Abai’s legacy presented to the Library of Congress

Washington, D.C., August 6, 2026. Ahead of Abai Day, the Embassy of Kazakhstan in the United States held a ceremony at the Library of Congress to present Legacy to the Next Generation, a trilingual adaptation of Abai Kunanbaiuly’s Book of Words by Kazakh philologist, educator, and translator Gulmira Amandykova.

During the event, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the United States Magzhan Ilyassov presented the publication to Joan S. Weeks, Head of the Near East Section in the Library’s African and Middle Eastern Division. Aitolkyn Kourmanova, Coordinator of the Abai Center in Washington, also attended the ceremony.

Ambassador Ilyassov highlighted Abai’s historic role as a great Kazakh poet, philosopher, educator, and founder of modern Kazakh written literature. He emphasized that Abai’s call for education, hard work, moral responsibility, and openness to other cultures remains central to Kazakhstan’s national identity, expressing confidence that the publication would bring the spiritual heritage of the Kazakh people closer to American audiences.

Developed over nearly five years, Legacy to the Next Generation has since expanded into 12 languages, been presented at major international book exhibitions, and received Kazakhstan’s Book of the Year award.

Joan S. Weeks thanked the Ambassador for the valuable contribution and underscored the publication’s role in promoting Abai’s humanistic ideas. She also introduced the Library’s online collections and research resources relating to the Near East and Central Asia.

The presentation demonstrated how remote users can discover and access digital materials in their native languages. Joan S. Weeks expressed readiness, within the Library’s established cooperation with the Embassy, to help broaden access to its collections and unique research resources for Kazakhstan’s schools, universities, and academic community.

The participants reaffirmed the importance of strengthening cultural, humanitarian, and academic ties between Kazakhstan and the United States and agreed to continue cooperation among the Embassy, the Library of Congress, and the Abai Center.