On Russia's war against Ukraine and the Russian language. I am writing this as someone who grew up in Almaty, where during the Soviet period, only a couple of schools taught in Kazakh. My peers and I were completely Russified. 1/7
In the first weeks of the war, I was giving a book talk at one of the universities in the US. After the talk, a student from Kazakhstan (ethnic Uyghur) asked if we could switch to Kazakh or English, as she didn't want to speak Russian. 2/7
I fully understood where she was coming from, even if I tried to make an argument that we shouldn't offer Putin and co. monopoly and ownership of the Russian language. 3/7
In Kazakhstan, Russia's war did more for the Kazakh language promotion than 30 years of the Kazakh government's attempts did. The youth especially is switching to Kazakh whenever they can. Non-ethnic Kazakhs from Kazakhstan are also more interested in Kazakh than before. 4/7
Speaking for myself, I started learning Kazakh before the war as part of my book journey. When my teacher asked why someone who's lived abroad since the age of 19 and lives in DC now would want to learn Kazakh, I told her that it was important for my identity. 5/7
On my recent trip to 🇰🇿, I felt sad I wasn't in a position (yet) to present my Kazakh book in Kazakh. In Semey and Almaty, I presented in Russian. But for the formal launch in Astana, I consciously chose to speak in English (w/simultaneous interpretation into Kazakh&Russian). 6/7
There's a lot of excitement around the Kazakh language. It's a trend that started several years ago - Q-pop, soap operas in Kazakh, podcasts that mix Kazakh & Russian. The war intensified the trend. People of 🇰🇿 solidify their identity that is moving away from the Soviet past.7/7
BONUS: Kazakh rap 😎 8/7
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My observations on the Kazakh language. A case study of my native city - Almaty. When I was growing up during the Soviet period, there were only 2 Kazakh-language schools in Almaty. Practically nobody among my peers spoke Kazakh. 1/5
Fast forward to today. Russian is still very much present in everyday life, but the change in the role of the Kazakh language in more formal settings or in situations where the choice of spoken language makes a point is palpable. 2/5
In several discussion-style events I attended, young participants chose to speak in English or Kazakh rather than Russian. This organic change is most noticeable in music. The content of festivals and concerts targeted at the young generation in Almaty is 90% Kazakh. 3/5
Atomic Steppe in 🇰🇿 Diaries. Part 1 - Astana. On September 29, @fes_kazakhstan launched the Kazakh edition of @stanfordpress Atomic Steppe in Kazakhstan's capital. 1/8
It was a beautiful sunny day, and the venue was gorgeous and symbolic. A winter garden in a shape of a yurt with a beautiful Shanyraq (opening for light and air in yurts) at the top. Shanyraq is featured on the cover of the Kazakh edition ❤️ 2/8
This was a culmination of many months of hard work of many people, first and foremost of @fes_kazakhstan staff, interns, and partners. The Steppe & World Publishing team (of Harry Potter in Kazakh fame) worked on the translation. I was so excited and grateful! 😊 3/8
A couple of nuclear vignettes of Gorbachev's rule at the cusp of the Soviet collapse:
- Gorbachev wasn't interested in the arms race with the US. He was also not keen on continued nuclear tests but wasn't powerful enough to deal with the Soviet military-industrial complex. 1/8
An interesting little-remembered story: at the height of the Kazakh anti-nuclear movement against Soviet nuclear tests, Gorbachev invited the movement's leader Olzhas Suleimenov to accompany him on a visit to London to meet with Margaret Thatcher. 2/8
Suleimenov remembers: "Why did Gorbachev support me, take me to London, even though we never spoke until that moment? He needed an anti-nuclear movement. We helped him, and he helped us." 3/8
Today - August 29 - is the International Day Against Nuclear Tests (IDANT), established by the UN in 2009. There is symbolism and real-life stories of courage and resilience behind this date. It all started on August 29, 1949. 1/10
The Soviet government conducted its first atomic test on the Kazakh steppe that day. A nuclear test participant described the August 29th test: "The view was striking: destruction all around, heavy dead silence, burnt soil, dead burnt birds. An eerie feeling." 2/10
And this is how a local Kazakh described the same event: "Village dogs suddenly started to howl as if at someone's command, all facing east. The cows began to moo. 3/10
Later this month, Vienna will host the first meeting of #TPNW state-parties and several events focused on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear use. I want to use this chance to put a face to "consequences." 1/6
Meet Dmitrii-a friendly driver of a local equivalent of Uber in Semipalatinsk. Dmitrii was born to a Kazakh mother from Semipalatinsk & a Russian father from Novosibirsk in '76, 13 years after the last Soviet atmospheric test at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site.. 2/6
...during the period of underground nuclear testing. Dmitrii was diagnosed with a genetic mutation. He has altered skull bones and missing collarbones. 3/6
Russia's war in Ukraine: observations from Almaty, Kazakhstan
- almost every conversation on any topic sooner or later goes to the subject of war.
- Everyone I talked to supports Ukraine. My peers in Kazakhstan say what is happening doesn't make any sense. 1/4
- I have not met them but I know there are people who support Russia (the majority of them are from the older generation and watch Russian TV). No wonder some in Kazakhstan are calling for curbing Russian TV broadcasting. 2/4
- The presence of people from Russia is noticeable. It seems it's a mix: those who came for political reasons and those who came for economic reasons.
- Some banks are tightening rules for opening accounts for compliance reasons, out of fear of secondary sanctions. 3/4