Culture and Lifestyle

On Friday (26 May), Georgia is celebrating the 105th anniversary of the establishment of the first Democratic Republic of Georgia.

The Democratic Republic of Georgia declared independence from the short-lived Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic (TDFR), which consisted of much of the present-day territory of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, on 26 May 1918. Two days later, both Armenia and Azerbaijan also declared independence from the TDFR, which was formed in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution of 1917.

Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have agreed to increase cultural cooperation, reports The Astana Times on Tuesday (9 May).

Kazakh Minister of Culture and Sports Askhat Oralov announced last week that his country intends to strengthen cultural ties with Azerbaijan and other Turkic countries through the Organization of Turkic States and the International Organization of Turkic Culture.

Today, on Monday (1 May), Kazakhstan is marking the Kazakhstan People's Unity Day.

Signed into law on 18 October 1995 and first celebrated in 1996, the Kazakhstan People's Unity Day celebrates the diverse cultural and ethnic background of Kazakh citizens and the Kazakh nation, especially emphasising peaceful inter-ethnic relations between ethnic Kazakhs and minorities.

It is a public holiday in Kazakhstan, and the day represents values of friendship, solidarity, trust and mutual respect.

A key event in Russia's annual 9 May Victory Day commemorating the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II will not take place this year in Moscow, report Russian media.

The "Immortal Regiment" parade, in which ordinary Russians throughout the country parade through town and city streets holding photos of relatives who were killed during the Second World War has become a staple of Victory Day celebrations under Vladimir Putin's rule.

This editorial first appeared in the 4 April 2023 issue of our newsletter, Central Asia Concise. If you would like to sign up to Central Asia Concise, or any other of our newsletters, click here.

A traditional Kazakh yurt has been erected in the Slovak capital of Bratislava to celebrate the springtime festival of Nauryz. The installation was organised by the Embassy of Kazakhstan and supported by city authorities, reports Kazinform.

In this op-ed for commonspace.eu, Onnik James Krikorian writes that culture can play a critical role in the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace-building process. "It can provide positive examples of coexistence and demonstrate how Armenians and Azerbaijanis share similarities despite dominant nationalist narratives that suggest otherwise. Acknowledging and respecting cultural differences could be instrumental in promoting peace and resolving conflicts." 

In this third and final article in a series of three pieces about different aspects of the Yemeni diaspora, Hisham Almahdi discusses the realities, roles and possibilities that the global Yemeni diaspora can play in their efforts to rebuild the future of Yemen.