Culture and traditions of CA countries presented in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA. KAZINFORM – The Cultural Center «Abai» at the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Ethiopia hosted a cultural evening dedicated to the traditions and customs of the peoples of Central Asia, Kazinform cites the press service of the Kazakh MFA.

The Embassy of Kazakhstan is the only one of the Central Asian countries representing the region in sub-Saharan Africa.

The event was attended by representatives of government agencies of Ethiopia, foreign embassies, citizens of Central Asian countries who are employees of international UN organizations accredited in Addis Ababa, as well as friends of Kazakhstan in Africa.

Within the framework of the event, a cultural program consisting of Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Uzbek folk dances, musical works of Abai was presented.

The participants of the event were also able to practice in the national types of games «asyk atu» and «togyz kumalak», included in the UNESCO Intangible Heritage list.

By the way, the game «togyz kumalak» has a lot in common with «Mankala» game – an ancient traditional board game of the peoples of East Africa, including Ethiopia, dating back to the times of the Aksumite kingdom.

In addition, the participants were informed about the anniversaries of figures of Kazakhstan, such as 140th anniversary of Khalel Dosmukhametov, 130th anniversary of Magzhan Zhumabayev, 125th anniversary of Temirbek Zhurgenov, 80th anniversary of Murat Auezov, etc.

In general, the guests of the event showed great interest in the culture of Kazakhstan and the peoples of Central Asia.