The Kambarkan Folk Ensemble (Камбаркан фольклордук ансамбл) represents a milestone in the cultivation of Kyrgyz national identity. Originally founded in 1987 by artist and musician Chalagyz Isabayev, the ensemble aimed to preserve, appreciate, and explore Kyrgyz folk music. Isabayev, born 1937 in Kyrgyzstan’s Issyk-Kul Region, was an honored artist of the Kyrgyz Republic. Although he […]

The history of soccer in Kyrgyzstan goes back to 1921, with an oft-cited first match taking place in Bishek, Kyrgyzstan’s capital city, against a team from Kazakhstan. The Kazakh team won, but not before the sport of soccer staked a permanent claim on the Kyrgyz national consciousness— the game’s been culturally significant ever since. However, […]

Kurmanjan Datka is a historical drama about a woman who helped unite Kyrgyzstan’s fourty tribes into a nation to fight the invading Russian forces. Recently, a modern film was made of her life and deeds. It is called simply Kurmanjan Datka, although it was released with English subtitles with a second name: Queen of the […]

The London School, where the SRAS students in Bishkek study, is located near a small shopping mall known as the VEFA Center. Due to its proximity, VEFA is where most students do their shopping. It also hosts many rotating attractions, however, in the large presentation space at the main entrance. Sometimes this is marketing for […]

A popular Russian-language site in Kyrgyzstan, Limon.ru, assembled the following list of Kyrgyzstan’s top native hits for 2017. Бегиш feat. Баястан – «Теке» Мирбек Атабеков – «Жолуктун неге» Нурмат Садыров feat. Баястан – «Табышмак сулуу» Гулназ Чыныбек кызы – «Кайда» Абир Касенов – «Жаным» Айгерим Расул кызы – «Озун эле» Non Stop – «Жаныма кел» […]

Shoro (Шоро) is the Kyrgyz drink of choice on a hot summer’s day. Considered an affordable, healthy refreshment and thought to improve digestion, Shoro, which means “salty” in Kyrgyz, produces pungent and slightly tangy fermented drinks.  Shoro is a truly self-made brand, built from the ground up. The company began in 1992, when brothers Tebaldi […]

Magical Journey (Керемет көч) is a Kyrgyz children’s animated television series. It began in 2006 and was the first Kyrgyz-language cartoon produced in independent Kyrgyzstan. Like many Russian cartoons, it has an educational goal—to teach children how to deal with unpleasant situations, avoid unnecessary conflicts, build self-esteem, and uncover their potential. The show is a social […]

Urmat Usenov (Урмат Усенов) is a Kyrgyz pop singer. These days he sings mainly in Kyrgyz, though he has recorded several songs in Russian and even occasionally sings in Turkish. Usenov grew up in Talas, a Kyrgyz village, but his parents sent him to Bishkek when he was 11 because they believed he had a […]