Kazakhstan’s cultural heritage highly evaluated in Ethiopia

Addis Ababa, October 16, 2023 – On the eve of the celebration of the Republic Day, the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Ethiopia organized a seminar on kazakh traditions, customs, the history of kazakh statehood, and Kazakhstan's contribution to the world cultural heritage.

The event was attended by Ms. Rita Bissoonauth, UNESCO Director in Ethiopia, Mr. Wondimu Tekle, Deputy Chairman of the Friendship Group with Kazakhstan in the Parliament of Ethiopia, ambassadors of foreign countries, representatives of the business community, and the media.

During the seminar dedicated to the Republic Day, Ambassador of Kazakhstan, Permanent Representative to the African Union Barlybay Sadykov noted that Kazakhstan stands for the promotion of intercultural and interreligious dialogue and organizes summits of leaders of world and traditional religions, as well as conferences on various aspects of culture in cooperation with the International Center for the Rapprochement of Cultures, established in Kazakhstan under the auspices of UNESCO.

According to him, being in the center of the Eurasian continent, the people of Kazakhstan have absorbed the spirit of good neighborliness, peace and tolerance for other peoples and cultures. «Today, more than five and a half centuries after the formation of the first Kazakh Khanate, the principle of respect for the diversity of cultures and tolerance has become one of the foundations and strengths of Kazakh society», he said.

Within the program of the seminar a presentation and photo exhibition organized on the cultural heritage of Kazakhstan, on the contribution of famous historical figures of the Great Steppe – Sultan Baybars, Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, Abylai khan to the development of culture and international relations. Special attention was paid to the contribution of well-known figures of the Alash movement and the government of the Alash Horde, such as Magzhan Zhumabayev, Temirbek Zhurgenov, to the development of the Kazakh statehood.

The participants got acquainted with the book-atlas of ancient European and American maps which testify to the continuous history of the Kazakh statehood during the XVI-XIX centuries, collected by a Kazakh scientist M-A.Sydyknazarov.

In addition, the guests were presented the decorations of the Kazakh yurt, household items and clothing. An employee of the Embassy, Saule Dyusenova, performed Kazakh folk songs to the sounds of dombra.

Cultural similarities and parallels of Kazakh and Ethiopian cultures were also considered. Ethiopia, like Kazakhstan, with its unique and rich cultural heritage, has made a huge contribution to the development of world culture. The seminar participants stressed that the development of culture, intercultural and interreligious dialogue is included as one of the priorities in the long-term agenda for the development of Africa until 2063.

In general, the participants of the event shared their enthusiastic impressions and showed great interest in Kazakh culture. In their opinion, cultural diplomacy as a means of promoting cooperation between nations by strengthening mutual understanding contributes to international relations and can be crucial for strengthening peace and stability.