An event marking the 30th anniversary of the General Assembly resolution on the millennium anniversary of the Manas epic, a key monument of Turkic cultural heritage, was held at the UN headquarters in New York. The UN News Service reported.
The Manas epic, with approximately 500,000 lines, is recognized as one of the longest in the world and is included in the Guinness Book of World Records. Its international recognition has steadily increased: in 2013, Manas-Semetey-Seitek trilogy was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and in 2023, the epic manuscripts were added to the Memory of the World Register, underscoring its universal value to humanity.
«Manas is considered one of the core cultural heritages of the Kyrgyz people and the entire Turkic world,» Mirbek Mambetaliev, Minister of Culture, Information, and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic, said in an interview with the UN News Service.
The interview focused on youth engagement and the adaptation of cultural heritage to the digital age. According to Mambetaliev, learning the Kyrgyz language today faces significant challenges. «In the age of YouTube and mobile phones, the Kyrgyz language is difficult for children,» he noted.
In response to these challenges, new cultural and educational initiatives have been launched in Kyrgyzstan. «We have begun producing animated films and anime in the Kyrgyz language. We will soon begin filming an anime based on Manas,» the minister said. Work is also underway to translate the epic into Russian, English, and Turkish, retell it in prose, and create comics to make the complex poetic text more accessible to children and young people.
The minister emphasized that Manas played a key role in shaping the national identity of the Kyrgyz people. «The epic calls for living in harmony with nature, living in peace with neighbors, respecting elders, and paying close attention to the upbringing of the younger generation. Today, more than ever, we all need these values,» he said.
Speaking about the role of international platforms, Mirbek Mambetaliev noted the importance of the UN and UNESCO in promoting cultural dialogue. «At the UN and UNESCO, we work with partners from around the world to develop culture and live in harmony with nature without losing our identity,» the minister emphasized.
