“I have erected a monument to myself not made by hands”: the Kazakh-American Free University Summed Up the Results of the Literary Salon Dedicated to the 225th Anniversary of the Birth of Alexander Pushkin

On October 11, 2024, the University hosted a Literary Salon dedicated to the 225th anniversary of the birth of the great Russian poet Alexander S. Pushkin. The event was attended by more than 100 students from 40 schools and colleges, who demonstrated their talents in three areas: expressive reading, a musical performance, and a theatrical performance.

The doors of the literary salon were opened by the hosts of the event – Svetlana Polupanova, a student of the “Russian Language and Literature” program, and Nikita Tabakov, a student of the “Journalism” program.

Vice President for International Programs Daniel Ballast addressed the participants and their leaders with a welcoming speech. He emphasized that our university is always open to the implementation of various creative projects, because this is one of the ways to form leaders of the new generation.

This year, KAFU celebrates its 30th anniversary, and this is the time to summarize the effect of the university’s activities in various areas. Having made a significant contribution to preparing their students for participation in university event, the following teachers were awarded a Letter of Gratitude and a KAFU badge for their contribution to the formation of new generation leaders, support of the university’s educational projects and commitment to the ideas of leadership:

• Olga V. Rylskaya – teacher of “Secondary School # 18” of Ust-Kamenogorsk;
• Larisa A. Miskiv – teacher of “Predgornoe Secondary School # 1” of Glubokoe District;
• Darya V. Dedova – teacher of “Basic Secondary School # 14” of Ust-Kamenogorsk;
• Nadezhda N. Velichko – teacher of “School-Center of Additional Education # 19” of Ust-Kamenogorsk;
• Meruert Z. Bakimbaeva – teacher of ” Zhambyl Regional Specialized School – Boarding School for Gifted Children” of East Kazakhstan region;
• Indira N. Torguzova – teacher of ” Zhambyl Regional Specialized School – Boarding School for Gifted Children” of East Kazakhstan region;
• Roza K. Taskimbaeva – teacher of the Higher College of KAFU.

The jury of the event included:

• Natalia A. Nesterenko – Adviser to the Rector of KAFU, Chairman of the jury;
• Andrey V. Voronin – artistic director of the Regional Drama Theater;
• Ksenia V. Tsykunova – Retail Director of the Trading company “Vita”;
• Nadezhda P. Zueva – teacher of Russian language and literature of the Ust-Kamenogorsk College of Construction;
• Roza K. Taskimbayeva – teacher of Russian language of the Higher College of KAFU;
• Darya I. Spryagaylo – winner of the competition “30 Best Students of KAFU”, student of the educational program “Russian Language and Literature”;
• Amalia A. Bubnova– director of the student theater “Fantasmagoria”, student of the program “Russian Language and Literature”.

Each of the participants was able to demonstrate their skills and love for Pushkin’s works. On stage, in front of the audience and other participants, they depicted the images from the works “Eugene Onegin”, “Gypsies”, “The Captain’s Daughter”, “Egyptian Nights”, “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” came to life; the participants transformed into characters of Pushkin’s era, which could be seen in the variety of costumes and stage performers. As in a real literary salon, music was played, romances were performed, someone furtively wiped away a tear, and someone empathized with the events of days gone by.

All participants of this event received certificates, which noted the contribution of the participant himself. The jury noted the performances “for artistry”, “for originality”, “for the cross-cultural aspect”, “for the brightness of the created images”, etc. – We hope that holding events of this kind will become a special tradition of our university, because the literary salon creates a special atmosphere of introducing the historical era, – these words from the address to the participants of the chairman of the jury Natalia A. Nesterenko convey the significance of our event in the best possible way.

According to the decision of the Organizing Committee, for their contribution to the development of creative ideas and skills and support for the ideas of forming leaders of the new generation, all the supervisors of the students were awarded a Letter of Gratitude.

The university received words of gratitude from the participants and their leaders for organizing and holding the Literary Salon.

KAFU always works wonders,

Creating new projects for us!

Applause for any event thunders 

Inspiring students and us!

We THANK YOU for creative approach and work!

Our play in this event is a wonderful perk! 

(The poem is translated into English by Anna Oskolkova) 

These poetic lines addressed to the organizers from Olga V. Rylskaya reflect the positive attitude of all the participants of the event.

You can read the final minute of the event here.

We thank all the participants and wish them creative success!

Organizing Committee