#RhythmoftheCity Festival of Creative Industries in Osh
15 мая, 2023It is symbolic that the first Festival of Creative Industries in Osh was held in an ancient quarter at the northern foot of the Suleiman Mountain, which has been long considered to be turned into a pedestrian street with authentic workshops and colorful courtyards still bearing the imprint of time. The area of the Festival was so conveniently located between the historical sites of great importance to Osh: the Friday mosque of Abdullah Khan II on one side and the site of archeological excavations of a medieval bathhouse complex on the other.
Such location fully corresponded to one of the main goals of the Festival — formation of a respectful attitude to the historical and cultural heritage, promoting the ideas of ethnic diversity and peacebuilding through the development of creative industries. The Osh Regional Museum of Fine Arts named after Turgunbai Sadykov was the place of the Festival’s attraction, which brought together local craftsmen, craftswomen, and artists.
The highlight of the Festival were panel discussions where specially invited speakers and experts shared their vision of creative development of Osh with the guests in a format of free conversation. Among them were representatives of creative industries, the sphere of art and culture and digital technologies: Nazgul Kubakaeva, Director of Association of Creative Industries of Kyrgyzstan, shared her vision of general development of creative industries in the country; Akmaral Satinbaeva, Director of YOUTH of OSH youth organization, told about Youth Creative Hub Project; Abdulkadyr Musa uulu, General Manager of Osh IT Academy, spoke about specific features of IT development in Osh; Maya Bedelbaeva, Eco-blogger, spoke about Ecopuzzle initiative which contributes to separate waste collection and recycling.
Nazgul Emilbekova, Eco-photographer, told about the environmental situation in Osh through a photography lens; Aytaly Turmatov, freelancer and SMM-specialist, told about things that have a history; Imanaly Turkbaev, Head of Bai Alai Project, told about successful practices in creative industries and green economy; Irina Agafonova, Public Relations Specialist of Tazar Mekenim Public Association, spoke about Tazar KG Project aimed at forming eco habits among people; Gulnura Azhieva told about opening of school sorting out spaces in Myrzak and Ak-Jar villages.
“They create a new reality by improving our daily lives. They have shown us another reality which is often near us, but we don’t feel it yet. I think that their messages have been heard by the city residents”, the Festival participants shared their thoughts.
“For Osh city residents the Festival has become a kind of discovery of museums, when a huge museum space is not a stereotypically boring place but on the contrary — a creative platform for dialogue, discoveries and new opportunities. We tried to ensure the Festival’s program has something that everyone would find interesting. The program included fashion shows by local designers and street art, drawing contests, as well as various master classes where everyone could make something with their own hands as a gift for their relatives and friends. There were special events organized for the youngest participants of the Festival,” said the organizers.
That day it was raining in the morning and there were concerns that the Festival would be cancelled or moved to another date. “We even were thinking that the weather was changing our plans and we wouldn’t be able to conduct our Festival in the open air near the Suleiman Mountain. But the sky suddenly cleared up and the sun came out, and after the rain there was such light spring freshness as if it was all planned,” the Festival organizers recalled.
Hopefully, the Festival of Creative Industries “Rhythm of the City” will become an annual event attracting new friends and partners. Such events are very important for the citizens to reconsider the already familiar spaces, and they are interesting for visitors and tourists because they show Osh from different sides.
Text: Incredible Osh. Photos and video provided by the organizers
