LONDON, Dec 16 – On a crisp December evening in London, more than eighty writers, artists, scholars, and cultural ambassadors gathered to honour the enduring spirit of Chingiz Aitmatov, the Kyrgyz literary giant whose stories once bridged the Soviet steppe and the wider world. The date was no accident: December 16 marked both the writer’s birthday and a quiet celebration of the timeless relevance of his work.
The event, hosted by Hertfordshire Press, the UK-based publisher that has spent nearly twenty years bringing Central Asian literature to English-speaking readers felt less like a formal commemoration and more like a family reunion of the mind. Guests had travelled from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Russia, Scotland, Australia, and England itself. Together, they filled the room with a palpable sense of shared heritage and quiet pride.
At the heart of the evening lay the launch of a new special edition of OCA Magazine, titled OCA People. The richly illustrated volume introduces twenty-four writers and poets, nine visual artists and designers, four activists, and three filmmakers and performers from thirteen countries. Seven of the contributors hail from Kyrgyzstan—a number that speaks volumes about the country’s continuing creative vitality on the global stage.
Among the magazine’s most anticipated pieces is an exclusive interview with Sultan Raev, Secretary General of TURKSOY and a celebrated Kyrgyz author in his own right. Raev speaks with candour about the moral weight writers carry in turbulent times and pays personal homage to Aitmatov’s humanist vision. Earlier this month, Raev himself presented Marat Akhmedjanov, founder of Hertfordshire Press, with a special TURKSOY medal in recognition of his tireless work in promoting Turkic culture through translation and publication.
The cover story belongs to Mariiam Tobokelova, the acclaimed Kyrgyz composer and komuz virtuoso, who offers a luminous reflection on cultural inheritance: “Tradition is not the ash we preserve, but the fire we pass on.” Other voices in the issue include Zina Karaeva, distinguished Doctor of Philology; poets and translators Nargiza Karasartova and Bubuira Bektenova; artist Rakhima Arli; and emerging poet Afina Abdulaeva.
The programme also looked to the future. Hertfordshire Press announced the forthcoming spring 2026 release of poetry collections by Gulniza Toichieva and the revered Kyrgyz poet Atantay Akbarov. Special attention was given to Shahsanem Murray’s novel Naked Nimbus, published in 2025 as an English-language e-book and now available worldwide on Amazon. Murray, who has dedicated years to bridging Central Asian and Western audiences, recently received a medal from the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) marking the Guild’s tenth anniversary.
The evening closed with the presentation of the fourth volume of Voices of Friends: Poetry & Art Almanac 2026, featuring artwork by Elena Savchenko, poems by Daniyar Beisheev, and translations by Farida Jailobaeva.
In his closing remarks, Marat Akhmedjanov spoke quietly but with conviction: the legacy of Chingiz Aitmatov, he said, is no museum piece. It is a living flame—still kindling new generations of writers and artists, still shaping the cultural imagination of Central Asia, and still inviting the world into a deeper, more humane conversation.
