The great poet and thinker Abay Kunanbayev turned 175 (1845 - 1904). This anniversary is widely celebrated not only in Kazakhstan, but also abroad. The Foreign Languages Department, Faculty of International Relations held a series of events dedicated to this memorable date. One of them was the informational and poetic webinar "Great Abay in the German-speaking community" held on October 26, 2020 on the Zoom platform. It was prepared and conducted by the 3rd and 4th year students of the specialty "International Relations", studying German as a second foreign language. Under the guidance of our lecturers Saule Beissembayeva, Lyudmila Smolina and head of the department Lyazat Meyrambekova, students gathered information about the fascinating life, creativity and heritage of Kazakh poet and introduced the findings to all participants and guests of the event.
The webinar was opened with some facts from Abay’s biography. Then the participants of the webinar learned about how known Abay is to the German-speaking readers, what connects two great individuals – Kazakh Abay and German Goethe, and about the works of the great Kazakh enlightener translated and published in German language.
Lyrical monologues on nature and love and Abay's philosophical reflections are familiar to readers all over the world. At the webinar, the students acquainted the guests with some translations of Abay's poems into German. The webinar participants were greatly impressed by the soulfully presented «Қараңғы түнде тау қалғып» («Wandrers Nachtlied»), «Тоты құс түсті көбелек» («Pfauenauge, ein Schmetterling»), «Мен сәлем жазамын» («Ich schreibe einen Gruß») and the other poems of Abay Kunanbayev.
The well-known "Words of edification" were also recited in the language of Johann Wolfgang Goethe: "Word Thirty-second" - "Ways of Science" and "Word Thirty-seventh" - "23 Truths" - edifications that are especially relevant and important for students and the youth willing to link their professional career with science in future.
The name of the great Abay is known to the German-speaking population not only because of his seminal works. The students prepared a presentation with interesting facts about the successful performance of "Abay" opera in German language in Germany; in Berlin there is a street named after the founder of Kazakh literature; in the eve of the anniversary the largest fund of the Berlin State Library in Germany has been replenished with Abay Kunanbayev’s books.
Thanks to our great compatriot in Germany, more and more people are getting acquainted with Kazakh culture and traditions - this is the conclusion made by the participants of the webinar. And those who speak the language of Goethe and Abay, can also contribute to the further development of cultural dialogue between Kazakhstan and Germany. Learn foreign languages and contribute to enhancing cooperation between countries!
