Summary:

POLITICAL

The European Vector Is Essential for Kazakhstan, Kazykhanov Says

Kazakhstan to introduce regional appeals courts

ECONOMIC

Mining & Metallurgy Congress Expands Kazakhstan’s Int’l Ties in the Field

Bringing Kazakh Drylands Back to Life

Employment Program to embrace up to 1.5 mln people by 2015

Kazakhstan, Eurocopter sign deal ahead of helicopter assembly

Recent Kazakh investments in Tajikistan exceed $100M

OTHER NEWS

VILED to make history with first Saks Fifth Avenue store

Kazakhstan: Astana Harnesses Soft Power of Silver Screen

Sufferings on Canvas: The Gulag Collection

POLITICAL

The European Vector Is Essential for Kazakhstan, Kazykhanov Says Kazakh Foreign Ministry

ASTANA, July 5, 2011 - The European vector in foreign policy is essential for Kazakhstan, and Astana hopes to bring cooperation to a whole new level, which will be achieved by a new treaty on enhanced partnership between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the European Union. Kazakhstan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Yerzhan Kazykhanov told this to ambassadors of the EU member states, accredited in Kazakhstan, at a meeting today. The Kazakhstan-EU Council for Cooperation had its regular sessions on June 27 in Brussels. The main outcome of these sessions became an official launch of negotiations on the new treaty on enhanced partnership between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the European Union. The sides are expected to exchange position papers within a short period of time, and Astana is expected to host the first round of negotiations in October. High dynamics of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the EU was noted at the meeting, including a regular exchange of visits at high and highest levels. Due to the implementation of a 3-year state programme “Road to Europe”, the European Union has taken up a strong position as a leading trading and investment partner of Kazakhstan. The EU accounts for 47% of the total foreign trade turnover of Kazakhstan and for one third of all investments into Kazakhstan. In 2010, the trade turnover between Kazakhstan and the EU totaled $38.0 billion (up from $28.8 billion in 2009). Gross inflow of direct investment from the EU countries into Kazakhstan’s economy since 2003 topped $52 billion, including $ 10.8 billion in the year 2010. Kazakhstan signed agreements on strategic partnership with France (2008), Italy (2009) and Spain (2009). With Germany, an action plan was signed as part of the Partnership for the Future (2009), and the Year of Germany in Kazakhstan was successfully completed in 2010. As noted by Kazykhanov, regional cooperation within the framework of the EU Strategy for Central Asia has significant potential. It would be advisable to resume the practice of holding annual security forums in the format “EU - Central Asia” in various areas at a level of ministers or their deputies. During the meeting, the Minister informed his counterparts about the outcome of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship in the SCO and the recently held 38th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), outlining the priorities set by Astana for its chairmanship of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC. In this connection, the Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan argued that, “in the OIC, we will focus our efforts on strengthening international and regional security, promoting economic development and addressing social issues, promoting dialogue among civilizations and ensuring constructive interaction between the Islamic world and the West, counteracting Islamophobia, and strengthening the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.” “I am confident that our multifaceted cooperation with Islamic states will continue to serve as an important factor in ensuring a balanced nature of the international system, based on the principles of justice, equality of all states and solidarity in the face of common challenges. We view back-to-back chairmanships of Kazakhstan in the OSCE in 2010, and at the Council of FM of the OIC in 2011 as a good opportunity for rapprochement between those two organizations representing the Western and Muslim civilizations,” Kazykhanov said. Current international issues, including the situation in Afghanistan and prospects for cooperation between Kazakhstan and the EU were also discussed during the meeting. The meeting was attended by the Head of Delegation of the European Union in Kazakhstan Norbert Jousten and the heads of the diplomatic missions of EU member states accredited in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan to introduce regional appeals courts

Central Asia Newswire

Monday, July 11, 2011 - Kazakhstan will introduce appeals courts at the regional level to improve supervision of local jurisdictions, the Kazakh Supreme Court announced on Friday. The announcement came at the end of a high court meeting to review Kazakh court performance in the first half of 2011, the Xinhua news agency reported. “It is deemed expedient to establish two regional court instances, courts of appeal for appeals against rulings that have not yet entered into force and courts of cassation for appeals against rulings that have already entered into force,” the news agency quoted a Supreme Court statement as saying. “The fundamental changes will allow the Supreme Court to wield its supervision powers over courts more effectively,” the statement added. According to the reforming statement, ruling judgments will enter into force on the day the judgment is issued. Supreme Court deputies in the release criticized the previous method of supervision over lower courts. “The supervision by the Supreme Court over local courts has been replaced by supervision over specific cases,” the statement read.

ECONOMIC

Mining & Metallurgy Congress Expands Kazakhstan’s Int’l Ties in the Field

Astana Calling

Kazakhstan’s capital brought together representatives of mining and metallurgy industry from around the world for the Second International Congress called Astana Mining & Metallurgy (AMM-2011) on July 4-6. The Congress included numerous events and resulted in new proposals on the development of Kazakhstan’s mining and metallurgy complex (MMC), important international inter-company agreements and memorandums. More than 1,360 participants from 25 countries participated in the Congress, which was dedicated to the celebration of three significant events in the country: Kazakhstan’s 20th anniversary of independence, Astana Day, and the professional holiday “Metallurgist Day,” the organizers of the forum said. The two-day forum consisted of the plenary conference and three sessions. An Industrial exhibition was held in parallel to the main events as well, where the attendees of the Congress were able to learn about the “golden,” “innovative,” “educational,” and “service” potential of the leading MMC companies. A total of 85 companies from 10 countries presented their work at the exhibition. Prime Minister Karim Massimov read out a welcoming address from Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev. “All these years, the steel industry has been one of the key sectors of the Kazakhstan economy, demonstrating high dynamics of development. Currently it accounts for more than seven percent of GDP, about 17 percent of the total industrial production, and 20 percent of exports,” the President said. Today, the steel makers are facing new challenges, he said adding that the State Programme of Accelerated Industrial and Innovative Development, which is now being implemented in Kazakhstan, was designed to overcome these challenges and strengthen the industry. “In the 21st century, our country will strengthen its position as one of the world’s leading iron and steel centres,” Nazarbayev said. To this end, the Kazakh Government has adopted and begun implementing an Industrial programme for the development of mining and metallurgy complex until 2014, Massimov said at the opening. “We clearly understand that the new investment in the MMC is a high-risk, capital-intensive, and long-term endeavour, but we must and we will work to increase its competitiveness,” Massimov stressed. At the plenary conference, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Samruk-Kazyna National Welfare Fund Aidan Karibzhanov said Kazakhstan intends to create a series of joint ventures with the world’s leading companies in mining and metallurgy. “We understand that without international companies we cannot do anything, since cooperation means new technologies for extracting and refining, which we need.” In his turn, Ambassador, Head of Delegation of the European Union to Kazakhstan Norbert Jousten said the EU is considering a new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with Kazakhstan that attaches considerable importance to cooperation in mining and metallurgical sector. The emphasis is put on issues of safe disposal of raw materials, the use of energy-efficient technologies, and non-discriminatory access to EU markets for Kazakhstan’s raw materials, Jousten said. The first day of the AMM-2011 also included discussions on topics such as “Prospects for consolidating the world’s mining and metallurgy sector,” “State regulation of mining and metallurgy industry: effective approaches and best practices,” “Innovation and scientific research as the way to solve complex problems in the MMC,” “Restoring activities of markets of metal and capital.” As a result of the Congress, Kazakhstan’s National Mining Company Tau-Ken Samruk and Slovakia’s Radington Industrial Consulting s.r.o signed an agreement on cooperation principles for a joint project on the development of lead ore deposits in the Karaganda region. An awards ceremony for the winners of the national industry contest “Golden Hephaestus 2011” closed the first day of the congress. The best professionals and companies in the field were determined according to 10 general and one specific nominations. A number of round table discussions were held during the next day. One of them, entitled “Consolidation. Partnership. Development,” was organised for the international industrial associations. Opening it, Kazakhstan’s Vice-Minister of Industry and New Technologies Albert Rau said business associations perform qualified expertise of draft laws and regulation, without which no law concerning entrepreneurship can be adopted. At present, the Ministry has about 19 accredited industrial associations. Last year, for the first time, the industrial associations received funding from the state in the form of social order to conduct expert evaluation, Rau said. He called on representatives of the Association to also take part in monitoring the process of implementation of the industrialisation programmes. As a result of the round table, the attendees signed a memorandum of cooperation of associations. Participants of the other discussion table, entitled “Personnel for MMC,” also completed their work with singing a memorandum on the need to create a Sectoral Council for Human Resources. The Sectoral Council is expected to include representatives of government bodies, educational institutions, and employers. The new structure will offer a systematic approach in solving personnel issues. During the discussion, President-Rector of the International Academy of Business in Kazakhstan Assylbek Kozhakhmetov said the country needs to attend to the preparation of managers in order to develop innovation economy. Thus, he proposed the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies to consider a draft project called “10,000 managers for the implementation of Kazakhstan’s Industrial and Innovative Programme.” The third round table discussion held the same day was dedicated to innovations in the MMC and concluded with the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between Scientific and Business Associations. “PricewaterhouseCoopers” company also organized a master class within the AMM-2011 congress.

Bringing Kazakh Drylands Back to Life

World Bank Margarita Grigoryeva of the Kazakhstan Communications Team offers this story.

Drylands—an ecosystem characterized by lack of water, which limits the production of crops, forage and wood. Many people living in Kazakh drylands struggle to sustain their livelihoods. Growing crops and grazing cattle in this difficult environment is a major challenge. In the previous decades, over 86% of Kazakhstan’s drylands territory was largely transformed by human activities. And 3.5 million people—half of Kazakhstan’s drylands inhabitants—are poor and marginalized. Is it possible to revive these lands and bring back life and prosperity? Can Kazakhstan, a country known by its wheat, cattle, and oil as well as huge areas of drylands, set an example? In the 1950s, the country’s drylands ecosystem was considered sustainable. Over the years, however, 35 million hectares of virgin and fallow lands were ploughed and used for agriculture. As a result, the soil lost over 30% of humus—a conditioner which helps the soil retain water and nutrients—and the ecological balance became increasingly disturbed. As the soil degraded, more fertilizers were needed for the land to yield crops, so more land was ploughed. When state support for grain production ended, it became obvious the land could no longer sustain wheat production without a huge infusion of funds. "In 1995, when reforms were launched in agricultural sector, I established a small farm to produce cereals but stopped after 2 unsuccessful years. It made no sense to continue. The yield was no more than 300 kilograms per hectare," says farmer Aslan Kudaibergenov about his experience of trying to produce grain at a loss. Grazing cattle also became a problem. After collective farms ceased to exist, irrigation and soil rehabilitation stopped, too. Tanker trucks no longer delivered water to faraway pastures. The ground and water sources dried up, and grazing livestock trampled the earth into dust. Herders then grazed their cattle close by their settlements, soon overcrowding pastures and depleting them. By 2004, the soil was so degraded that the situation became critical for farmers living in Karaganda oblast. That is when the Government of Kazakhstan and the World Bank joined forces with the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and launched the US$9.7 million Drylands Management Project. The project aimed to test the viability on people, the economy and the environment of shifting from growing cereals to raising livestock. Stopping soil degradation was critical. Rehabilitating abandoned lands and introducing sustainable land cultivation systems were priorities. Shetskiy region of Karaganda oblast—the pilot area of the project—had 19,500 people living in drylands totaling almost 66,000 square kilometers including 20,000 hectares of abandoned cereal lands. During the life of the project, over 35,000 hectares of land were restored and now grow perennial fodder crops. Thanks to the public awareness campaign launched by the Government, many farmers are planting grasses on their own. Their incomes have increased because they can graze more livestock, thanks to more fertile lands and by extending their grazing territory to remote pastures where windmills and solar batteries insure water, light and heating at encampments. Thanks to the project, farmers in the pilot area have formed an association, Olzha-9, and jointly plant crops, raise cattle and sell milk. They have also opened a training center where they can share their experiences. "We use the revived fields for cattle grazing and hay. The project gave us a ’fishing rod,’ and we now can grow perennials, increase the number of cattle and increase our own income," says Erbol Ungarov, head of the association. After the project closed, the association has begun establishing a dairy farm with more than 100 cows of a breed, which adapted to life on the steppe. The farmers plan to double the quantity of cows they own and milk. Calves and milk are already selling at a good price. "I am sure it is not the end of the project, but the beginning of future development and growth. The long lasting effect of the project is the result of the enthusiasm of all partners. My wish to the farmers who continue the business of reviving agriculture in the drylands of Shetskiy region would be to remember that they are also doing it for other drylands inhabitants across the country," notes Michael Carroll, World Bank project manager. The success of the project has been inspiring and the Government is now discussing the possibility to expand the experience and knowledge gained to improve livestock production and overall livelihoods of rural population in the other drylands territories of Kazakhstan.

Employment Program to embrace up to 1.5 mln people by 2015

Gazeta.kz

We will begin to develop Employment Program with Mangystau region, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Karim Massimov said via Twitter. As was earlier informed, the Government of Kazakhstan approved five draft regulations essential for Employment 2020 program realization. It is planned that the Program will embrace up to 1.5 million people by 2015. There is a task to reduce poverty level to 6 percent and unemployment level must not exceed 5,5 percent. In total, KZT 40 billion was allocated on realization of the program in pilot regime this year.

Kazakhstan, Eurocopter sign deal ahead of helicopter assembly

Central Asia Newswire

Tuesday, June 28, 2011 - Kazakh state defence company Kazakhstan Engineering has signed an accord in France with European aerospace group Eurocopter, industry website Corporate Jet Investor reported on Tuesday. The joint venture agreement was forged during a meeting in France between Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Massimov and his French counterpart Francois Fillon. Kazakhstan Engineering and Eurocopter plan to assemble and deliver six EC145 helicopters this year, the first step in a joint venture that envisages another 39 rotary aircraft being built by 2016. They will be purchased by the Kazakh government for use the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Defence Ministry for medical airlift and search and rescue operations. The six EC145s will be built at the joint venture`s Eurocopter Kazakhstan Engineering facility at Astana Airport. "As the first cooperation of this magnitude between our country and any helicopter manufacturer, Eurocopter Kazakhstan Engineering will help develop new expertise in high-technology industries," said Bolat Smagulov, president of state defense company Kazakhstan Engineering. The twin-engine nine-seater aircraft can be used for corporate transportation or in emergency medical services, search and rescue, and utility roles. "This joint venture holds particular importance for Eurocopter, as it gives us a key presence in a rapidly-developing country," the website quoted the company’s CEO Lutz Bertling as saying. "We foresee many new opportunities for the EC145 in this part of the world, based on the helicopter`s capacity for missions in support of the oil and gas, mining, parapublic, government and corporate sectors, and in other applications as well," Bertling said.

Recent Kazakh investments in Tajikistan exceed $100M

Central Asia Newswire

Wednesday, June 29, 2011 - Tajikistan’s economy has been boosted in recent years with direct investments from Kazakh firms of around $100 million, a business forum in Dushanbe heard Tuesday. “Last year alone, Kazakh companies invested some $20 million into Tajikistan’s economy,” the Asia-Plus news agency cited Kazakh Ambassador to Tajikistan Agybay Smagulov as telling the Tajik-Kazakh business meeting on its opening day. Currently 15 Kazakh companies are doing business in the Central Asian republic and 32 more Tajik companies are operating with Kazakh capital, he said. Smagulov attributed the level of cooperation to an Interstate Coordination Council set up and co-chaired by the presidents of both countries. He told delegates that the global financial crisis showed that no one country was able to overcome global economic challenges on its own. “That is why Kazakhstan has always been supporter of integration processes and close economic and investment cooperation,” he said. Smagulov noted that Kazakhstan and Tajikistan have signed as many as 72 legal documents to strengthen their political and economic relations. For his part Umed Davlatzod, Tajik Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade, pointed out that Tajikistan has been ranked by the World Bank’s “Doing Business” index as among the world’s top 10 reformer countries for investment climate gains for two years running. The Tajik Chamber of Commerce and Industry jointly organized the conference with the Kazakh Embassy in Dushanbe and KAZNEX INVEST, Kazakhstan’s Agency for Export and Investment. The forum is set to conclude on Thursday.

OTHER NEWS

VILED to make history with first Saks Fifth Avenue store www.fibre2fashion.com, July 11, 2011 (Kazakhstan)

Retailer Saks Incorporated announced the planned opening of a licensed Saks Fifth Avenue store in Almaty, Kazakhstan in August 2012. The tri-level, approximate 91,000 square foot store will be located in the Esentai Shopping Mall which will be the first of its kind in Kazakhstan. In addition to being anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue, the Esentai Shopping Mall will include a large selection of luxury fashion and jewelry brand stores. The shopping Mall will be part of Esentai Park, a new mixed-use center which includes luxury residential and commercial towers as well as a five-star hotel. The Almaty Saks Fifth Avenue store will be congruent with the Saks Fifth Avenue stores in the United States in product and service, while catering to local tastes and preferences. The store will include distinctive offerings from established and emerging American and international designers and present sought-after collections of fine designer apparel for women and men as well as shoes, jewelry, accessories, handbags, fragrances, cosmetics, intimate apparel, children’s apparel, and select gift items. Saks Fifth Avenue is known for its extraordinary personalized customer service, and the new store will include its signature Fifth Avenue Club for both men and women and offer an ongoing calendar of special events, such as fashion shows and personal appearances by designers. The Saks Fifth Avenue store in Almaty will reflect a modern, streamlined design and will feature a three-story high, state-of-the-art digital video screen on the façade of the building. Stephen I. Sadove, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Saks Incorporated, commented, “We are so excited to bring our first store to this part of the world and believe that Almaty, Kazakhstan, with its rapidly expanding affluent population, will be a great fit for Saks Fifth Avenue. We hope that the residents of and visitors to Almaty will enjoy our differentiated, world-class selection of luxury brands and services.” Aygul Amirzhanova, Chief Executive Officer of the VILED Group, commented, “We are extremely delighted to make history in Kazakhstan by opening the first Saks Fifth Avenue store in the thriving city of Almaty. The Saks Fifth Avenue store will certainly be a complete solution for all fashion lovers, filled with the latest designs of exceptional quality and offering extraordinary customer service. Our goal is to offer an unrivalled experience with special attention to details. We believe Saks Fifth Avenue will be a great addition to Kazakhstan, making a terrific contribution to the citizens of Almaty and the entire country.” Saks Incorporated currently operates Saks Fifth Avenue, which consists of 46 Saks Fifth Avenue stores, 57 Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH stores, and saks.com. Founded in 1924 with the opening of its Fifth Avenue, New York flagship store – which continues today to be the Company’s landmark store – Saks Fifth Avenue has grown to 46 stores throughout the United States, complemented by licensed stores in Mexico City, Mexico (two stores); Riyadh and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Dubai, U.A.E.; and Manama, Bahrain. Saks Fifth Avenue is one of the most recognized luxury retail brands in the world and has key relationships with the leading fashion houses including Giorgio Armani, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dolce and Gabbana, Salvatore Ferragamo, Gucci, Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Judith Leiber, Prada, Escada, Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta, St. John, Yves St. Laurent, TOD’S, Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin, Ermenegildo Zegna, Theory, Cartier, David Yurman, Elie Tahari, Tory Burch, Akris, Burberry, and Max Mara, among many others. VILED Fashion LLP, part of The VILED Group, is the licensee for the planned Saks Fifth Avenue store in Kazakhstan. The VILED Group was established in 1999 and has become the largest retailer of luxury jewelry and watches in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan: Astana Harnesses Soft Power of Silver Screen

Joanna Lillis, July 8, 2011

Eurasianet.org

The sparkling azure Great Almaty Lake in the Tian Shan mountains outside Kazakhstan’s commercial capital is usually a tranquil spot, but this summer it is a hive of activity: a film crew has descended to shoot a Kazakh historical epic, a tale of love and war set against the backdrop of some of the country’s most sumptuous scenery. “He wanted to protect his loved ones, and ended up freeing his country” – so goes the promo for the movie, based on a true story. Directed by Akhan Satayev for the state-run Kazakhfilm studio with a budget of $7 million (minute by Hollywood standards, but significant by Kazakhstan’s), the film, Myn Bala, or 1,000 Children in English, culminates with hero Sartay, played by Asylkhan Tolepov, leading his army of teenagers to victory in battle in 1729 against the marauding Mongolian Dzungars. Kazakh moviemaking has been enjoying a renaissance lately – as Kazakhfilm President Yermek Amanshayev put it after the recent screening of another film; “Kazakh cinema has found its place in the sun.” The last decade has seen a steady rise in the number of Kazakh movies made, rising from only one in 2001 to 22 planned for 2011 – an all-time high since the early 1990s, when Kazakh cinema was emerging from a brief flourishing in the late Soviet era with a genre dubbed Kazakh New Wave. The mainly Kazakh-language Myn Bala (the Dzungar characters will speak Mongolian) promises to be the jewel in the crown of recent cinematic output – but there is more to the movie than entertainment. Its stirring account of Kazakh heroism against a backdrop of the country’s stunning natural beauty will also serve to foster a patriotic spirit at home, where the movie will be released on Independence Day, December 16. “We’ve greatly planned it so the picture comes out in December, for the day of the celebration of the 20th year of our country’s independence,” Satayev told EurasiaNet.org. He says the film’s patriotic message is aimed especially at young people, “so they know the price our ancestors paid for our freedom, for our independence, and so they appreciate it.” The movie also aims to burnish Kazakhstan’s image abroad, where it is certain to wow art-house audiences — and present an image of Kazakhstan far removed from the backward, phony Kazakhstan depicted in the 2006 Borat movie that so irked Astana. This is not the first time Kazakhstan has used the silver screen as a form of soft power. Nomad (2005) – another historical epic about a Kazakh warrior, Abylay Khan, battling that perennial foe, the Dzungars – was also used to promote Kazakhstan. This is all part of Astana’s PR drive to polish its international image, for which officials have harnessed spheres such as film and sport as tools for positive spin. In Kazakhstan itself, feel-good patriotic movies are a popular genre: another recent release, the symbolically-titled Zheruyyk, or Promised Land, directed by Slambek Taukel, looks at Stalin’s 1930s and 1940s deportations of ethnic groups from around the Soviet Union to Central Asia. The movie, which premiered in May, shows a Kazakh villager taking in deportees at great personal risk – a microcosm of the image of a multicultural Kazakhstan living in ethnic harmony that Astana cherishes and promotes today. Another director, Rustem Abdrashov, also tackled the deportations in his moving 2008 prize-winning movie The Gift To Stalin, which looks at another topic that was taboo for filmmakers under the Soviets: nuclear testing at Kazakhstan’s Semipalatinsk range. Filmmaking is “an opportunity to reassess the past,” Abdrashov said in April at the premiere of his latest movie, The Sky of My Childhood, a thoughtful (albeit flattering) portrait of the early life of President Nursultan Nazarbayev set under Soviet leaders Stalin and Khrushchev. The movie touches on the impact on Kazakh rural life of the deportations and on the Soviets’ ruthless attitude to the lands the local people depended on for survival, a topic which also features in Ardak Amirkulov’s tear-jerker Goodbye, Gulsary (2008), a fictional account of a tussle with Soviet officialdom over a prize horse. Soviet movies about that period “were done from the point of view of Soviet propaganda,” Abdrashov said. “This is an attempt to reassess, to tell a truth that wasn’t actually often talked about at the time.” Some critics suspect that films examining Kazakhstan’s past that are funded from the state coffers run the risk of simply replacing one form of historical mythmaking (that of the Soviets) with another (that of Nazarbayev’s administration). While acknowledging that cinema is an “ideological tool,” Satayev says historical authenticity is paramount in Myn Bala: “We are making a very truthful story,” Satayev says, stressing that there are both good and bad guys among the Kazakh characters. Kazakh directors say they are making art, not propaganda, and point out that romanticizing the past on the silver screen was concept developed not in Astana but in Hollywood. No one can accuse Satayev of a feel-good approach to filmmaking: his previous movies – the slick thrillers Racketeer (2007) and The Liquidator (2011) and the spooky drama Strayed (2010), Kazakhstan’s Oscar entry last year – have tackled problems that vex modern-day Kazakhstan, such as organized crime. Myn Bala will certainly show Kazakhstan in a more positive light, and Satayev welcomes that. “We want foreign audiences to know about our country from a positive point of view,” he said. But art comes first: “Firstly we want to make a good movie, and as far as I know a good movie knows no borders.”

Sufferings on Canvas: The Gulag Collection

July 7, 2011. Tyler O’Neil

National Review Online

On Wednesday night, in the beautifully furnished Embassy of Kazakhstan, seventy spectators gathered around a collection of paintings depicting one of the ugliest things in modern history: the gulag. The stately Kazakh ambassador, Erlan A. Idrissov, noted the “moral and spiritual meaning” in these paintings, which convey “the cruelty of the gulag system to the world.” Kazakhstan itself was home to “the most cruel” camps, even the ugliest one, “for the wives of the betrayers of the motherland.” One sixth of the world “witnessed a very huge social experiment under Stalin,” he said. Stalin’s regime tortured 60 million people, and 25 million did not survive. The paintings, a gift to the Heritage Foundation from the Jamestown Foundation, will move to the Bush 41 presidential library in Houston come September. They include several works by Nikolai Getman, imprisoned in the gulag between 1945 and 1953: small wooden barracks, temperatures of 30 degrees below zero, grasping hunger, and days spent merely surviving. Getman believed it his duty to “leave behind a testimony to the fate of the millions of prisoners who died.” He escaped to paint more than 50 pictures; his brother perished in the gulag. It is fitting that Kazakhstan, which witnessed the most terrible prison camps, would host this event at its embassy. Kazakhstan’s gulag became a “melting pot” for Central Asian peoples, as millions were forced to go there. Today these people live in harmony, and in December, Kazakhstan will celebrate 20 years of independence. But Communism still haunts their memories. One of Getman’s paintings proved especially chilling: a man hung up on a tree to be tortured by mosquitoes, gazing down in despair, his limp body looking more like a skeleton. As these victims cry out from the canvas, mutilated by their Soviet captors, Idrissov speaks for all as he proclaims, “We will never forget,” and, more chilling, “we will never forgive.”