This project is proposed as a continuation of the previous project Cultural Heritage Meets Modern Technology, which was successfully implemented in 2023. The second phase of the project will consist of two (2) components involving the development of two (2) digital products.
The main goal of the first component is to create one (1) animated short cartoon based on a traditional legend about the origin, main message, and spiritual-cultural significance of one (1) sacred site with a duration of 3-5 minutes in 3D format. The adaptation of two legends – Kulundu-Ata and Ajydaar-Tash developed within the framework of the previous project demonstrated the demand, relevance, and necessity of such products in the Kyrgyz language in today’s society, especially for the younger audience, who actively absorb information at this age and are in the process of cultural self-determination.
The aim of the second component is to develop and create an innovative mobile pixel video game for teenagers in Kyrgyz language, aimed at popularizing the traditional equestrian sport game Kok-Boru among urban teenagers. This product will become the first indigenous game in Kyrgyzstan created as a mobile action genre game available on international online application platforms such as the App Store and Google Play. Today, there are numerous modern games played by teenagers that have nothing to do with indigenous values and knowledge; often, they can even have a negative effect on the unstable young psyche. The SolTek team believes that the development and implementation of traditional games will provide an opportunity for young urban youth, as well as girls and young women, to virtually immerse themselves in the game Kok-Boru, to be initiated into indigenous culture, to cultivate a sense of love and understanding for the animal world, and also to develop observation, creativity, patience, and positively balanced displays of strength.
The SolTek team adheres to the method of close collaboration with indigenous cultural communities. To implement this project, our team will collaborate with the community of guardians and bearers of traditional genealogy, sacred site guardians and pilgrims, as well as communities and federations related to the traditional game Kok-Boru. They will be the primary experts in developing the storyline for one (1) animated film about sacred sites and the mobile game “Kok-Boru”.
Through the transmission of knowledge and practices via modern digital multimedia products, we make a significant contribution to the development of intergenerational dialogue, nurturing the native language, the transmission of unwritten knowledge and values, as well as the cultivation of a sense of identity and belonging in the modern globalized society among the younger generation.