Within the framework of the project “Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) and Transformation of Cultural Codes”, Aigine CRC supported the initiative of Uyghur activists living in the city of Karakol to document elements of their cultural heritage.

This initiative aims to contribute to the cultural relay “Karakol – Commonwealth Capital of Culture” by documenting and preserving the cultural heritage of various ethnic groups living in Karakol. In 2022, the city of Karakol took over the cultural baton from Dushanbe.

As part of this initiative, a documentary short film “Sama Dance in Karakol: Preserving Identity Through Culture” was produced. Filming was initiated by Professor of Issyk-Kul State University, Doctor of Philology Saifulla Abdullayev. Connoisseurs of cultural heritage have tried to reconstruct the meanings of the Uighur folk dance and recreate and document the dance itself.