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Kazakh Culture in the 20Th and 21St Centuries. Legacies and Innovations.” the Conference, Opened by the Ambassador of Kazakh- Stan to the United States, H.E

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Kazakh Culture in the 20Th and 21St Centuries. Legacies and Innovations.” the Conference, Opened by the Ambassador of Kazakh- Stan to the United States, H.E Kazakhstan Initiative Brief No. 1 November 2013 th st Kazakh Culture in the 20 and 21 centuries. Legacies and Innovations The Kazakhstan Initiative at GW Gratefully funded by the Kazakhstan Embassy in Washington D.C. On November 6, 2013, the Central Asia Program at IERES launched its Kazakhstan Initiative with a one-day event on "Kazakh Culture in the 20th and 21st centuries. Legacies and Innovations.” The conference, opened by the Ambassador of Kazakh- stan to the United States, H.E. Kairat Umarov, featured the most prominent repre- sentative of Soviet and contemporary Kazakh culture, Olzhas Suleymenov, cur- rently permanent representative of Kazakhstan to UNESCO. This conference is part of the IERES/CAP goal of relinking knowledge on Eurasian societies with the study of their cultures. IERES’s Central Asia Program hopes to contribute to the study of the cultures of Eurasia as living dynamic entities, functioning in interaction with politics and the economy, and reflecting contemporary social changes in the region. The opinions expressed here are those of the author only and do not represent the Cen- tral Asia Program. KAZAKHSTAN INITIATIVE BRIEF No. 1, November 2013 Ambassador Suleymenov weapon of defense – it is the main and the only means of national defense. Unless we take away This decade has been declared by UNESCO the this status, it would be impossible to stop the International Decade for the Rapprochement of development of the atomic bomb. Great powers Cultures. I believe that we can bring cultures like the U.S. and Russia should agree to make this together only by first knowing the causes of their weapon as a means of universal defense, not deep differences. For example, the difference national – that is, to reduce the arsenal to the between Catholics and Protestants cannot be agreed minimum and transfer it to the control of explained without knowledge of Islam. "Do not the UN Security Council which could be used as a make yourself an idol" – this is a covenant which political cudgel against oppressive regimes. So is especially observed by Muslims in the form of there are prospects for resolving the nuclear a ban on the depiction of people; and it has been issues. This will be the main goal of the Decade of in a way adopted by Protestants who largely the Rapprochement of Cultures, which could eschew crucifixes in church or other objects of otherwise be called a decade of salvation of veneration unlike Catholics. In America I met mankind. with African American Christians who had con- verted to Islam. They told me that they did not Generation of sixties in the history of art and cul- want to worship a white god. God is beyond race. ture of the Soviet period. The 1960s heralded the Portraying a white god is making him not God of end of the Leninist-Stalinist period, following the all people but God of a particular race. Martin death of Stalin in 1953, and saw a period associ- Luther knew this and wanted to make God for all ated with political thaw and a revival of culture people. These reasons are important to know (there were great films, books, poems produced and this is one way how we can make cultures at this time). Thus a new generation of readers closer. grew up. People learned something new not from the newspapers but from poetry, which took on Like many post-Soviet cultures, Kazakh culture is such a great role and helped the entire culture to currently experiencing some difficulties – it can rise to a certain level. even be called a crisis. For example, literature has been in crisis for the last 20 years. Once our Kazakhstan’s national idea. It became very popu- country was “a country of great readers” where lar to talk about national ideology after the col- poetry books were printed in runs of 100- lapse of the Soviet Union, when fifteen inde- 150,000 copies and even this amount proved pendent states emerged along with fifteen differ- insufficient to meet demand: indeed, there were ent national ideas. National ideas however were even popular “black” book markets where the subordinated to nationalism. This is something prices of books soared. One hundred thousand we have to guard against, because nationalism copies of my own book “Az i Ya,” which cost 74 limits the capacities of the nation, benefiting as it kopecks, were printed, while on the black market does only the dominant nationality, not the na- in some of the Soviet republics a car was even tion as a whole. Thus, the danger exists that indi- offered in exchange for it. But this all lies in the vidual national ideas may ruin multinational past now the reader has largely become a listen- societies in Kazakhstan, Russia, and the United er of music and viewer of TV instead. And this is States. National ideas should bring together all a big loss for culture. But we must understand nationalities, uniting them and making multicul- the importance of books and knowledge. turalism a natural form of existence for the na- Knowledge brings cultures together, and it will tion. In addition, we should not lose our national consolidate peace on our Earth. identities but keep all the best features that unite us. Discussion The role of Russian culture in Kazakhstan. We Nuclear issue and Iran - Nuclear weapons have a should not deny both positive and negative as- status of a weapon of national defense and it is pects of the influence of Russian culture in Ka- an importance that can hardly be denied. India, zakhstan. Russia made a huge contribution in Pakistan, Israel, and Iran all want to have a terms of our development, but it was also impe- 2 KAZAKHSTAN INITIATIVE BRIEF No. 1, November 2013 rial at times, when it suppressed specific national by the rise of national ideas, when one thinks features of our popular culture. There being two more about himself rather than others. We sides to the story, we should bear in mind for should consider this and think how to change future generations a third approach: that is, not this understanding to the benefit of future inte- forgetting about good and evil, but understand- gration. The Eurasian Union is one such form of ing that more good than harm comes from com- integration, which will help Central Asia to inte- municating with all neighboring cultures. Indeed, grate. If Pan-Turkism can be incorporated within this third “understanding” has become a basis of Eurasian integration, this phenomenon is not as our policy as it is laid out in our Constitution. dangerous as many people think. At a time dur- Cohesion and unity is a pledge of our society. We ing the Ottoman Empire, Pan-Turkism was a must stand on this, not allowing extreme parties threat and a destructive phenomenon. Pan- to prevail and in this fight we may face more Turkism can manifest itself in culture, but not in difficult times ahead. politics, where it is irrelevant; while both Turk- ism and Slavism are acceptable phenomena. Eurasianism. In the recent past, ideas of Eura- sianism permeated our thoughts, following Lev Kazakh mentality. Mentality is borne of culture. Gumilev’s thoughts on the subject In 1994, Pres- Recently I wrote an article for the birthday of a ident Nazarbayev proposed the creation of the person. Usually in such cases a writer should Eurasian Union, which I have always supported recall a person’s achievements and awards. But and remain its ardent supporter. Europe and this person has not received any awards; in fact Asia is an indivisible space where many coun- he was a long-term prisoner in one of the Mor- tries are located, and which should live in peace, dovian camps in Russia. But this man had never harmony, and interdependence with one anoth- said a word of resentment towards the authori- er. The idea of the Eurasian Union could outgrow ties who made his fate so miserable. On the con- the union of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus to trary, speaking to younger generations he said: encompass a larger space from the Atlantic to the “no matter what happens to you and your loved Pacific and Indian oceans. Of course, there are ones, ask God only that your country is safe, that some obstacles to achieve this, mainly to do with your native land is secure.” Since then, I repeat economic factors and also customs. The recent these words to all. This is the most important experience of the European Union and its uncer- expression of our national culture. tain future is particularly unfortunate. The same difficulties may be arising as regards the Eura- After Ambassador Suleymenov’s presentation, a sian Union, which will be created in 2015. So we first panel discussed the current state of re- add to its name that it is an economic union to search on Kazakh literature, especially the classic avoid excessive politicization. works of Abai, Auezov, and Suleymenov, which shaped the Kazakh literary field. Favorite poets and leaders. I would not mention the classics, but will take more contemporary Peter Rollberg, IERES director, opened the leading figures – among them are Vladimir Ma- panel by presenting his paper on “An Inconven- yakovsky, Konstantin Simonov (in his last years I ient Sage: The Legacy of Abai”. was friends with him, being fond of his verses), Leonid Martynov (he is my mentor), and several As with all great artists, Abai’s legacy has been others. I was friends for instance with Andrei interpreted differently in each time period: Voznesensky, Robert Rozhdestvensky, Bella Ah- sometimes, the social relevance of Abai’s works madullina, and Yevgeny Yevtushenko.
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