These February days in the Tatar-Bashkir association of the Akmola region of Kazakhstan (chairman Rafail Sulkarnaev) are filled with important troubles in preparing for the upcoming events. And this is, first of all, the 175th anniversary of the great Kazakh poet, composer, akyn, translator Abay Kunanbaev. A successful challenge has just taken place in support of the speech by   President of Tatarstan Rustam Nurgalievich Minnikhanov. Against the background of the performance by the folk ensemble “Galiyabanu” of the famous song “Kuzemnen Karasy” (you are the pupil of my eyes), activists of the youth wing read Abay’s poems in different languages.

And already on the coming Sunday there will be a Literary drawing room, for which there  also intensive preparation is under way.

Following Abai – another important milestone in the life of the Tatar diaspora in the region. This is a traditional evening in memory of the Tatar poet Hero of the Soviet Union Musa Jalil. The baton of the older generation will be taken by kids – pupils  of the Tatar Sunday school (teacher Gaukhar Aminova).

The activists  have enough worries, because this year will be a kind of exam, the result of a considerable distance traveled. The ethnic association will turn 30 years old. Indeed, it was just such a period of time ago that the constituent conference took place and the folk ensemble “Galiyabanu” first appeared on the stage.

Larisa AITOVA,
Kokshetau, Akmola region, Kazakhstan.