SMALL NATION, BIG AMBITION: KYRGYZSTAN’S HIGHER EDUCATION PROSPECTS IN A GLOBAL DIGITAL ERA A SMALL COUNTRY WITH A LARGEEDUCATIONAL AMBITION Kyrgyzstan, a mountainous republic at the heart of Central Asia, is emerging as one of the region’s most dynamic higher education markets. With a population of 7.4 million, a growing economy, and expanding international enrolment, […]
INTERSECTING INTELLIGENCE AND CREATIVITY IN THE AGE OF TECHNOLOGY “Technology does not create depth – it merely reveals the level of human thinking.” As sustainable development is increasingly shaped not only by environmental factors but also by intellectual and technological ones, a new type of leadership is emerging – leaders capable of rethinking the future […]
KYRGYZSTAN TOURISM KEEPS EVOLVING INTERVIEW WITH ELENA KALASHNIKOVA Elena Kalashnikova was born in 1968 and has had an active and fulfilling life based around her love of travel, alpinism and diving. She graduated from Omsk State Educational Institute (Specialty: mathematics, computer science) in 1992 but realised that tourism was her passion that she wanted to […]
2 Years Protecting the Business Environment It is now nearly three years since I resigned as a UK diplomat and subsequently took up the challenge of becoming the first Business Ombudsman of the Kyrgyz Republic, a project funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and a partnership with the government and business. While […]
Interview: Daria Sadygalieva OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about your creative activity / work. Daria Sadygalieva: My name is Daria, I am an architect, graphic artist, member of the Association of Artists of Botanical Art of Russia (AHBI) and member of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London). My activity has always been connected with architecture and […]
INTERVIEW Sultan Akimovich is a writer, playwright. People’s Writer of the Kyrgyz Republic (2011). Laureate of the CIS Interstate Prize. He’s known as an acclaimed playwright and theater director. Author of more than two dozen plays. Performances based on his plays have repeatedly won victories, incl. Grand Prix, at theater festivals in Germany, Tatarstan, Uzbekistan, […]
International Extinction Rebellion and the Legacy of the 2003 London Anti-war marches I have been following the discourses and actions by Extinction Rebellion for a while now, pretty much ever since its inception in London. It is an quite an endeavour and a very brave approach of handling current climate issues and the potential for […]
Kyrgyzstan may be better known for its welcoming people and spectacular nomadic mountain scenery if it is known at all, however there is no shortage of talent emerging from this small Central Asian country. Open Central Asia speaks to a young and upcoming talented musician from the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, to follow the story of […]
On the 2nd of September Solvi Fannar arrived in Kyrgyzstan, in the heart of Central Asia, for the Second World Nomad Games. This year athletes from 62 countries in the world came together in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan to compete in 26 different sports. Solvi decided to compete himself in the Mas-Wrestling tournament. He was very impressed […]
Mountains loom on either side of the steep, precarious road, snow-capped peaks towering over the road like silent, immovable titans, dwarfing the car to the size of a child’s toy. The icy waters of a stream rush past below, huge boulders impeding its progress. The air is crisp and pure, and I breathe it into […]
David Parry, the Chairman of Eurasian Creative Guild (London) made his first visit to Kyrgyzstan from 13th till 23rd of September, 2016. On September 18th, famous British poet, playwright and member of the Royal society of Arts, presented his book The Grammar of Witchcraft at the American University of Central Asia (AUCA) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. […]
There are many common paradoxes and anomalies regarding the position of women in the former Soviet Muslim republics of Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. These arise from the Soviet legacy of gender equality on the one hand, and patriarchal traditions on the other. The resurgence of Islam as an identity marker in the new independent era […]
Kyrgyz-born Mikhail Shvydkoy is no ordinary diplomat. Since 2008, he has been the Special Envoy for International Cultural Cooperation to President Dmitry Medvedev, which followed a stint as the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation. Before becoming Minister of Culture, however, Shvydkoy held many prestigious positions, including editor-in-chief of Channel 5 and later Chairman […]
