An international cultural event dedicated to Kazakhstan’s Independence Day and 180th anniversary of Abai Kunanbayev was held in London, El.kz reports citing the organizers.
The festive gathering took place on 16 December 2025 and brought together over 80 guests from various countries, ranging from the United Kingdom and Kazakhstan to Australia and Central Asian states. The event was organized by the British publishing house Hertfordshire Press, which for nearly two decades has been translating and promoting literature from the region into English.
Participants included representatives from the United Kingdom, Kazakhstan, Scotland, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Russia. The evening’s program was moderated by Marat Akhmedzhanov, Director of the Hertfordshire Press.
The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the fourth volume of the Poetry Almanac “Voices of Friends” Poetry & Art 2025. The publication features works by poets and artists from nine countries, showcasing contributions from 35 authors. The almanac continues its tradition of cultural dialogue, serving as a platform for exchange among diverse literary and artistic schools.
A special place in the new volume is devoted to the works of Abai Kunanbayev. His poems were published in Kazakh and English.
The fourth volume was edited by British playwright David Perry. His editorial work added depth and cohesion to the publication while preserving the almanac’s core idea as a space for dialogue between cultures and eras. The book presentation was conducted personally by Marat Akhmedzhanov.
The Voices of Friends project was initiated by the Eurasian Creative Guild in 2020 and became the first English-language almanac of Eurasian poetry also published in national languages. Its mission is to unite cultures through literature and art, making poetry accessible to an international audience.
The event gained additional symbolic significance from its historical context. Ten years ago, Hertfordshire Press organized the first UK event dedicated to Abai in London. In 2015, the first English edition of Herold Berger’s book Goethe and Abai was presented here, marking an important step in the international promotion of the legacy of the Kazakh thinker.