On February 4, 2026, Almaty Management University hosted an event that felt less like a formal lecture and more like an intimate conversation about memory, meaning and responsibility. AlmaU welcomed Chinara Aitmatova — the granddaughter of the legendary writer Chingiz Aitmatov and Secretary General of the International Public Organization The Chingiz Aitmatov Issyk-Kul Forum — for an open creative meeting with students, faculty and guests, DKNews.kz reports.
What made the evening special was not only the name associated with world literature, but the deeply human perspective through which that legacy was presented.
Memories that never make it into biographies
Speaking to the audience, Chinara Aitmatova shared personal family memories of her grandfather — stories that never appear in books, archives or academic research.
For the world, she noted, Aitmatov is a towering literary figure, a thinker and a diplomat, often described in Western media as an advocate of Kyrgyz culture. But inside the family, he was something entirely different.
For her, he was first and foremost her beloved atashka — a caring, attentive grandfather who offered unconditional support. As a child, she admitted, she did not grasp the true scale of his personality. That understanding came much later.
Today, what she finds most important is that readers — regardless of nationality — continue to find something deeply personal in Aitmatov’s works. People read his texts as if they were written about their own lives, their own dilemmas and emotions. In her view, this universal personal resonance is the true strength of Aitmatov’s legacy.
Reviving the Issyk-Kul Forum for a new era
A central theme of the meeting was the future of the Issyk-Kul Forum — a unique international intellectual platform that once brought together writers, thinkers and public figures to discuss humanitarian issues and anti-nuclear initiatives that influenced the global agenda.
Chinara Aitmatova spoke about plans to revive the forum as a modern global intellectual space — not as a nostalgic project, but as a living platform for dialogue. She emphasized that today’s world urgently needs places where complex questions can be discussed thoughtfully, beyond political slogans and short-term interests.
The renewed forum, she explained, is envisioned as a meeting point for ideas, ethics, culture and responsibility — values that were central to Aitmatov’s worldview.
AlmaU and education built on values
The meeting was initiated by Assylbek Kozhakhmetov, Founder and President of Almaty Management University, and reflected the university’s broader mission: to support students’ personal transformation through the humanities and values-based education.
In his welcoming remarks, he highlighted the Tolyq adam program implemented at AlmaU. According to him, the university’s emphasis on the humanities is not symbolic, but deliberate and systematic.
AlmaU, he noted, aims to educate not only competent professionals, but also responsible citizens and patriots — individuals who understand their role in society. This idea, he reminded the audience, was repeatedly emphasized by Chingiz Aitmatov himself.
Tolyq adam: skills for life, not just a career
For AlmaU, the event also became an opportunity to introduce guests to the Tolyq adam program in more depth. The program brings together seven disciplines designed to cultivate skills that remain relevant throughout life.
Its focus includes empathy, ethics, analytical and critical thinking, as well as strong oral and written communication. These competencies, the university believes, form the foundation of a thoughtful, resilient and socially responsible individual.
A dialogue, not a lecture
The meeting unfolded as an open dialogue rather than a one-way speech. Questions from the audience touched on literature, identity, the role of intellectual heritage, and the place of humanitarian values in a rapidly changing world.
By the end of the evening, it was clear that the event had gone far beyond a tribute to a great writer. It became a reminder that literature is not only about the past, and education is not only about careers.
Both are about meaning — and about the responsibility each generation carries forward.
