The 11th Borderless Onsite Meeting took place on Friday, January 31, 2025, in association with Global Commons.
This time, Ms. Otkulbek kyzy Akylai, a 6th cohort NipCA fellow from the Kyrgyz Republic, presented on the theme of “Exploring Kyrgyzstan – Land of Nomads, Revolutions and Majestic Mountains”.
The Kyrgyz Republic is often referred to as the “Switzerland of Central Asia,” with over 90% of its land situated at an altitude of 1500 meters or more, and it is a richly natural mountainous country. Located in the southern part of Central Asia, several outstanding civilizations have intersected as part of the Silk Road connecting China and the Mediterranean, as well as other commercial routes.
Initially, there was an explanation about the basic information of the Kyrgyz Republic. It was interesting that the national flag design was changed last year (she said she liked the design before the change), and that one-third of the population was young people, which is the opposite phenomenon from Japan.
We were also introduced to the beautiful nature surrounded by mountains such as the Tien Shan Mountains, the yurt, which is the home of nomads, traditional games of racing on horseback, and traditional ethnic costumes. In the explanation of traditional instruments, we were able to experience the visuals and sounds through videos of instruments such as komuz, kyl kiyak, and zhygach ooz komuz.
Regarding languages, the people of the Kyrgyz Republic speak Kyrgyz and Russian. The Kyrgyz language belongs to the Turkic languages, and it is said that the languages of neighboring countries belonging to the Turkic languages can understand each other, allowing conversations in mutual native languages. On the political front, she also presented that Kyrgyzstan has the highest degree of political freedom in Central Asia, which led to three revolutions due to political dissatisfaction: the Tulip Revolution in 2005, ethnic conflicts in 2010, and unrest in 2020, and that democracy is currently in crisis due to the decline of opposition parties and the rise of authoritarianism.
During the questions and answers following the presentation, there were questions about the population composition ratio by age group. Not only Ms. Akylai, but also international students from Central Asia shared about the situation in their home countries, making it an interesting discussion. It was a meaningful time for us to gain new knowledge about the Kyrgyz Republic.
The next Borderless Onsite Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 18, 2025, with a presentation by Ms. Miia Mikaela Poll from Estonia.
