“And how crowded is the man on the planet, how afraid he is that he will not be accommodated, will not feed himself, will not get along with others like himself. And is it not the case that prejudice, fear, hatred narrow the planet to the size of a stadium where all spectators are hostages, because both teams brought nuclear bombs with them to win, and no matter what, they scream: a goal, goal, goal! And this is the planet. And yet every person faces an inescapable task - to be a person, today, tomorrow, always. This is what makes up history,” Chingiz Aitmatov, a famous writer, public figure and promoter of humanistic ideas, reflects in his book. He has left a huge trace in the lives not only of his countrymen, but also of the whole world that wishes not just preserve but also to develop cultural cooperation.
A national writer of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, laureate of the Lenin Prize and three State Prizes of the USSR, European Literature and International Jawaharlal Nehru Prize; winner of the highest award of the Turkish Government for his contribution to the development of Turkic-speaking culture (2007) – this is all about Chingiz Aitmatov, a great writer, who absorbed all the qualities of not only creative, but also of real Man. Even during his lifetime, he became the most cited classic of world literature. Chingiz Torekulovich wrote in his native Kyrgyz and Russian languages, and his works have been published in more than 150 languages. From the very beginning, the reader is impressed by the idea of humanism and great love for all living beings: people, domestic and wild animals, plants and for our vast planet.
They were his humanistic ideas that formed the basis of the International Forum of Writers and Intellectuals “Aitmatov Readings: the Dialogue of Cultures”, organized by the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia – Islamic World”. This year, due to the widespread coronavirus infection, the organizing committee decided to hold the Forum “Russia and the Islamic World: the Role of Traditional Values in Maintaining Cultural Diversity” in an online format, gathering government officials, representatives of the Islamic world and the general public on the Internet platform.
Chingiz Aitmatov spoke to a person face to face
According to orientalist and arabist Anna Belikova, such events are not just a tribute to the memory of the genius Aitmatov, but also recognition of his achievements, including his invaluable contribution to the work of the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia – Islamic World”, in the establishment of which Chingiz Torekulovich also took part.
“I would like to remind you that the purpose of the forum is to bring intellectuals together in order to develop joint approaches to solving pressing spiritual, moral and humanitarian issues of the modern society for consideration at an off-line forum on the same topic in autumn 2021. Our goal is to bring together all those people for whom the dialogue of civilizations and the maintenance of cultural diversity is a priority for life and activity. We hope that such meetings will become regular and will allow to increase the involvement of colleagues in the Group’s activities”.
In his speech, Deputy Chairman of the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia – Islamic World” Farit Mukhametshin drew attention of the audience to the fact that in recent decades the world has undergone significant changes, which have manifested in an active struggle to preserve traditional moral ideals and cultural and spiritual heritage of mankind.
“In our world, the role and importance of international cooperation in the interaction between cultures and civilizations is increasing, which is one of the objectives of the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia – Islamic World”. Today, the global intellectual community faces the task not just to analyze the factors of cultural security, but also to develop efficient recommendations on what tomorrow could become in the global sense, how to achieve a new humanism. When our world experiences serious existential problems, an intellectual approach is very important. This is the meaning of Chingiz Aitmatov’s legacy, who, together with Evgeny Primakov and Mintimer Shaimiev, was at the origin of the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia – Islamic World”. I hope that we will manage to develop recommendations that will form the basis of the Forum scheduled for autumn 2021”.
Chingiz Aitmatov said that a person without homeland and without history is a mankurt doomed to spiritual and moral degradation. This message sounded from all the participants throughout the online conference.
In his turn, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Ramazan Abdulatipov noted that the Islamic civilization had given the world a lot of spiritual leaders – Al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, Olzhas Suleimenov, Gabdulla Tuqay, Mustay Karim. Chingiz Aitmatov, who was the first to speak to man and humanity face to face, holds a special place among them. This is the title he gave to his first story. Later on, this principle became the main vector of his creative path.
“All Chingiz Aitmatov’s work became a powerful spiritual and educational reference point for several generations. Each of his works was like a warning to humanity, which gradually began to sink into a spiritual crisis. And only by preserving the spiritual and moral foundations handed down to us from our ancestors can we survive, even in the most difficult conditions. Very often, the modern world, fascinated by profit, selfishness and satisfaction of instincts, forgets about the spiritual and moral foundations on which human society is based. The main task today is to ensure the victory of culture over ignorance. Aitmatov’s works provide guidance in this direction. Aitamtov is a spiritual leader who made us think about prospects of life. It is also important to talk about the environment in which Chingiz Aitmatov grew up and worked. He was surrounded by such prominent personalities as Rasul Gamzatov and Mustai Karim. They were outstanding personalities with great human potential”.
Abdulatipov separately noted the special importance of the Group of Strategic Vision in developing the spiritual and moral side of our lives, including in promoting the rich heritage of Muslim civilizations.
“I would like to take this opportunity to suggest the Group of Strategic Vision developing and initiating the adoption of a declaration on the contribution of Islamic civilization and Muslim peoples to Russian culture in the State Duma. After all, Islamic culture has become a repository of traditional cultures of Muslim peoples. Religion without culture turns into ignorance, and culture without faith becomes cynical”.
In addition to it, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the Islamic Organization of Cooperation suggested his colleagues to form the International White Steamship Club within the framework of which ideas for further discussion at the forum would be worked out offline.
The dialogue of intellectuals is an important area of work for the Group of Strategic Vision
Speaking at the videoconference “Chingiz Aitmatov International Forum of Writers and Intellectuals”, Special Representative of the Russian Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation for Cooperation with Organizations of Muslim States, Ambassador at Large Konstantin Shuvalov highlighted that the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia – Islamic World” was a broad platform for various initiatives, and the dialogue of intellectuals was one of the most important areas of activity of the Group.
“In the conditions of the pandemic, we faced a variety of problems that many people have never even known about. Here I would like to note that the Group managed to find forms of interaction, within the framework of which we were able not only to keep our asset and friends, but also to continue our activities – but this time in an online format. Whereas previously we were talking about the interaction of cultures, religions and civilizations, now the threat of a pandemic threatens all of humanity. We have got used to think that the civilization is able to overcome ignorance, but all of this requires human effort. Special hopes in this regard are placed on intellectuals, whose task is to keep up with the flow of events”.
According to Shuvalov, there is a great need for intellectuals’ work, and the agenda should have those problems that concern the whole world.
Irina Bokova, the 10th Director General of UNESCO, also agreed with the colleague. She is sure that the world which is based only on politics cannot win the sincere support of peoples. It must be based on the intellectual and moral solidarity of humanity.
“Respect for intercultural diversity should be at the heart of any work. Of course, globalization has given a lot of opportunities and now we are much closer than we used to be. But the downside of this process has become the deep fragmentation of humanity. That is why it is important to reconsider the directions and redefine the concept of living together. Will we agree to be divided by the barriers of nations, cultures and civilizations, or will we grow up as one family and use this to strengthen humanity?”
During her speech, Bokova also expressed her concern about the global spread of racism, xenophobia and all kinds of stereotypes, the increase in various doctrines that divide people according to certain principles and give good support to extremists.
“I am sure that all cultures flow into one river – the river of human civilization. One cannot live in isolation as throughout the whole history cultures have mixed and influenced each other”.
The former Director General of UNESCO spoke separately about the productive experience of work with the Republic of Tatarstan. According to her, the Bulgarian Historical Complex and Sviyazhsk Island are monuments symbolizing a bridge of tolerance, mutual respect for different cultures and beliefs.
“They are not just geographical points on the map; they are beacons for intercultural dialogue around the world. As Chingiz Torekulovich noted, true patriotism is based on national tolerance. We should not forget about the diversity of interpretations and should try to study various aspects of Islamic culture, the light of which paved the way for the Renaissance. We should be curious about other languages, cultures and history. It is necessary to pay attention to what unites us. After all, a conflict begins when the dialogue stops. We need a new humanism based on respect for the diversity of cultures”.
From Paris to Islamabad
This year the geography of forum participants is particularly large – from Paris to Islamabad there are people who not only follow Chingiz Aitmatov’s principles, but also try to develop his ideas further, implementing the most daring projects.
Thus, Director General of the Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA) Halit Eren is convinced that in today’s world, with the spread of xenophobia, research to spread knowledge among the younger generation is becoming particularly important. It is the essential element in maintaining stability and peace in the world.
“In his works Aitmatov brought the traditions of the Kyrgyz to the world. The center of his novels and stories has always been an ordinary person, through whom the author managed to reflect universal values. It contributed to the development of intercultural dialogue and peaceful coexistence of cultures. He emphasized the connection between his characters and local culture, but at the same time he relied on global culture and showed how traditional cultural elements were woven into modern society. Aitmatov’s works are extremely important for the younger generation”.
In his opinion, the development of intercultural dialogue is based on national traditions relied on global culture. Chingiz Aitmatov’s work is a bright example of it, as he was the man of peace who celebrated the human spirit, calling for preserving cultural values of the past along with modern trends.
This opinion was supported by Special Advisor to the Director General of UNESCO, Director of the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage, former Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre Mounir Bouchenaki. He is convinced that intercultural dialogue should be included in the sphere of education as it is one of the most important activities.
M. Bouchenaki condemned manifestations of extremism and violence in the world in terms of a religion. He cited Tatarstan as an example of his admiration how leaders R.N. Minnikhanov and earlier M.S. Shaimiev closely cooperated with the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. The Kazan Kremlin is an important site on the World Heritage List, where both an Orthodox church and a mosque are located in harmony and with respect for each other. Two other new sites on the List – the Great Bolgar and Sviyazhsk Island – act in the same way as a link between cultures. The most important thing is that the population has accepted it in a peaceful way as their heritage, despite the different religious denominations of the sites.
From a similar perspective, Bouchenaki also gave an example of how UNESCO restored the historic bridge in Mostar, which was destroyed during the war in the former Yugoslavia. This bridge has become a symbol of the connection between Orthodox Christians and Muslims.
Bouchenaki emphasized that one of the main goals of both the Strategic Vision Group and UNESCO is intercultural dialogue, building bridges of mutual understanding. In his opinion, this dialogue should be transferred to the education sector in order to form consciousness among the young, where “acceptance” of the other must be perceived as “wealth”. The International Day of Islamic Art, which will be first celebrated by UNESCO on November 18 this year, will be dedicated to the consolidation of these fundamental approaches.
“How difficult humanity is born in a human”
Representatives of the Republic of Tatarstan also took active part in the Chingiz Aitmatov online conference. Deputy Prime Minister of Tatarstan Leyla Fazleeva assured her counterparts that traditional values should be cultivated in modern realities where negative and ignorant attitudes remain strong.
“I would like to recall Chingiz Torekulovich’s words: “How difficult humanity is born in a human”. To my mind, this statement most accurately characterizes modern society, especially the young part”.
The Deputy Prime Minister of Tatarstan drew attention to the fact that it was necessary to carefully cultivate traditional values in modern reality, including through public organizations such as the Writers’ Union, the Union of Young Scientists, etc. As an example of successful work, Fazleeva mentioned the work of polylingual complexes, the basis of which would be the philosophy of intercultural harmony and the culture of dialogue. This strategy fits into Aitmatov’s ideas.
“Tatarstan is also developing a project of training and methodological association for the Volga Federal District, which will work with cultural codification and diversity of peoples living in the region. In addition to it, it is also important to move away from the position of a general negative, promoting responsible parenthood. Of course, work with the youth has its own peculiarities, but we should continue moving towards the philosophy of harmony and peace, birth of humanity in a human”.
It is worth noting that all these projects are implemented with active support of Tatarstan’s leadership, including President Rustam Minnikhanov, who heads the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia – Islamic World” and State Counselor Mintimer Shaimiev, who along with Aitmatov, was at the origin of the Group.
In his turn, First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia Rushan Hazrat Abbyasov added that the idea of globalism destroyed identity and culture. In his opinion, knowledge of traditional values is a common platform for creation, a single unquestionable spiritual and moral benchmark.
The topic of responsibility and continuity of values was also raised by Alexandra Ochirova, a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and the President of the International Women’s Centre “Women’s Future”. She is sure that a person should be assessed from the standpoint of integrity: “Culture has always existed and has defined the person’s way of life at all stages of his or her development. This is the very landmark of the people. And we must preserve the diversity of peoples and cultures”.
Representatives of the Writer’s Union, teachers and the public also took active part in the discussion. We would like to remind that the Chingiz Aitmatov International Forum of Writers and Intellectuals intends to unite intellectuals, writers and public figures from all over the world, becoming a new platform for analysis and monitoring of cultural security factors that determine the development of human civilization in its diversity. It is no coincidence that the consolidation platform of the Forum is the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia – Islamic World”, the priorities of which include the maintenance of inter-ethnic and inter-religious harmony, as well as the study of the processes of cultural mutual enrichment in Russian and world practice.
Ilmira Gafiyatullina
