Gifts, Cartoons in Kazakh and Civic Activism. How Do Self-Made People from Kyzylorda Live?
They say that there are no opportunities in the region, that there is nothing to do. However, the heroes of this article would disagree with that statement. In the frame of Real Kazakhstan – a special project Kursiv and Chevron have launched together – we selected some interesting stories that we have been told by several Kyzylorda entrepreneurs.
The town of Kyzylorda was the first capital of the former Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (after Orenburg). Many prominent personalities, poets, politicians and diplomats were born here. Batyrkhan Shukenov (a famous Kazakh singer) was also born on this soil. His hometown keeps the memory of him by building monuments and naming a local park after him.
Kyzylorda has drastically changed during the last five years. Many new houses, schools, kindergartens and hospitals have been built. The land on the left bank of the Syrdarya river was also put under development.
100 of New Faces
Symbat Abdrakhmanova is a psychologist, translator, author of several cartoons in the Kazakh language and the winner of the national project «100 New Faces of Kazakhstan.»
Symbat was born and raised in Kyzylorda, studied in Almaty and worked there at the Iranian Embassy. When she got married, she returned to Kyzylorda where she worked in the education system for about eight years. Currently, she is the head of the youth resource center in Kyzylorda. She also works as a presenter of a psychologist advice show at the local TV channel and makes some translations from the Persian language. On top of that, Symbat is a national trainee on child rights in UNICEF.
While being a professional translator, Symbat cares a lot about her mother tongue. When she noticed that many children in Kyzylorda watch cartoons in Russian and speak less Kazakh, she came up with an idea to produce her cartoons in Kazakh. After she shared this concept with her husband, friends and relatives, she gained full support. Now, Symbat writes scenarios on her own while several colleagues help her with cartoon drawing. Moreover, she distributes these cartoons for free and thousands of people watch them on Youtube.
«I produce cartoons in Kazakh. We successfully display them in various contests for animated films and on our local channels like Balapan and Kyzylorda,» she said.
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Interestingly, the cartoons produced by Symbat not only promote the Kazakh language but also help children to train their mouth to speak correctly. Some of these cartoons are already used as training aids in schools throughout the Kyzylorda region. On the special occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Kyzylorda town, Symbat produced «The Magic Key», a cartoon that tells the story of the history of the town.
How to Transform Cultural Heritage into a National Trend
Nurzhan Baizhigitov, the founder of PodarKing.kz, was born in Kyzylorda in 1991. In 2015, he graduated from Narxoz University while his wife Zhanar Shauteeva worked in BankCenterCredit.
In 2017, the couple launched PodarKing, a producer of wooden souvenirs in Kazakh ethnic and modern styles. Since then, they have actively participated in a range of exhibitions and cultural events in their home town and abroad.
The idea of new business emerged in 2016 when Nurzhan and his brother Bakhytzhan celebrated the circumcision of their sons Mukhamedzhan and Adilet. Even though they had no money for bayge (a traditional Kazakh horse race where some fancy prizes are needed), they decided to make the celebration thematic and tied it with Kazakh Khanate. After some market research, the brothers bought a special laser-cutting machine to make things for celebrations. However, eventually, they dropped an idea to make a feast and decided to make a small home celebration instead.
«I’ve been really upset for years because these days many pupils do not know Kazakh customs, traditions or ethnic arts and games. So, half a year after our ceremony, we come up with an idea to sell things we initially planned to produce for our own needs. Since spring 2017, my wife, nephew Abylaikhan and I have been producing various handcrafted items.
Initially, it was like a hobby with no promotion in social media. But then some activists initiated handicraft fairs in the local public garden, where we also participated and displayed our products. This is how we have created our new brand PodarKing right during Nauryz, and now it’s our labor of love. The main goal of our business is to preserve our cultural heritage for new generations by transforming it into a popular trend,» Nurzhan commented.
In 2018, PodarKing was extremely active during the 200th anniversary of Kyzylorda and got a chance to participate in the national startup contest. In 2019, Nurzhan and his team took part in the Best Product of Kazakhstan contest, the Baikonur Invest forum and several other contests. In February 2020, the young entrepreneurs opened PodarKing’s first shop in the center of town.
Everyone Can Criticize
Erlan Musaev is an activist and blogger from Kyzylorda, who launches new projects all the time. For example, his Society Kyzylorda Foundation initiated the construction of workout fields across the town and Creative Arbat (pedestrian zone) in the center of Kyzylorda; he facilitated the revival of abandoned public gardens, organizing handicraft fairs and so on.
Musaev was born in Kyzylorda in 1985 and has lived here since then. He is a senior engineer of geology in a large oil company. He has a wife and two sons.
In 2014, Musaev launched the non-profit foundation Society Kyzylorda. «I don’t just like to speak about social problems, but also to resolve them. In cooperation with local authorities, we were able to implement the bulk of our projects. I mean, everyone can criticize, but what we need to do is find a solution and prove it,» he said.
This kind of motivation was noticed by local officials who awarded Society Kyzylorda as the best non-profit organization in the area.
According to Musaev, Kyzylorda is a fast-developing town where roads and sidewalks have become better and many residents’ problems are in the process of being resolved. Many public gardens, squares and sports fields were repaired. Almost 90% of residents have a gas-supply system right inside their homes. People become more active and responsible.
As he noted, his best project is Creative Arbat – an ally for the young and creative.
«I am used to describing myself as creative and my goal is to help other talented people to enjoy their creativity and earn some money,» Musaev said.
Another achievement of his foundation is the reconstruction of the Pionersky Park (now the Batyrkhan Shukenov Park) and the railway park, which had been neglected for almost 30 years. Through these projects, Society Kyzylorda Foundation has actively worked to improve the appearance, social life, and culture of the town, in the process earning several awards, including a grateful letter from the head of the Kyzylorda region.
There are many advantages to live in Kyzylorda, Musaev said. Nobody is in a hurry, there are friends everywhere, and education is not so bad. However, Musaev wants his children to get an education in Europe, where he plans to move soon.
