A cultural event dedicated to the 180th anniversary of the great Kazakh poet and philosopher Abai Kunanbayev took place in London, DKNews.kz reports.
The evening brought together poetry, music and conversations about how Abai’s legacy continues to speak to the modern world.
Who organized it
The event was organized by Hertfordshire Press, a British publishing house that has spent nearly two decades translating and promoting authors from Central Asia.
More than 80 guests attended, coming from:
- the United Kingdom and Scotland
- Kazakhstan
- Australia
- Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan
- Russia
This showed the growing global interest in Kazakhstan’s cultural heritage.
The highlight - Voices of Friends
The central part of the evening was the presentation of the fourth volume of Voices of Friends: Poetry & Art 2025.
The anthology brings together poets and artists from around the world. The new edition features works by 35 authors from 9 countries.
Abai’s poetry holds a special place:
- poems in the original Kazakh
- new English translations
The translations were prepared by diplomat Roman Vassilenko and translator Yelden Sarybay, who personally presented his work at the event.
Editors emphasized that the translations preserved the musicality, depth and philosophy of Abai’s voice.
The collection also includes:
- poems by Kazakh poet Veronika Pavlova
- spiritual poetry translated into Russian by Nurym Taybek
Who worked on the book
The volume was edited by British playwright David Perry, who gave the book coherence and strong artistic style.
The presentation was hosted by Marat Akhmedzhanov, head of Hertfordshire Press.
About Voices of Friends
The anthology was launched in 2020 by Eurasian Creative Guild (London).
It is:
- the first English-language anthology of Eurasian poetry
- a project that also publishes works in national languages
Its mission is to connect cultures through poetry and art, and create space for dialogue.
Finale of the evening
The event concluded with a concert marking Kazakhstan’s Independence Day:
- live music
- book presentations
- warm and friendly atmosphere
The evening showed once again that Abai’s legacy continues to resonate globally - and Kazakhstan holds a meaningful place in today’s cultural and humanitarian dialogue.
