During a meeting of the Committee on Education, Science, and Culture of the Jogorku Kenesh, where the Ministry of Culture's report on the development of Kyrgyz cinema was presented, Kultaeva noted that Aitmatov is a world-class classic who had a tremendous impact on the development of Kyrgyz literature and culture. Many of the films that are part of the golden fund of Kyrgyz cinema were based on his works.
Recently, however, negative comments about the outstanding writer have emerged. As an example, she cited the words of Syimyk Japykeev, the former chairman of the State Service for Combating Economic Crimes.
“I strongly demand a legal assessment of such statements. If someone allows themselves to make such judgments about our great writer, it calls into question the state of our culture,” the deputy emphasized.
Deputy Minister of Culture Marat Tagaev noted that the memory of Chinghiz Aitmatov should not be protected from the opinions of those who, in his words, need psychiatric help.
“Nevertheless, the Ministry of Culture will respond to this situation,” he added.
What happened?
It is worth noting that on January 16, a podcast by journalist Ernist Kiyazov featuring Japykeev was released on YouTube. During the conversation, the topic of "mankurtism" and Aitmatov's creativity was discussed. The journalist pointed out that there is an opinion in literary circles that, although Aitmatov had the support of the authorities, he raised critical issues in his works, including the theme of mankurtism.In response, Japykeev stated that he is not interested in Aitmatov's works and does not consider them important.
“Chinghiz Aitmatov praised the Soviet Union. If you read his books, you can understand: if you are a welder - that's what you will remain, if you are a doctor - then you will be a doctor forever. These works do not provide any guidance or motivation for personal growth. I have not read the story about the mankurt, but it is not that significant. There are writers who write much more captivating things. His stories about the first teacher or collective farms are just five-kopek stories. They do not inspire anything more. For example, after watching a movie with Bruce Lee, you want to repeat his tricks, to be like him,” he stated.
Such a statement by Japykeev sparked active discussion in Kyrgyz-language social networks.
