📰 Digitizing the First Issues of “Erkin Too” Newspaper:
Since the fall of 2024, in honor of the 100th anniversary of Kyrgyz statehood, the Aigine Cultural Research Center, in collaboration with Soltek LLC, has launched a project to digitize and transliterate the earliest issues of the “Erkin Too” newspaper (1925–1927). Over the course of three weeks, 324 issues have been scanned. A student from China, where Kyrgyz communities use the Arabic script, is working on transliterating the texts into Cyrillic. Once completed, the digitized newspapers will be made available in electronic format on the Aigine website, offering a unique opportunity to explore what the founders of Kyrgyz statehood wrote about 100 years ago. The project is supported by the Pawanka Fund.
🎬 Launch of “Duldul Bulak” Animated Film Production:
This week marked the beginning of production for the animated film “Duldul Bulak,” which combines animation and live-action elements. The project aims to tell the story of sacred sites, their histories, rules of visitation, and cultural significance. The initiative is being carried out with the support of the Pawanka Fund.
🌌 Local Knowledge of the Stars:
The “Baldar Asmany” (Children’s Sky) initiative group, in collaboration with a collective of young artists and animators led by Asel Kitayeva, has completed work on an educational video about the stars and the solar system for children. Each story in the animated film unveils the mysteries of the planets in our solar system, including a Kyrgyz legend about its creation. Through a beautifully animated short film in the Kyrgyz language, rooted in traditional legends, the initiative helps children connect with their cultural heritage and inspires a love for astronomy. Indigenous legends about stars and celestial spheres were collected and compiled by the head of the “Jyldyz Sanak” initiative group, senior astronomy lecturer Abakir Kalybekov.