The UN hosted a high-level event dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the adoption by the General Assembly of the resolution on the Kyrgyz epic “Manas”. Day of Turkic Languages at the UN: the epic “Manas” as a living heritage and guideline for the future Culture and education
The UN headquarters in New York celebrated for the first time World Turkic Languages Day, a new international date designed to highlight the importance of Turkic languages and traditions for global cultural diversity. It is symbolic that the Day was celebrated with an event dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the General Assembly resolution on the millennium of the Manas epic, one of the key monuments of the Turkic cultural heritage.
In an interview with the UN News Service, the Minister of Culture, Information and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic, Mirbek Mambetaliev, noted that the preservation and development of Turkic languages is important far beyond the region. “The preservation of the Turkic language is very important not only for the Turkic peoples, but also for the whole world, because the heritage of the Turkic peoples has very deep roots,” he emphasized, recalling the rich cultural tradition of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Epic “Manas” calls for living in harmony with nature, living in peace with neighbors, respecting elders and paying great attention to educating the younger generation. Today, more than ever, we all need these values
“Today we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the UN resolution on the Manas epic. “Manas is considered one of the main cultural heritages of the Kyrgyz people and the entire Turkic world,” he said.
The epic “Manas”, numbering about 500 thousand lines, is recognized as one of the longest in the world and is included in the Guinness Book of Records. Its international recognition has consistently strengthened: in 2013, the trilogy “Manas – Semetey – Seitek” was included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, and in 2023, the manuscripts of the epic were included in the “Memory of the World” register, which emphasized its universal value for humanity.
Special attention in the interview was paid to the involvement of young people and the adaptation of cultural heritage to the conditions of the digital age. According to Mirbek Mambetaliev, learning the Kyrgyz language today faces serious challenges. “In the era of YouTube and mobile phones, the Kyrgyz language is difficult for children,” he noted.
In response to these challenges, new cultural and educational initiatives have been launched in Kyrgyzstan. “We started making animated films and anime in the Kyrgyz language. We will soon begin filming an anime based on Manas,” the minister said. In parallel, work is underway to translate the epic into Russian, English and Turkish, as well as to retell it in prose and create comics so that the complex poetic text becomes more understandable to children and youth. “The epic calls for living in harmony with nature, living in peace with neighbors, respecting elders and paying great attention to the education of the younger generation. Today, more than ever, we all need these values,” he said.
Speaking about the role of international platforms, Mirbek Mambetaliev noted the importance of the UN and UNESCO in promoting cultural dialogue. “At the UN and UNESCO, we work with partners from all over the world to develop culture and live in harmony with nature, without losing our identity,” the minister emphasized.