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Citing Obstacles, Polling Group ‘Central Asia Barometer’ to Stop Work

Central Asia Barometer, a non-governmental group that surveys public opinion in Central Asia with the help of international partners, said on Monday that it faces insecurity and challenges to “academic freedom” and will temporarily suspend all operations on December 1. “This long-planned decision is due to the growing insecurity and challenges in conducting ethical survey research in the region, which has significantly impacted our ability to continue our work,” Kasiet Ysmanova, director of the Central Asia Barometer, said in a statement. The group is based in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. While Ysmanova did not go into details about the problems that the Central Asia Barometer was encountering, rights groups have long pointed out that advocates for freedom of expression and other democratic principles can face persecution in a region steeped in authoritarian traditions. Earlier this year, Kyrgyzstan´s passage of a law tightening control over non-governmental organizations that receive foreign funding raised more concern about the erosion of such rights, though the government there alleges that some of the groups are corrupt and has urged international critics to stay out of its internal affairs. In April, the Open Society Foundations criticized the law as restrictive and ill-defined and said it was closing its national foundation in Kyrgyzstan. Maximilian Hess, founder of Ementena Advisory, a political risk company based in London, said on X that the Central Asia Barometer was “long a valuable resource to researchers such as myself” and that its suspension of operations was a “very worrying development.” The Central Asia Barometer says its mission is to provide data that helps institutions make informed decisions for the benefit of people in the region. Its website lists 18 partners, including the U.N. International Organization for Migration, Sunway University in Malaysia, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Germany and Abu Dhabi-based TRENDS Research & Advisory. American partners include D3 Systems, Inc. and the Central Asia Program at George Washington University. The Central Asia polling group says it gets funding from research grants, paid subscriptions to survey data, omnibus surveys and contract work for research. Last year, the Central Asia Barometer conducted research on attitudes in Central Asia toward Russia's war in Ukraine, and Central Asian perceptions of Turkey and other countries. In addition, Ysmanova, the director, wrote an article about awareness in Central Asia of discrimination against labor migrants for a book about human rights in the region. The group has also surveyed people about the economy, the environment, public health and other issues. The group said that it will maintain a small team to answer emails and other requests after ceasing operations on December 1. “We hope that the situation regarding academic freedom in the region improves, allowing us to resume our activities in the future,” Ysmanova said.

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Celebrating Female Pioneers at the 2024 World Nomad Games

Like most dominating worldwide sports, the World Nomad Games are top-heavy with male athletes. Yet while women don’t participate in all the categories, in the 2024 WNG, a noteworthy number of them have become the center of attention. Among the packed crowds of the Hippodrome and Ethnoaul venues, one competitor and two ticket holders had a few things to say on the matter of WNG women. Timea Janurik, known as Timi, is a folk musician and a PhD student in folk teaching methods, from Budapest, Hungary. She is competing as a player of the citera, the national stringed instrument of Hungary, at the Ethnoaul. The Hungarian representation at the WNG includes three men and three women, but Timi, who specializes in Turkic folk songs, is the only musician among them. While rehearsing in Astana, Timi chanced upon a Kazakh girl singer and asked her, “Do you want to join me in the concert?” Hence, a female alliance and a makeshift band were formed because Timi only knew how to sing one song in the Kazakh language. According to Timi, her new partner “can sing beautifully.” In Timi’s native Hungary, folk musicianship is an art form split evenly among men and women, but citera playing is dominated by women (and violin playing by men). [video width="848" height="478" mp4="https://timesca.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/WhatsApp-Video-2024-09-12-at-00.21.19.mp4"][/video] Timi is also participating in the female Assyk games, a type of traditional Kazakh board game in which players use small animal bones — assyks — to knock out multiple lines of their opponent’s assyks. The game rules differ according to gender. The male version of the game “is more popular,” says Timi, “because it’s more visible and looks so fancy to play.” [caption id="attachment_23070" align="aligncenter" width="1577"] Image: TCA, K. Krombie[/caption] British visitors Naomi Ocean and Andy Myer (an archer), from Wales and Devon, respectively, came all the way from the UK to Astana to watch the horseback archery. Even though they are well-traveled in other regions of Central Asia, this is their first visit to Kazakhstan and the WNG. They remarked that they hadn’t noticed the UK team participating in anything they have witnessed thus far, but what they have seen has been “interesting and exciting.” Having just seen the Turkey team being “trashed in the kok boru,” they were happy to see Turkey’s subsequent victory in the Traditional Turkish Archery, in particular the female team member who performed victory laps before an exhilarated, mostly Kazakh crowd. “We were glad,” said Naomi, “and we loved seeing the female archers.” Naomi was equally, if not more impressed by the “mixed teams” in the horseback archery category. Having watched and enjoyed the 2016 Kazakh language documentary film, The Eagle Huntress, Naomi and Andy look forward to the Kusbegilik games. “We’re expecting to see women handling eagles, which should be good.” [caption id="attachment_23071" align="aligncenter" width="2000"] Image: TCA, K. Krombie[/caption] A Turkish team victor, competing in Traditional Turkish Archery (mixed gender team), and an Uzbek athlete in horseback archery (with no specific male and female categories)...

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Day Four at the World Nomad Games: Mighty Deeds at a Global Gathering

On day four of the World Nomad Games, themed as the “Gathering of the Great Steppe,” TCA attended the finals of the Powerful Nomad competition, and spoke to visitors from the West about what had drawn them to Kazakhstan and the Games. “I'm an American traveling around the world,” Andy from Houston, Texas, one of a group of friends who’d met on the road in Central Asia told TCA. “I’ve wanted to come to the World Nomad Games for quite a few years, now, but haven't got the chance. I'm traveling full-time this year and figured I’d swing by Kazakhstan and check it out.” “It’s so cool to be here and see all the sports and cultures together,” Liam from Vancouver, Canada, added. [caption id="attachment_23061" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Image: TCA, Stephen M. Bland[/caption] “We knew about the World Nomad Games from having lived in Kyrgyzstan,” Allison from Miami told TCA. “So, when we found out about this one, we decided to come because it's been on the bucketlist. It's been a blast!” “We’re here because we’re doing the five Stans; When we arrived, we found out this event was going on, so we figured we had to come. We really want to see the hunting with birds. Everyone's been very welcoming, and the food has been good,” Lauren from San Diego said. “I’m traveling in Kazakhstan because I wanted to do horseback stuff,” said Hellie from the UK. “I’ve never been to Kazakhstan before. I was curious about the Games, and it’s amazing how much I’m learning here. The tents from the regions are really cool.” [video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://timesca.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/IMG_3959.mp4"][/video] Reflecting the cosmopolitan crowd, on the field for the final of the powerful nomad strongman competition were athletes from around the globe: Cyprus, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Romania, China, Nigeria, Iran, Belarus, Spain, Kuwait, Russia, India, and Kazakhstan. Given the response from the raucous, flag-waving home crowd, you didn’t need to be able to hear the announcer to know which was the Kazakh competitor, but warm and hospitable as ever, all of the competitors were well supported, particularly the ebullient Jerry from Nigeria. [caption id="attachment_23063" align="aligncenter" width="2391"] Image: TCA, Stephen M. Bland[/caption] In the opening discipline of squats with a 100-kilogram bag – with four objects protruding which made it resemble a carcass - the hulking men strained every sinew, with some faring better than others, whilst one keeled over as if having suffered a hernia. It came as no surprise, as outside the arena a smaller, lighter weight set up to challenge spectators saw many fall afoul. Next up was pulling a trolley weighing 200 kilos, which resembled a horse carriage. “Bad luck; it was his first time trying,” the ever-comedic commentator chipped in after the participant from Kuwait managed three meters. Others fared far worse. The standout, however, was the tallest man in the competition, the entrant from Iran, who managed a staggering twenty-six meters. [video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://timesca.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/IMG_3968.mp4"][/video] “Wow!” the announcer chimed. “It will be very difficult to bring...

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Kazakhstan’s Rich Cultural Heritage: Thirteen Elements in One Yurt

Nestled among the yurts of the 2024 World Nomad Games Ethnoaul (Ethnic Village), one yurt in particular provided a promotional VIP space for the distinguished Russophone poet, politician, UNESCO ambassador, International Democratic Party Chairman of the People’s Congress of Kazakhstan, and anti-nuclear activist Olzhas Suleimenov. A hushed silence spread inside the circumference of the AZ i YA (a Russian play on the word “Asia”) yurt, named in honor of Suleimenov’s 1975 book about the conceivable Turkic origin of the epic Old East Slavic poem The Tale of Igor's Campaign. Bystanders were ushered out when the Almaty-born Suleimenov arrived. The aforementioned book caused controversy when it was released in the Soviet era and was almost banned when Suleimenov was accused of “national chauvinism” and “glorifying feudal nomadic culture.” By contrast, the purpose of the AZ i YA yurt is to educate the unenlightened and celebrate the thirteen elements of “Kazakhstan's Rich Cultural Heritage.” Those thirteen elements, as explained by the yurt’s translator and self-proclaimed “young scientist” Dana Tursynova, include Aitysh, a spoken word poetry contest with dueling dombra (two-string instrument), or the Kyrgyz komuz (two or three strings), in which two protagonists improvise on the topics of opposing ideas, retorts, and general frustrations. Tursynova described it as “conveying political problems” and “the sound of a nation [aimed at] the government.” At a neighboring yurt, Aitysh—delivered with gravelly belligerence—was audibly comparable with a modern battle rap. Another element is Nasreddin Hodja, a 13th-century folklore storyteller who—similar to the Aitysh tradition—used humor to air political grievances and other types of narrative. [video width="848" height="478" mp4="https://timesca.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/WhatsApp-Video-2024-09-10-at-23.43.20.mp4"][/video] A further element is Korkyt-Ata (translated from Kazakh as “granddad”), a 9th-century philosopher, who, in his pursuit of immortality discovered that death was always waiting for him. As he gained enlightenment, he somehow had enough free time to craft the kobyz, an ancient Turkic stringed instrument. Thus, he is known as the founder of Kazakh string and bow instruments. The yurt, the round portable homes of the nomads, is an element, as is orteke, where the dombra musician surpasses the average one-man-band status by operating moving wooden puppets connected to his fingers via the strings to convey multi-task theater. The sports elements comprise kazakhsha kures, traditional Kazakh wrestling, which in recent times has traded the long-established grass turf for a mod con carpet, board-type games, such as Assyk, designed to sharpen the intellectual and physical development of children, and Kusbegilik, or hunting with birds of prey, a Kazakh cultural heritage as well as a major sport in the WNG. Edible elements combine katyrma flatbread, an important part of Kazakhstan’s communal relations in the interchange of goodwill (e.g. “have a good life”) when sharing the bread, and horse breeder festivities, where kumis, fermented horse milk, is the culinary highlight. The main heading of the yurt’s pamphlet handout is the substantially worded International Centre for the Rapprochement of Cultures Under the Auspices of UNESCO. In one small yurt (on one big steppe), the cultural round-up of folklore, tradition, and...

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The World Nomad Games Day Three: A Feat of Spiritual Endurance

Though the World Nomad Games are often defined as an “international sport competition dedicated to ethnic sports,” the event is so much more. As described by Sultan Raev, General Secretary of the International Organization of Turkic Culture, even the sports themselves are “not about physical strength. They are about spiritual endurance.” Today, TCA took in the wider cultural context behind the Games, exploring the celebration of identity which the event represents. [video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://timesca.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/IMG_3871-1.mp4"][/video] At the very heart of the Games, the Ethnoaul acts as a huge showcase for cultural heritage. Each day, the Dumandy dala (Joyful Steppe) concerts offer a platform for groups from all over the country: ethno-folklore ensembles, Kazakh national orchestras, soloists, dance troupes, and more. From dueling dombras - a traditional two-stringed instrument - to traditional Kazakh music vaguely akin to rap in which the protagonists air their grievances, nomadic culture is truly alive here, not just as a historical curiosity, but as a vibrant heart belonging to the people; a heart which is equally at home in the modern world. [video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://timesca.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/IMG_3867.mp4"][/video] Indeed, as stated by President Tokayev in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony: “the great nomadic life will never cease to exist. Even amid globalization, the nomadic lifestyle that existed for a thousand years is reviving and taking a new shape. Modern nomads are making efforts to reclaim a central place in history. We are moving and traveling easily all over the world in search of education and job opportunities.” Since Estonia became the first country to offer a “digital nomad visa” in 2020, sixty-five more nations have followed suit, with their number continuing to expand. Nomad culture, it seems, is alive and kicking. [caption id="attachment_22985" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Reconstruction of the costume and weapons of an 11th century Sarmatian leader; image: TCA, Stephen M. Bland[/caption] The Ethnoaul hosts yurts from across the nation, where representatives of regions have gathered to display their distinct history and traditions, from a reconstruction of the costume and weapons of an 11th century Sarmatian leader whose remains were found in a burial mound in Atyrau in 1999, to the Shymkent region’s focus on the mercantile activities which made the Great Silk Road great. With a traditional purple-suited ensemble from Akmola playing as young girls in long green dresses and sequined headdresses pirouette, it certainly makes for a tremendous feast of colors, sights and sounds. [caption id="attachment_22986" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Young dancer twirl; image: TCA, Stephen M. Bland[/caption] This sense of national pride in tradition is not lost on visitors from neighboring lands, as evinced by the preponderance of Kyrgyz men in traditional kalpaks - the tall, traditional felt hat designed to allow air to circulate whilst resembling a peak from the Tien Shan Mountains. [caption id="attachment_22987" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] A group from Akmola serenade the croed; image: TCA, Stephen M. Bland[/caption] The Games act as a showcase for these identities, and an opportunity to at once celebrate and reenforce them whilst sharing them with the wider...

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World Nomad Games Opening Ceremony: A Fusion of the Ancient and the Modern

With much pageantry, September 8 saw Astana host the opening ceremony of the 5th World Nomad Games, themed as the "Gathering of the Great Steppe." A procession of singers and dancers in tall white telpek hats and flowing red and gold robes opened proceedings, marrying modern beats to traditional music. This fusion of the ancient and the present was a key theme running through the entire event. With the melodies building to crescendo, the flag-waving crowd lifted their torches aloft, chanting “Kazakhstan,” before the national anthem peeled out from the stage. With 89 countries participating in this edition, the parade of athletes followed, each nation led forth by a white steed and a woman in a traditional, sparkling costume. From the hundreds representing the Kyrgyz Republic – a perennial champion at the World Nomad Games – to far smaller contingents, such as the three representatives from Benin, each nation was afforded their moment in the spotlight. Last, but far from least, the athletes from Kazakhstan emerged to a huge roar of appreciation. Taking to the podium with the keynote address, President Tokayev told the crowd Kazakhstan is “known to everyone as a land of peace and coexistence. The games, he stated, are a “great event on a global scale… Nomadic civilization has left a deep mark on world history. The new technologies they developed provided the impetus for global progress. Five thousand years ago, nomads domesticated the horse and shaped a horseback riding culture that spread across the world… Serving as a bridge between East and West, nomads played a crucial role in the rapprochement of various cultures. “The great nomadic life will never cease to exist,” Tokayev concluded. “Even amid globalization, the nomadic lifestyle that existed for a thousand years is reviving and taking a new shape. Modern nomads are making efforts to reclaim a central place in history. We are moving and traveling easily all over the world in search of education and job opportunities.” First Deputy Prime Minister, Roman Sklyar took the opportunity to emphasize that in the wake of unprecedented floods, the nation had grasped this moment to show “resilience in our commitment to our traditions.” Respect and solidarity were at the core of his address, whilst without naming specific conflicts which continue to cast a long shadow over the region, Skylar stated that there can be “no peace without unity.” Specifically mentioning the conflict in Gaza, the son of Turkey’s President, Bilal Erdogan, President of the World Ethnosport Confederation echoed these sentiments, remarking that the games represent the “bonds of unity that the world needs today more than ever.” [video width="848" height="480" mp4="https://timesca.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/WhatsApp-Video-2024-09-08-at-23.10.59.mp4"][/video] Also in attendance at the event hosted by President Tokayev were the President Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, President Japarov of the Kyrgyz Republic, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the Chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan, the Rais (Head) of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, the Head of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Aisen Nikolayev, and the former president of Mongolia, Nambaryn Enkhbayar. Dazzling visuals marked the end...