaev: Expert on the Caspian and Aral Seas, international accreditation expert of the […]
PREPARING STUDENTS TO LEAD IN A DIGITAL FUTURE Interview: Zhanseit Tuimebayev, Chairman of the Board-Rector of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University OCA: What are the main challenges and prospects of the educational services market that are most significant in your segment? What practices do you use to overcome these challenges? Zhanseit Tuimbayev: Al-Farabi Kazakh National University […]
DISCOVERY TRAVEL FORUM: UNBOXING THE BRAND The practice of international and local conferences is not new. It is a very effective way to focus on a particular issue or area of research and to get multiple views to discuss. But as soon as we shift the POV from discussing the topic in general to some […]
DISCOVER CENTRAL ASIA IN ITS ORIGINAL TRADITIONS Following the global pandemic, alternative accommodation projects have become increasingly popular in Central Asia, with a variety of unique accommodation options now available in some of the most pristine locations. Visitors can now enjoy the comfort of staying in yurts, dome houses, and even 5-star international hotels. It […]
ARTIST IN RESIDENCE: NEW ATTRACTION The sheikhs of the United Arab Emirates paid France $525 million to rent the name “Louvre” for the museum in Abu Dhabi. The cost of organised tours of museums, galleries and unique architectural sites can easily reach $80,000, as can specialised creative and educational tours for artists, architects, fashionistas, history […]
EURASIAN CREATIVE GUILD (LONDON)AUTUMN FESTIVALS From 25-30 September 2023, the resort of Burabay (Kazakhstan) hosted four ground-breaking events: Poetry & Art Festival III Voices of Friends: Poetry & Art, Literary Festival XII Open Eurasian Literary Festival and Book Forum, Burabay Social Film Festival (II BISFF) and Discovery Travel Forum dedicated to creative industries in tourism. […]
A SWORD IN A STONE: THE FUTURE OF MUSEUMS Museums are an important point of attraction for many people for many reasons over the years. We used to visit them as a part of a touristic program as well as see them as an educational or entertainment venue in our everyday life. And the concept […]
IMPROVING EDUCATIONAL NEEDS FOR AUTISM IN KAZAKHSTAN The number of identified cases of autism in children in Kazakhstan has increased fivefold over the past 7 years. In the Republic of Kazakhstan according to information of the Ministry of Education (until June, 2022 of the Ministry of Education and Science) there are more than 8,000 children […]
PLAYING FOR A BETTER CENTRAL ASIA: INTRODUCING VOICES OF CENTRAL ASIA Do you know what lies beyond the mainstream media’s headlines when it comes to Central Asia? Are you curious to learn more about the human rights issues in this region? If so, you should try out a new free game app, Voices of Central […]
PRIMUS INTER PARES. KAZAKH ABLAI KHAN UNIVERSITY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND WORLD LANGUAGES IS THE FLAGSHIP OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION INTERVIEW WITH SALIMA KUNANBAYEVA For 80 years, the Ablai Khan Kazakh University of International Relations and World Languages (KazUIRaWL), which has vast experience and a rich history, remains a leader in higher education, offering innovative […]
CONCEPT OF HUMANITY’S SURVIVAL STRATEGY IN THE THIRD MILLENNIUM Professors O.Sabden and A.Ashirov have as part of their ‘Concept of Humanity’s Survival Strategy in the Third Millennium’ developed a concept for building a new integral innovative society with a spiritual and technological component. In order to implement the proposed theory, a new paradigm of managing […]
OCA #49 People edition Interview with GALINA SHEPELEVA TURNING ONE’S INHERENT VALUE INTO A PRECIOUS THING OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity / workGalina Shepeleva: My name is Galina Shepeleva, I was born 10.09.1955 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. As far back as I can remember, I’ve always painted, starting in children’s […]
RIPPLES OF CHANGE IN CENTRAL ASIA At the end of 2022 I travelled to Kazakhstan, as Chairman of Eurasian Creative Guild to report on the early Presidential Elections and constitutional reform called by President Tokaev. It was a showcase, multimedia affair, streamed live on TV, a modern ‘progressive’ event to show the world democracy exists […]
EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT IT! I am finally in Astana, the capital and my old home. It is still winter but the sun is out and the streets, at this time of year, are more clear of snow than I can remember – maybe this year Nauryz will be a real spring, a real ‘new day’? […]
CAN PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS SOLVE CENTRAL ASIA’S CHALLENGES? Creating Water Purification Systems for Disaster Response: A Case Study National, state and local governments frequently face complex problems that require cost effective and efficient solutions that are often constrained by both time and fiscal pressures. Government best practices developed and implemented in the US Federal government can […]
To change or not to change: time to decide For decades, Central Asian countries were establishing their national systems of education. Their primary task was to transform from mostly Russian language-based programs, teachers, and materials to national language-based ones. The second type of reform was implemented to embrace the new views on education goals: schools […]
Why Kazakhstan needs radical reform to modernize its education system and how it should be done Since its foundation in 1991, KIMEP University has provided its students with a world-class, Western-style education, unparalleled leadership training, and exceptional professional development and orientation. Many of the over 14,000 graduates have become prominent leaders and have made important […]
New Book Seeks to Help Fight Against Coming World Hunger…and Help Solve Other Critical Issues Together with the editors of Hertfordshire Press (Great Britain), the rector of KazNARU, Tlektes Yespolov, has published a new book, “The Kazakh Model for a research University”, dedicated to the research of the university. This invaluable experience can help the […]
The Mysterious Cave Spring Discovering the cultural heritage of Kazakhstan Zhylagan-ata is located in the Turkestan region, it is included in the map of sacred Kazakhstan and is among the most valuable monuments of the country’s natural heritage. The legend of this place is characterised by the places of a special child. But no one knows […]
Greening Cities Through Green Campuses Over the past few years, the themes of sustainable development and the challenges related to climate change are rapidly moving from the pages of academic journals and academic conferences to the front pages of popular newspapers, TV talk shows, and social media. Even everyday discussions of ordinary citizens often go […]
A ‘Stan’ No More? – Should Kazakhstan Change its Name? In recent months, in a bid to rebrand and distance itself from its often turbulent neighbours, the perennial question of whether Kazakhstan should change its name has raised its head once more. First mooted by Nursultan Nazarbayev back in February 2014, the former president argued […]
Dr Shahid Qureshi 4 October 1965 – 10 February 2022 Open Central Asia Magazine was deeply saddened to hear of the sudden demise of one of our friends and close supporters, Dr Shahid Qureshi, on 10th February 2022 at the age of 56. Dr Shahid Qureshi was a senior analyst with BBC and chief editor […]
Burabay’s Environmental Problems At the end of the nineteenth century, the economic development of Burabay and the increase of its population inevitably led to unlimited exploitation of its natural resources. Excessive deforestation led to the formation of wastelands, which were used by pastoralists for grazing. These cattle were then supplied to the local cannery, which […]
Lessons of the Hot Days of ‘Kazakh Winter’ for Central Asian Integration Disturbances in first half of January 2022 caused by popular unrest in Kazakhstan can be remembered as the ‘Kazakh winter’ – events which shocked the very foundation of the political system of this state. They revealed a deeply rooted vicious regime of diarchy […]
The world of space of Armat Bektas is mostly linear, at the subconscious level he structures everything according to the principle of harmonizing reality of the surrounding world which is “nonlinear” that is to say unharmonized by consciousness. The artist is absorbed by the idea of creating a new philosophy of the Great Steppe in […]
INTERWIEW WITH LIDIYA DROZDOVA OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity.Lidiya Drozdova: I live in Kazakhstan. I create from the beauty around me and give the happiness of creativity to everyone who wants to learn how to paint. I am the worker of Kazakh art, member of the Kazakhstan Designers Union, […]
INTERVIEW WITH MAKSATKANTARBAYEV OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity / workMaksat Kantarbayev: I am from Kazakhstan, come from the village Kulan, whis is placed in Zhambyl region. I am a Member of the Union of Artists of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and became a member of the Eurasian Creative Guild […]
I ALWAYS WAS CREATIVE IN SOME WAY OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activityTatiana Kaunis: Historically I always was creative in some way. When I was a child I used to compose fairy tales for myself and play it. At school I wrote poems and short stories, several times I won […]
Often overlooked by your classic holiday maker, Central Asia has always exercised a powerful fascination over a certain kind of traveler. Home to some of the most ancient cultures and breathtaking landscapes on earth, it is nevertheless only lightly trodden by wanderers and merchants. But traffic on the silk road is once again picking up. […]
I used to dream of visiting Central Asia. For 12 years, first while studying in Russia, and then working in jobs connected with the Russian-speaking world, I longed to one day find myself in a city on the Silk Route, talking with the people, and immersing myself in the markets. In 2017 I booked a […]
Michael Gifford joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1981, with his first ambassador role coming in 2004 when he served as the British Ambassador to Yemen. He then moved to be the Deputy Head of Mission in Cairo before becoming the Ambassador to North Korea in October 2012. Following intensive Russian language training he […]
In the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana, the international specialized exhibition “Expo-2017” has finished its work. It has continued for 3 months since 10’th of June to 10’th of September. There were 115 countries and 22 international organizations who has participated in EXPO. The exhibition was been visited by about 3 million people. The theme of […]
The site of a Silk Road oasis laid waste by the Mongols, the modern history of Almaty began with the construction of a Russian piedmont fort in 1854, around which a minor provincial centre grew. Upon hearing that Trotsky had been exiled to Alma-Ata in 1928, one of his enemies quipped that ‘even if he […]
The quest for international recognition drives many emerging markets. Kazakhstan has undoubtedly been better at it than many. The country has spent great effort and money building up an image as a modern state whose leaders can sit at the top table with world leaders. This effort at branding has been driven by the Kazakh […]
On the 19th of November, a Kazakh Classic Concert was held at London’s prestigious Guildhall to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The event was held in association with the embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Great Britain, Kazakh Gala Limited and the Eurasian Group Companies. The concert […]
Yerlan Sydykov, chancellor of the Eurasian National University named after Lev Nikolayevich Gumilyov (Kazakhstan, Astana), may not be a name familiar to those outside Central Asia, but many in the cultural community across the world will likely have come across his work at some point. Last year, his book “Shakarim” was presented at the University […]
On Sunday 6th December 2015, the Almaty International Women’s Club (AIWC) raised almost 1.5 million Tenge at its Winter Bazaar 2015. A core team of four volunteers managed to attract ad select over 40 local craft designers, set up three food stands, a play corner for the children and a big raffle. The event was […]
Born and brought up in Hawick, in the Scottish Borders, Baroness Alison Suttie is perhaps not the most likely of fluent Russian speakers you might expect to meet. However, having graduated from Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University in 1990 with a degree in French and Russian she then went on to study at Voronezh University in the […]
On 13th September 2015, the British Kazakh Society organised a charity marathon in Astana. The event was held with the support of the Rotary club of Astana. “BKS Air Astana Marathon 2015” was attended by over 500 athletes, more than 100 of which were foreign athletes from 18 countries. Participating in the event were both […]
On 12th September 2015, the “Soyuz TMA-16M” capsule landed back in Kazakhstan. There were 3 astronauts on board: a new space record-holder Gennady Padalka (Roscosmos), the first astronaut of independent Kazakhstan Aydin Aimbetova and the first Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen. The crew of “Soyuz TMA – 16M” were taken to the Astana International Airport by […]
Interview with the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Rapil Zhoshybayev Although for many the thought of the year 2017 is far away in the distance, for Kazakhstan the hosting of Expo 2017 heralds its first major global event that will be held on its territory as a showcase for more than […]
There are the dates in every country, which people love, respect and remember and honour. One such date is the formation of the Kazakh Khanate, which occurred 550 years ago. This event served as a great impetus for the development of Kazakh ethnicity and identity. And, of course, half a century later Kazakhs preserve the […]
On 11th September 2015 Astana hosted the Fifth Summit of the Turkic Council. This was the second summit held in Kazakhstan and the fifth anniversary of the Summit. The Summit of the Turkic Council is a unique event that brings together countries with a long history, which have common Turkic roots. The main purpose of […]
OCA #21 SPRING 2015 WWW.OCAMAGAZINE.COM Text by Andrew Glenister Before visiting Kazakhstan, the country had never really been on my radar. I knew where it was, and a little of its history, but I had never considered it as a holiday destination. I definitely do now. And I would recommend that anyone with an interest […]
OCA #21 SPRING 2015 WWW.OCAMAGAZINE.COM Different people are drawn to Central Asia for different reasons. Indeed many come by accident, knowing little of what awaits them or how life changing it could be. Once such person is Gareth Stamp who came to Kazakhstan five years ago for what he describes as his ‘daily adventure’. ‘I […]
