UGUR OZEN / KUZEY NEWS AGENCY
Kyrgyzstan has been working to finalize preparations for the first World Nomad Fest which takes place in Cholpon Ata city in the Isik-Kol province on 8-14 September. Aiming to cement the relations among Turkic countries, the organization will present the details of daily life of nomads with nine different plays.
Due to the importance of nomadic culture for Turks, 19 groups from several countries including Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Mongolia, China and Russia are scheduled to attend the event. High level statesmen like Turkish President Abdullah Gul and his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev are expected to attend.
The plays exhibit nomadic life with its various aspects. In the events, teams will compete in traditional nomad sport categories such as kok-bori, Kyrgyz wrestling, alish, corgo-salish, kunan-cabish, toguz-korgool and ordo kiz-kuumay, along with the sport competition folk dances like tiyin enmey, kulatuu and salbuurun will also be presented.
Kyrgyz authorities have long been making immense efforts to accomplish the preparation process by putting together the infrastructure. At the same time the teams and groups that will attend the fest are training as the opening day approaches. The fest is viewed as a unique opportunity for sport and tourism but also it greatly contributes efforts to advertise the country. The total cost of the project is $3 billion.
The fest also creates a great chance for Turkic countries to come together and strengthen bilateral relations. Deputy prime minister Maksat Chakiyev, who is responsible for culture and tourism, said “The fest has two purposes. The first one is related to strengthen relations among countries. There are very few events in the Turkic world which help us to come together around our shared values and boost cultural exchange. Because of this, the fest is really important. The Turkic world may consider organizing a micro World Olympic Games.”
For the opening ceremony, Kyrgyz organizers are seeking to negotiate with Russian group “Rus Gorod-312” and Tukish pop star Tarkan to open the event.
