Kazakhstan’s lawmakers have decreed that the newly opened Nazarbayev University is to be given a free hand in choosing its academic policy, with no interference from the mandarins in Astana. The decision unshackles the institution from having to provide a wide range of subjects that have no relation to students’ majors, a long-time bone of contention for the country’s overburdened learners.
The university will be able to set its own curricula, distinguishing it from rivals who have to follow rigid course content guidelines from above (and which overload students with extra, irrelevant coursework).
The ministry recently took on KIMEP, one of Nazarbayev University's main rivals, over its alleged failure to issue state-standard diplomas. KIMEP’s license was initially suspended for six months, but – no doubt to the relief of thousands of students and graduates – this decision was revoked in an October 6 court ruling.
Kazakhstan's flagship sponsorship project, the Astana cycling team, is in the not-so-glamorous spotlight once again after news media learned on September 29 that this year's Tour de France winner Alberto Contador tested positive for a banned substance late in the race.
Contador, whose controversial July win was a tarnished blessing for Astana, was tested on July 21, and the sample revealed traces of the banned steroid clenbuterol. At a press conference in his Spanish hometown on September 30, the three-time Tour winner proclaimed his innocence and said that the positive result was due to his having eaten contaminated meat from Spain. The International Cycling Union has provisionally suspended Contador from the sport while the case is investigated.
Kazakhstan's state asset holding company Samruk-Kazyna supports Team Astana, a PR vehicle for the country on the world stage. But cycling -- with its regular doping scandals -- is a dangerous sport for promoting Kazakhstan's image abroad. In 2007, Kazakhstan's top rider Alexandre Vinokourov was kicked out of the Tour de France along with the whole Astana team after he tested positive for doping.
Veteran German punk group Die Toten Hosen is blazing a trail through the hearts of Central Asian rockers this week. It's the band's first visit to this part of the world and gives lovers of alternative music a rare chance to sample very different sounds from what's usually dished up in local bars and clubs.
Industrial giants Mercedes and Siemens and Germany's diplomatic missions in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are sponsoring the tour, which opened in Astana on September 21. Tickets are free.
Die Toten Hosen play in the open air on September 24 at Tashkent's Turkestan Theater and then move on to Samarkand's Mujiza Amphitheater on September 25. Tickets are available by registering online with the German Embassy in Tashkent.
Tajikistan's punk cognoscenti will get the chance to pogo the night away at Dushanbe's Kokhi Borbad hall on September 27, the final date of the band's Central Asian visit.
Die Toten Hosen, whose name is often translated into English as “The Dead Pants,” formed in 1982 and are one of relatively few German bands to enjoy success outside their homeland.
In an email exchange, the group said it is not motivated by money, but enjoys the experience and the fans. The same cannot be said for all aging rock stars visiting Central Asia.
The movers and shakers of Central Asia's cinema world are gathering in Almaty, Kazakhstan as the sixth annual Eurasia International Film Festival kicks off on September 21. The five-day festival will highlight recent Kazakh productions while focusing on new movies from Central Asia and the Turkic speaking world.
Kazakhstan’s cinema industry produced 15 films in 2009 and has been enjoying a renaissance over the last few years as directors tackle tricky social issues and the Soviet legacy.
There will be a screening of Ermek Tursunov's Oscar nominated "Kelin," which caused controversy on its release for its depiction of the trials and tribulations of a young bride. It raised the hackles of Mazhilis (parliamentary) deputies, who attacked the film for negatively portraying Kazakh society.
The prudish politicians, who have taken it upon themselves to be the guardian's of the nation’s morals, also had the knives out for "Kairat-Champion. Virgin #1" – including its scenes of homosexuality – and for "Tulpan" which showed Kazakhs in an “ignoble” light.
Kazakhstan’s tennis lovers are in for a treat this week as their national team takes on Switzerland for a place in the elite World Group of the Davis Cup, the men's international team tournament. The team's rapid rise in international standings has come in an unusual way. Rather than waiting for homegrown talent to emerge, Kazakhstan has poached a number of middle-ranking Russian players, given them Kazakh passports and – presto – suddenly has a team that can take on the best in the world.
Russian-born Andrey Golubev, who was languishing in the twilight zone of Russian tennis before he got his big break and Kazakh passport in 2008, will lead Kazakhstan's charge. Since emigrating he has steadily climbed the world rankings to stand at 39. In July he won his first tournament, the German Open in Hamburg.
On the way to the threshold of the top sixteen teams in the world, Kazakhstan recently brushed aside China and South Korea. Hopes are high that home advantage will give the team an edge over the Swiss in the match, to be played in Astana's National Tennis Center from September 17-19.
Leading Switzerland's challenge is world number 20, Stanislas Wawrinka, fresh from a quarterfinal appearance in last week's US Open. Wawrinka is likely to be the biggest obstacle to Kazakhstan's chances of progressing to the World Group.
The Beatles: Immortalized in Almaty's Kok-Tobe Park
It may be 40 years since The Beatles decided to call it a day, but Beatlemania shows no signs of declining in Kazakhstan. The band's diehard fans in Almaty are keeping the faith alive by planning a concert on August 30 to celebrate the Fab Four's formation 50 years ago. A motley crew of local musicians and politicians will take to the stage to belt out covers of some 30 Beatles' favorites.
The Beatles enjoyed huge popularity in the Soviet Union and their songs remain a regular feature in the clubs and bars of Kazakhstan's commercial hub, Almaty. Local covers bands Zhetygen and Fridays will be joined on stage by eco-warrior Mels Yeleusizov, the leader of the environmental campaign group Tabigat, and Gani Kasymov, the burly leader of the Patriots' Party.
The concert will also commemorate John Lennon, who would have turned 70 this year. There are plans afoot to create an alley in Almaty named after the famous tunesmith, though a site has not been located.
The city already has one unusual monument to the Mop Tops from Liverpool – a Beatles bench, which is situated in the hilltop Kok-Tobe Park. The monument features John Lennon sitting on a bench strumming a guitar, with the other Beatles standing behind him. Long queues form to take photos with the Fab Four.
Kazakhstan's tennis-loving President Nursultan Nazarbayev has made improving the nation's health a key policy for the future. The country's commercial hub, Almaty, has responded to the challenge by opening of a host of new parks and sports facilities in the city center. But these are no ordinary recreation areas. They are built on the detritus of stalled construction projects.
“Only a healthy nation can be a competitive one. Therefore, one of the state's strategic policies is the expansion of a mass sport movement,” Nazarbayev announced in Almaty on August 14.
When I moved to Almaty in 2005, Kurmangazy Street in the center of the city was a leafy residential street lined with low-level houses dating from the 1950s. As property prices rocketed in the intervening years, these two-story houses became a target of rapacious speculators who demolished them to make way for apartment blocks.
But the 2008-2009 financial crisis hit hard and the redevelopment plans were shelved, leaving the heart of Almaty scarred with failed construction sites. Then some bright spark in the city mayor's office came up with the idea to turn the vacant lots into parks.
Now on a summer's evening the city's newest parks ring with the sound of children playing and frenetic five-a-side soccer matches. These getaways provide a much-needed green oasis in a polluted city and offer a respite from the summer heat.
Further down Kurmangazy, a new tennis complex has recently opened, and another little park features a pair of yurts where Almatinians can recover from all this exercise and get back to their roots as they guzzle healthy bowls of koumiss, the slightly alcoholic national tipple made from fermented mare's milk.
Following hot on the success of Astana's cyclists in the Tour de France and Barys Astana’s ice hockey victory in the President of Kazakhstan's Cup, Kazakhstan is now seeking success in another sporting arena – women's rugby. Central Asia's queens of the scrum will represent all of Asia in the Women's Rugby World Cup, which takes place in England from August 20 to September 5.
Kazakhstan dominates women's rugby in Asia and this is its fourth consecutive appearance at the World Championship. It qualified for the finals by trouncing Japan 43-5 and Hong Kong 58-14 in Singapore last year. A player to watch out for on the Kazakhstan roster is Lyudmila Sherer, who racked up seven tries in the Singapore victories.
The teams will compete near London at Surrey Sports Park and Twickenham Stoop, which is close to Rugby's spiritual home at Twickenham Stadium. The choice of venue highlights the fact that women's rugby does not enjoy the same status as the male version, but tournament organiser's are hopeful that this event will boost the game's profile.
Tashkent soccer club Bunyodkor’s troubles continue with the news that its Brazilian stars have packed their bags and left Uzbekistan. The quartet – Rivaldo, Denilson, Joao Victor and Edson Ramos – did not feature in Bunyodkor’s 2-0 victory on August 5 and are reported to have flown home to Brazil.
Rumor has it that Zeromax GmbH, the Swiss-registered conglomerate believed to have links to Uzbek President Islam Karimov’s eldest daughter Gulnara "GooGoosha" Karimova, bankrolled Bunyodkor.
Zeromax has been in financial difficulties of late and work on a 35,000-seat stadium in Tashkent has frozen, with giant cranes standing idle over the huge construction site.
2002 World Cup winner Rivaldo joined the then-cash-rich club on August 28, 2008 on a one-year contract worth a cool $14 million over two years: not bad for a player who was 36 at time and in the twilight of his career.
Bunyodkor’s manager Luiz Filipe Scolari, also from Brazil, parted company with the club on May 29, less than a year into his 18 month contract which was said to be worth around $18 million a year, citing mutual consent and family reasons.
It may only be August, but there's a hint of winter in the air as Astana plays host to a curtain raiser for the upcoming ice hockey season. Barys Astana will compete against teams from Russia, Latvia and Belarus in the inaugural President of Kazakhstan's Cup tournament.
The action begins in the capital’s Kazakhstan Sports Palace on August 10 with Dinamo Riga (Latvia) playing Dinamo Minsk (Belarus) in the afternoon match and home favorites Barys taking on Atlant (Russia) that evening. After further games between the teams on August 11 and 13, the top two teams play off in the final on August 14. The event sponsor is Nur Otan, the political party led by President Nursultan Nazarbayev, which holds all the elected seats in Kazakhstan's parliament.
Barys was a founding member of the KHL (Kontinental Hockey League), set up in 2008 to bring together teams from Russia, Kazakhstan, Latvia and Belarus to provide a rival to North America's NHL (National Hockey League).
The Astana-based team's participation in the KHL is another pillar of Kazakhstan's attempts to promote its capital city through sports such as cycling and hockey. Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, the state railroad company, sponsors Barys.
