Тәуелсіз елдің асқақ рухы

Great spirit of independence

This year, 2021, marks 30 years since the collapse of the Soviet union and, of course, 30th anniversary of the independence of Kazakhstan. The spirit of independence for me personally, hasn’t always been there, as we didn’t fight or asked for independence, the system collapsed, and there we were, not part of something greater than us, abandoned on our own. However, when I read the history of Kazakhs, the vast of beautiful lands, mountains, waters, fought for by great kazakh nomads, traditions and customs rich in meaningfulness and sense, that have been kept through opression and alien ideology, my spirit goes all the way up so high it’s difficult to breathe. Some might feel nostalgic about the times before independence, but I know that the majority feels like I do: what can be better than when you’re able to breathe freely, when you belong, when you can be openly proud of your ancestry and identity. I imagine the great spirit of independence as a cheerleader that is always by our side, cheering when we’re succeeding and having our back when the times are difficult.

I’m proud of our people, who are strong, smart and most importantly, open and accepting of other cultures and differences, diversity makes us powerful. I’m proud of our youth, Dimash, Zhansaya Abdumalik, GGG, and so many more, all incredibly talented and with great etchics. I’m proud of our teachers and students, who are never giving up on improving, through trial and error, but I believe it will bring us to the right place. I’m proud of our leaders who were able to keep our sky peaceful, and all parents, who are bringing up new generation of well-educated and loved people, who I believe will be competitive in the globalized world and compassionate at the same time to those in need and/or marginalized, because this is the true spirit of free nomads.