Guarding Kyrgyzstan’s history

Asan Kaybildaev with his wife in the courtyard of their house in Baitik swissinfo.ch

Asan Kaybildaev, a 75-year-old musicologist, has devoted his life to saving Kyrgyzstan’s oral history, much of which is about the country’s national hero - Manas.

“Kyrgyz history is not recorded in books, but in more than 2,000 traditional songs,” Kaybildaev told swissinfo.

The songs detail the deeds of Manas, who fought to unify the country. No fewer than 500,000 verses have been composed in his praise.

Kaybildaev, who is an expert in the Kyrgyz language, has been fascinated by the Manas story ever since he was a student.

“Until the beginning of this century, there were no written versions of the [Manas epic],” he said.

“The account was handed down orally, accompanied by many melodies, which still lend life and colour to the story.”

“In my day, the troubadours who told the story of Manas and other great figures from our past wandered from village to village, playing without a break for days and nights on end.”

Between Lenin and Stalin

swissinfo met Kaybildaev in Baitik, a village near the capital Bishkek. Behind the village – which sits on a bleak and seemingly boundless steppe – are the snowy peaks of the Tian Shan range.

He greets us enthusiastically, puts down his garden rake and shakes our hands warmly.

He leads us to his simple study: a tiny room crammed with books, sheets of notes in Cyrillic and pictures reflecting his life’s work.

Under the small table that serves as a desk is an old pair of slippers and a stove to keep him warm in winter.

Photographs of Kaybildaev fill a shelf, while on either side are portraits of Lenin and Stalin, whom he still holds in great respect.

“If we forget what the Soviets did for this country, it would be like forgetting God,” he said.

The “Swiss” commission

Sitting just a few inches from us, he points to a book. “I published that in 2000, and it won the prize for the best Kyrgyz book of the year.”

“In the book, I reconstructed the history of 80 traditional Kyrgyz songs, which enshrine part of our country’s past.”

As well as Manas, the many heroes celebrated in these songs include Genghis Khan, who conquered the region in the course of his military campaigns.

The book was to lead to a commission for Kaybildaev.

“The Swiss development agency [SDC] then contacted me and asked me to write a handbook about traditional Kyrgyz instruments. I accepted the task with pleasure,” he said.

The SDC distributes the handbook free of charge in Bishkek to students at the local conservatory, scholars and researchers.

Living history

“Play something for us,” we ask. It would appear that this is what Kaybildaev has been waiting for. His face lights up.

He takes a moment to put on his best suit, and then appears before dressed as a sultan or king.

He takes up his komuz, quickly tunes the three strings and, in his own unique style, tells the story of how Manas’s wife fled after the hero’s death.

He recounts the age-old story in musical notes, sounds and chords, but without words.

swissinfo, Marzio Pescia and Jean-Didier Revoin in Bishkek

kyrgyz

The Swiss development agency supports local writers to promote and disseminate local culture, music and tradition.
Writers can hope to receive $200 for 30 days’ work.

In brief

Asan Kaybildaev, musicologist and philologist, has devoted his life to the preservation of Kyrgyz melodies, which tell the country’s history.

In 2000, he published a book of 80 traditional songs that tell the epic story of Manas, the Kyrgyz national hero, as well as other figures such as Genghis Khan.

His work was awarded the “book of the year” prize in Kyrgyzstan.

Subsequently, the SDC asked Kaybildaev to write a handbook about traditional Kyrgyz instruments, which is now distributed free of charge to researchers, students and others with an interest in the subject.

One of the instruments described is the komuz, a small three-stringed guitar, which Kaybildaev has played since he was eight years old.