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On Nauryzbai-batyr
Translation of Adam’s post (RUS)
There is a joke about a schoolboy who doesn’t know who Nauryzbai-batyr is. His father explains that it’s KGB chief Dzerzhinsky. To fill the gap in our memories:
Little is known about the life of Nauryzbai-batyr, but legends remain of his heroic deeds. His father Kuttymbet had five sons and they were a family of brave warriors. Three of Nauryzbai-batyr’s brothers were killed while fighting foreign invaders. At the age of 24, he was elected bas batyr and took command of an army of many thousand. After crushing the Dzhungars, he turned to diplomatic work. He was highly esteemed and respected by the great Abylai-khan.
When, in 1742, a Russian officer named Karl Miller passed through Semirechie on a diplomatic mission to Dzhungaria, he met with Nauryzbai several times. Luckily, we still have the diplomat’s travel notes, in which he describes his impressions from these meetings, painting Batyr as an intelligent, perspicacious and amiable person.
Choosing our Priorities
Translation of megakhuimyak’s post (RUS)
In its 20 years of independence, Kazakh society has still not been able to define what it considers most important:
- preserving Kazakhstan as a sovereign state
- preserving Kazakhs as an ethnic group
- preserving and developing the Kazakh language
- preserving and developing Kazakh culture
Moreover, no one in our society has pointed out that these priorities are basically mutually exclusive. But I have the feeling that if we keep dragging on with this search for priorities, they will eventually tell us that there are no choices and decide everything for us.
Made in Kyrgyzstan
Translation of thousand-pa’s post (RUS)
I like the fact that the Customs Union will help industrial growth in Kyrgyzstan. It means the country is not being left on its own, but given a chance to profit (if they hustle, of course).
At least our neighbor’s textile sector won’t perish. Now, instead of endowing production made outside Bishkek with “Made in China” or “Made in Turkey” tags, they can confidently claim what’s theirs: “Made in Kyrgyzstan.” Because now, Kyrgyz goods have the green light, and the rest can bite it.
According to the deputy chair of the prime minister’s secretariat, Mukhtar Dzhumaliev, with Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus entering the Customs Union, Kyrgyzstan’s ability to re-export becomes limited. However, as M. Dzhumaliev reassures the public, “we are only talking about good not produced within Kyrgyzstan’s borders. They must conform to the standards set by the customs union.”
Life Sketches: The Absurd, Kazakh-Style
Translation of megakhuimyak’s post (RUS)
We have a little park in our neighborhood. It’s green, has a playground and a sports turf.
Next to the park, we used to have prostitutes, so every evening police cars would patrol the area and maintain order. People felt safe relaxing or taking their kids out to play.
Then the prostitutes left, and with them the police.
Now the park is full of bums, drunk teenagers and stray dogs. There is trash everywhere. The kids have nowhere to play. Now we have to write a complaint to the akimate. As long as there were prostitutes, there was order.
Concretions in Mangyshlak
Translation of thousand-pa’s post (RUS)
Mangyshlak is an amazing place (which I’ll visit one day).
For example, they find rock concretions here. They are these wonderful ball-shaped things, which form naturally, although it seems as though they are the remains of ancient buildings or dinosaur eggs. The concretions at Mangyshlak are unique in size (there are only two or three places on earth where you find them this big).
Photos of Mangyshlak wonders by Yulia Shadrina. Thanks, Yulia!
Future Shorts
Translation of Adam’s post (RUS)
I went to see Future Shorts at Цезарь (“Caesar”). The program was wonderful (the disk didn’t skip once, hallelujah) and all the films where quite good – some better, some worse, but all good.
They included naively positive films, like one about a grandfather who, in his old age, decides to try everything his parents or common sense prevented him from doing in his youth. Or one about two rag dolls and their love story – charmingly shot, but so naïve: I was expecting a more realistic, unhappy ending. Or an animated film from Malaysia about society seen through the eyes of a person who is usually unnoticed. Or a story about a completely idiotic set of circumstances in the life of an American loser/poser, who pays a high price for his antics. Click here for the complete text.
China’s “weaponless invasion” of the Kaznet
Image by Flickr user guccio (CC-usage).
Editor’s note: As Chinese-Kazakh relations increase, China’s evidence on Kazakh society is becoming more and more visible on the Kazakh blogosphere, reports neweurasia’s Kazakh bridge-blogger Askhat in this round-up of selections from the Kaznet. Is this China’s “weaponless invasion” into Central Asia? Translated by Sagym (KAZ). Click here for the complete text.
ZüriFäscht: The Melody of Home
Translation of mursya’s post (RUS)
It’s a bold title, but there is reason to be proud!
Last week Zurich celebrated the national ZüriFäscht holiday (see my report for a Swiss newspaper). A crowd of some 2 million people spent three days enjoying the festivities, which included amusement park rides, amateur artists on both sides of the lake, and, of course, the largest and most grandiose fireworks show in Europe. The holiday takes place every three years and is absolutely top class. Click here for the complete text.
To Understand Us, You Have to Be… Born One of Us :)
Translation of Sadenova’s post (RUS)
There’s something about us. We don’t follow directions well – worse than in America.
There, if you have a problem of some sort, you get a set of instructions and read them carefully. Then, if you still have questions, you ask them. It has often happened to me that all my questions would have been answered in the instructions, but I would have missed something and asked anyway. I got many kind and reproachful stares from Americans.
Here, people hastily listen to the problem, then try to solve it on their own, then it doesn’t work, so they start asking questions, and only after others refuse to answer do they turn to the instructions. It’s neither worse nor better. It simply is the way it is. Click here for the complete text.
Kazakh blogs on national issues
Translated by Sagym (KAZ)
Lately I have often seen posts about national problems in Kazakh language blogs. I am going to review some of them.
Ainash Esali in a post titled “The government should have only one flag” [KAZ] says:
“An article with the title “Let’s not call for a bad omen by multiplying flags” was published in the newspaper Egemen Kazakhstan, on a special page for Parliament. But the problem is presented in fragments and smoothed over. Maybe it is correct. Maybe this kind of problem should be solved without raising alarm?!” Click here for the complete text.
