Featured stories about Kazakhstan
Stories about Kazakhstan
Some Western observers share Central Asia's misgivings about Alexey Navalny
"Western policy-makers even turn a blind eye to the fact that Navalny’s foreign and security policies run directly counter to Western objectives. Maybe they think it’s worth the gamble."
A hip-hop band plays exclusively on traditional instruments to forge a new Kazakhstani identity
An experimental musical project is trying to reverse the widespread disregard for rural traditions by taking contemporary music and performing it on traditional instruments.
The Uyghur Meshrep: A traditional community gathering censored in China
While Uyghurs have for centuries celebrated male bonding and cultural transmission in a ritual of music and conversations, China is now banning the original concept of the tradition.
Viktor Tsoi: The undying icon of Soviet dissident rock
Fans of Soviet rock star Viktor Tsoi mark his birthday, June 21, remembering his freedom-loving songs that still resonate three decades after his death in 1990.
How Kazakhstan's youth are forging their own national identity
A feud between a lesbian activist and a boxer has galvanised a new generation's interest in pushing at the boundaries of Kazakh national identity
Notes from Kazakhstan: Pigeons, disinfectant and COVID-19
In authoritarian Central Asia, the COVID-19 crisis is an opportunity for states to make a show of strength of strength, yet it also lays bare their weaknesses.
As Uzbekistan thaws, the Uzbek language spreads its wings
A political thaw is underway in a nation eagerly going online — providing the perfect opportunity for the Uzbek language to thrive in new and unexpected ways.
Kazakh family of writers and musicians caught in the Xinjiang vortex
The Oralbai family had a happy and productive life in China before a state purge targeting ethnic minorities tore them apart.
After Xinjiang, the long road to recovery
A crowdsourcing project in Kazakhstan is offering medical treatment to victims of Chinese detention camps, but psychological scars will take longer to heal.
Decolonising and demystifying Central Asian literature through translation
"Central Asian literature is still exotic; people appreciate its rareness more than its literary merits. I want readers to move away from thinking 'how unusual!' to thinking 'how beautiful!'"
Kazakhstan pauses interception of encrypted traffic, but for how long?
This was the authorities’ third attempt to enforce the use of a “national security certificate.” Although the authorities have relented, there are signs that it won’t be the last.
Kazakhstan is in the middle of a political transition. So is its social media humour.
Kazakhstan's former president got to choose his own successor, but couldn't prevent him from becoming a figure of fun.
‘You can't run from the truth': Iconic art protests preface Kazakh presidential vote
A police state that once hungered after a shiny international image now seems resigned to painting itself as it really is.
A conversation with the creator of FindyourB, a podcast for soul-searching Kazakh millennials
A podcast that examines identity and value systems is attracting young people in Kazakhstan.
Keeping it in the family: Kazakhstani president Nazarbayev resigns, but leaves little hope for real reform
Despite the surprise transition, all signs suggest that the new regime will look very much like the old one.
#FreeSerikjan and the long shadow of Xinjiang's camps in neighbouring Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan's government is nervous about what Seikjan Bilash does, as well as what he might do if allowed to grow more popular.
Kazakhstan silences the Xinjiang megaphone
“I have one issue – and that issue is Xinjiang.”
‘Man returns to his native Xinjiang and disappears’ — a story too common for the headlines
Nurbolat Shalayit is one of hundreds of thousands of Xinjiang minorities whose current whereabouts are uncertain.
‘I won't stop': Kazakh man seeks justice for family caught in China's Xinjiang crackdown
UN experts say over a million people may be interned in Chinese "re-education" camps. But how many have died inside the facilities?
Kazakh leader's grandson complains he is passportless after stint in ‘private Russian jail’
Aisultan Nazarbayev has a history of surprising compatriots with sensational social media posts.
