‍Episode One: Representation of "Invisible" Communities

Representation of “Invisible” Communities such as LGBTQI+, Voguing, and Ball Culture in Kazakhstan 

In an informal setting, we brought together LGBTQI+ activists at the electronic music club bULt to discuss ball culture and voguing — a dance phenomenon that has become an integral part of pop culture and served as the foundation for Jennie Livingston’s iconic documentary Paris Is Burning. The speakers also addressed the challenges faced by “invisible” communities and highlighted the importance of safe spaces.

Voguing is widely considered to have originated in Harlem, New York, a historically Black neighborhood where some of the most vulnerable LGBT individuals in the U.S. lived. These communities faced multiple layers of xenophobia simultaneously: homophobia, transphobia, racism, and sexism. Voguing reached its peak at balls — flamboyant and vibrant underground parties in the 1980s that were often the only places where Black LGBTQ people were truly welcomed.

Participants:

• Viktoriya Primak, a trans activist, human rights advocate, and member of the transgender initiative Alma-TQ.
  
  
• Sultana Kali, an independent trans activist and research fellow at the Global Health Research Center of Central Asia at Columbia University.
• Amir Shaikezhanov, an LGBT activist, founder of the Kazakhstani LGBT media platform “kok.team,” and founder of Safe Space Almaty, a community center for queer communities in Almaty.

Episode Two: Writers Who Migrated from the Autonomous Regions of the People's Republic of China

Link

The second podcast focuses on the experiences of writers and poets who migrated from the autonomous regions of the People's Republic of China. The guests discuss Xinjiang Kazakh literature, how writers from Xinjiang have adapted to Kazakhstani society, and share their perspectives on the current political situation. The podcast is in Kazakh.

Guests: 

• Toqtarälı Tañjaryq, born in 1982 in Künes District, Ili Region, East Turkestan. Author of the poetry collection Tün paraqtary (Pages of the Night). Winner of the “Serper” Youth Award.

• Arman Ädilbek, born on January 25, 1992, in the steppes of Künes, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, People’s Republic of China. Poet and translator. Currently resides in Almaty.

• Tilek Yrysbek, born in Türgenbulaq village, Mongolküre County, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Poet and translator. He has translated works by Western authors such as Julio Cortázar, Samuel Beckett, T. S. Eliot, and Constantine Cavafy into Kazakh. Currently lives in Almaty.

Episode Three: Deistviye bukvalno

Project “Literal Action”: How to Build an Inclusive Theatre in Almaty  

The final episode is dedicated to one of the most remarkable and unique theatre projects in Kazakhstan — “Literal Action” (Deistviye Bukvalno). The project involves not only professional actors and directors but also exceptional performers such as people living with autism and Down syndrome. The @bukvalnolab team includes more than twenty members, including guest educators.

The project’s curators, coordinators, and producers share what an inclusive theatre truly means, what it’s like to work outside conventional frameworks and rules, and how to create real art with exceptional performers.

Participants:

• Olga Malysheva. the PR Director and Playwright, Literal Action

• Katya Dzvonik, a Curator and Director, Literal Action

• Elena Vovnova, a Coordinator of the Special Division, Literal Action

• Olga Sultanova, the Producer, Literal Action