KAZAKHSTAN The revival of Uyghur culture in Kazakhstan

The Digital Yurt application, created in Almay by businessman Said Maksimov, is bringing young people from this minority closer to their identity. The challenge of the 12 million Uyghurs living in Xinjang and the assimilation of the Sinicization imposed by Xi Jinping.

Almaty () – A 36-year-old entrepreneur from Almaty, Said Maksimov, founded the Digital Yurt application (the “Yurt” or Digital Store) to bring together the community of the Uighur minority in Kazakhstan, at least on a computer level on Instagram, and in a short time the initiative has expanded far beyond its expectations. This is a start-up built in the spirit of Silicon Valley, which could really open new horizons for the salvation of Uyghur culture and traditions in Central Asia.

Maksimov already has considerable experience in public relations and marketing, and has been developing this project for two years, which is now being consolidated. The stated objective is to preserve traditions, raise the level of knowledge of the Uyghur language and facilitate relations between members of the Uyghur ethnic group, leaving behind its long history of repression that continues to this day, especially in China. It all started with the typical millennial gesture of opening an Instagram account.

He himself stated at the Unlock 2024 conference, held at the end of May in Prague: “I wanted to start with something simple, addressing mainly young people through social networks, which are normally only used for fun, and not to solve problems.” . He then began to spread reels, the short dynamic videos recognized by the Instagram algorithm, which soon attracted hundreds of people and brought together more than 50 stable authors who upload material to the platform, increasingly extending their presence on the Internet.

The online format later spilled over into a series of in-person meetings, fundraisers to fund Uyghur businesses in Kazakhstan, and even a Montessori nursery school was opened in Almaty to teach Uyghur children literacy. These are just a few steps in an increasingly elaborate strategy to adapt and modernize practices already in use, according to the objectives of Digital Yurt.

Maksimov explains that “young people have always wanted to know their own history and be part of it, but they are often not attracted to initiatives or places where the older generation dominates.” That is why the decision was made to move to digital technology, “a very interesting experience, but also complicated, because it is difficult to foresee all the difficulties that our community may encounter in today’s society.” Obviously, the main problems come from the other side of the border, in China’s Xinjiang, where 12 million Uyghurs suffer increasing persecution since leader Xi Jinping imposed by decree in 2017 that all religions must be “China-oriented.” which has led to the total eradication of Uyghur culture.

All Muslim minorities in the region, where Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and other ethnic groups also live, have been subjected to harsh repression, with more than a million people held in camps and prisons. Religious practice is also prevented with the destruction of mosques and cemeteries, and not even complaints and appeals from the Office of the UN Human Rights Commissioner have been able to do anything. Many members of Kazakhstan’s Uyghur community believe that “it is better to remain silent and not expose oneself,” and even rebuke Maksimov for his “risky initiative,” but he responds that “we cannot ignore reality.”

In addition to Xinjiang, which Turkish speakers call “East Turkestan”, Kazakhstan itself is one of the main “homes” of the Uighurs, where more than 200,000 of them live, but the diaspora extends to Turkey, Europe and North America. Maksimov denounces the negative effect of the Kazakh Government’s rapprochement with China in recent years, and “we must ensure that they do not see us as terrorists, as they accuse us from Beijing, we want our people to be an example of peaceful coexistence for everyone else as well.” “.

Photo taken from Digital Yurt’s Instagram profile