Amidst the news of the Kazakhstani politicians trying to regulate the rise of religious extremists, we spoke with Ayan Oryntay, a religious studies scholar from Kazakhstan, to try to understand the current state of affairs.

Meet the artist who is turning plastic bags into art and giving ordinary people a voice through her artworks.

Queer rights activist and co-founder of the feminist initiative Feminita, Zhanar Sekerbayeva, shares the results of research on anti-gender narratives in collaboration with the CFLI (The Canada Fund for Local Initiatives), the realities of LGBTQ women’s lives in Kazakhstan, and her goal of becoming a lawyer.

The latest annual World Press Freedom Index produced by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has revealed the current media landscapes in 180 countries and territories, including the five Central Asian republics; the results have revealed a deplorable situation in most of these countries.

Investigative journalist, founder, and editor-in-chief of the independent media ProTenge Jamilya Maricheva was fined for her January post on Telegram expressing support for Radio Azattyq’s journalists.

The ongoing high-profile murder trial against the former Minister of Economy of Kazakhstan Kuandyk Bishimbayev explained.

How a Doctor of Pharmacology decided to open her own skincare brand after ten years of creating skincare products for herself, friends, and family.

The animation artist behind a successful short animation film, Hadis, talks about the struggles of Azerbaijani Turks in Iran and the censorship of taboo topics in Azerbaijan.

As Russian President Vladimir Putin continues threatening the West with the possibility of nuclear war after revoking Russia’s ratification of the 1996 global treaty banning nuclear weapons tests, Kazakhstanis living close to the former nuclear test site say, “Let our suffering be a lesson to others.”

In the heart of Kazakhstan, 40 kilometres west of its capital, Astana, stands what was once a Soviet Gulag camp and, today, a memorial museum, ALZHIR. The story of this camp makes it unique in its own tragedy.

The latest report on cotton harvesting reveals that the authorities in Uzbekistan allegedly forced pickers to fulfill production targets set by the government, putting at risk the return of forced labour in the country.

What started as a lowkey cooking video channel at the end of 2019 became the most famous channel showcasing the Azerbaijani countryside and introducing national dishes to the worldwide audience.

Kazakhstani women refuse to be silenced by the government, standing as a quintessential definition of the International Women’s Day.

RFE/RL’s lawsuit against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, a potential ban on foreign media, and discrimination against journalists—Kazakhstani media’s troublesome reality.

Remembering victims of the Khojaly Massacre, the bloodiest massacre of the First Karabakh War by Armenian armed forces.

As the government in Kazakhstan is reviewing a new bill with harsher sentences and penalties for domestic violence, Kazakh politicians continue to shock the public with their misogyny.

As the first and only LGBTQ-education website for teenagers, SelfTanu.kz, got banned in Kazakhstan, the next day, a group of individuals gathered in Almaty demanding that an anti-LGBTQ law be implemented in Kazakhstan.

A story of an Azerbaijani-American writer whose debut novel, I Sat Alone by the Gate, is more than just another immigrant tale.

South Caucasian and Central Asian gender equality in numbers

Remembering the bloodiest tragedy of independent Kazakhstan

The day that reminds Azerbaijanis of the world of the importance of their unity and loyalty to their roots

The rally against violence organized by the youth movement Zhana Adamdar on 25 November received a lot of backlash from Kazakhstan’s civil society and activists, calling the movement pro-governmental and the rally performative activism.

Over 20,000 cases of measles have been recorded in Kazakhstan. The government urges the population to get vaccinated while the hospitals struggle to fit patients. The latest measles epidemic in the country has shed light on poor vaccination policies and the rise of anti-vaxxers in the country.

Kazakhstan has been an independent state for almost 32 years. However, never before were its citizens so focused on their own history, traditions, and language. Now, with the rising popularity of the academic term “decolonialism” in the country’s everyday life, Kazakhstan is going through its own metamorphosis.

How Iran’s Lake Urmia is causing further divide between the ethnic Azerbaijani community in the country, and why the government needs to listen to them.

Chinara Alizade’s life is but a fairytale. Dancing ballet from the age of five, she since gained her title of a prima ballerina, and was awarded the titles of “Honored Artist of Azerbaijan” and “The Best Classical Ballerina in Poland.” In this interview, she opened up on her move from Moscow to Warsaw, her marriage, and what it takes to be a successful ballerina.

As Uyghurs in China face persecution and those who were able to flee and speak up about their experience receive indirect threats from the Chinese government’s mouthpieces, the questions remain the same. How did we get here? Why is nobody doing anything to stop it?

This a heartbreaking story that has hit a nerve in Kazakhstani society reminding women that the fight for harsher domestic violence sentences is of utmost importance in a country with the lack of protection of women’s rights.

Her works are full of life and colours. Her characters—as she calls the people depicted in her artworks—are full of stories hidden in their faces. The eclectic style of her works, which is so beloved by contemporary art connoisseurs and admirers, makes you study each painting with peculiar attention to detail. Her name is Aziya, a Kyrgyz-Kazakh artist living in Prague, Czech Republic. Although coming from a family of artists, it was only three years ago when Aziya allowed herself to dive deep into the world of art by becoming a full-time artist. Now, her works are being sold for thousands of dollars, and her exhibitions are being held in the greatest art capitals of the world.

Growing up, Assel Baimukanova saw her father, a marine biologist Mirgaliy Baimukanov, monitoring Markakol lenoks, a species of fish that can only be found in the Markakol Lake in Kazakhstan. She wanted to follow in his footsteps. He, however, wasn’t so keen on it. “Why do you need to be digging in the cold all your life?” Now she is 32, and despite getting her degree in philology as her father wanted, she spent over ten years in the marine biology field working alongside her father and her hydrobiologist sister.

We live in a time when ethnic conflicts and identity politics are on the front pages of every news media. Yet one nation’s struggle remains unrepresented—the discrimination of Uyghur people in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. We spoke with one of the most prolific Uyghur activists in the West, Rushan Abbas, whose personal story is intertwined with the oppression and genocide of Uyghurs in China from the very beginning.

From winning the Best Director Music Video Award at the Cannes World Film Festival to producing the new music video for Black Eyed Peas, Kazakh filmmaker Malik Zenger has achieved impressive heights in his career this year alone. Yet behind his recent rise to fame are years of work, studies, and trials. Zenger’s filmmaking path wasn’t straightforward.

Journalist and blogger Ulpan Ramazanova talked to us about her first art installation, “Safe Clothing(?)” in Almaty, organized to debunk the myth that sexual harassment is a result of what a victim wears and her own involvement in this “difficult and unpleasant topic” to give voice to the anonymous victims through her projects.

Traditional housing used among many Central Asian nations today is utilized as an eco-friendly glamping option in the Western world. This is not the first instance when the heritage of the oppressed and underrepresented ethnic groups is used for profit. Yet who is to say what makes it cultural appropriation?

Jana Cekara Film Festival was set to be hosted in Almaty for the second year to advocate for the violation of rights of Turkic nations in China’s Xinjiang region. Yet a few days before the film festival was planned to open, the Kazakh National Security Committee pressured the venue providers to refuse to host it. Jana Cekara’s team, despite losing the venue, decided to move the festival online, refusing to be silenced in the country that some suggest supports the Chinese government on their “re-education” of Muslims in East Turkistan.

Kazakhstan is leading the charge in reviving the Aral Sea, which while once a vital ecosystem, now remains a stark reminder of environmental consequences.

Bride kidnapping cases are growing in Central Asia, and Kazakhstan is no exception. Part of the society in rural areas explains that it’s part of the Kazakh tradition “Qyz Alyp Qashu,” while experts are looking into ways to toughen the penalty for the crime. 

Tahmina Rafaella, the director and lead actor of "Banu," talks about her journey and the societal issues in her native Azerbaijan that inspired her to create her debut movie.

Despite new laws regarding animal abuse, incidents continue to make headlines in Kazakhstan, but what more is being done to prevent these horrific acts of cruelty?

Leila Aliyeva, the founder of Always Inspired, one of Azerbaijan's most popular podcasts, talks about her journey from a corporate career to an anonymous food blog to an open and honest podcast discussing mental health.

Dina Smailova is an activist and founder of Ne Molchi Kazakhstan, a foundation helping victims of sexual violence and domestic abuse, who is not afraid to confront the government, NGOs, and the system. We discussed why she had to relocate to Tbilisi, Georgia, and why she can’t return to Kazakhstan.

What do you think of when you hear “Soviet architecture”? Gray building blocks? Emblems of arms and hammers? Lack of individuality? All are correct. Yet today, we take a look at when Soviet architecture produced something beyond its cliche buildings and explored different shapes, creating the style of Soviet Modernism.

Snow leopards are an important symbol in Kazakhstan, and now vital steps are being taken to save them, including the conservation of their habitats, a nature reserve, and a rehabilitation centre.

Aisana Ashim, a 31-year-old media entrepreneur and founder of multiple publications, is fighting for independent journalism in Kazakhstan.

A successful YouTuber from Azerbaijan, Jamila Musayeva, whose content on etiquette and manners has gained over 770 thousand subscribers and more than 23 million views on her channel, shares her view on etiquette, the importance of knowledge, and how facing fears is paramount to success.

"Uyat" (shame) in Kazakhstan enforces gender stereotypes, victim-blaming, and inadequate protection for women and children.

Leila Mekhdiyeva interviews Veronica Fonova, a 30-year-old graphic designer and feminist activist in Kazakhstan. She is the co-founder of KazFem, has participated in the UN Women’s Conference, and established a reliable source on domestic violence statistics.

Leila Mekhdiyeva talks to Kazakhstan’s successful filmmaker about his professional path, his successes, and his creative plans for the future.

In post-Soviet countries like Kazakhstan, International Women's Day is marked each year by near-mandatory gifts of flowers, but is this all it's meant to be? Leila Mekhdiyeva shines some light on the good, the bad, and the ugly of March 8.

The relationship between Kazakhstan and Russia is complicated, but after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, Kazakhs have been reflecting a little more angrily about the way their republic was brutally shaped by Russian power over the past century.

Growing up in Almaty, Leila Mekhdiyeva started to discover prejudice against her for being half-Azerbaijani. However, rather than giving up her mixed identity, she went on to explore and celebrate her Azerbaijani roots.