150 Years of the Birth of Great Akyn

In the homeland of the musician – in the rural zone of Ekibastuz – they arranged a big celebration. Five kilometers from the village of Karazhar, where the akyn was born, an ethnoaul of 30 yurts was erected . On the big stage, a republican instrumental song festival was organized, musicians from all over Kazakhstan took part in it. Kazakh opera singer Shakhimardan Abilov also appeared before the audience.

One of the honorary guests was the granddaughter of the composer Zeken-apa. The Akim of Pavlodar Oblast handed her a chapan in honour of the anniversary of Yestai Berkimbaev.

“Recently, Nursultan Nazarbayev visited Pavlodar with a working trip,” – said Bulat Bakauov during a meeting with the intellectual society at an open interactive venue. – “For the Head of the State, a special exhibition was organized in the frames of Rukhani Zhangiru program, at which the dombras of the great composers of Irtysh Land, including Yestai Berkimbayev, were presented. The memory of our eminent countryman is still alive. Today the name of Yestai is given to the streets of Pavlodar, Ekibastuz and Aktogay District. By popular demand, the City Palace of Culture in the Regional Centre was named after him. In his native village, there was installed a monument to the composer. Today, the plans are to open the monument to Yestai in Pavlodar too. Yestai left a great legacy to future generations. I am sure that we will preserve and make much of it.”

In the ethnoaul, each guest could buy products made of silver, wood and leather made by Pavlodar masters. In addition, for the festival participants, there were organized thematic venues – sports, play and children’s. For fans of horse racing, they organized baiga.

The opening of the hall of Yestai Berkimbaev in the Ekibastuz museum of local lore was timed o the 150th anniversary of the akyn. Exhibits for the hall were taken from Potanin Oblast Museum and the descendants of the composer.

“One of the exhibits of the hall was the suitcase of Yestai Berkimbaev”, – the museum workers say. – “In 1939, when he took part in the work of the Congress of the Writers’ Union in Almaty, the composer bought two suitcases.  He gave one of them to his granddaughter Zeken-apa, the second was given to his cousin Kyzdarbek-ata. The suitcase was presented as a gift to the museum by the grandsons of Kyzdarbek-ata.”