Zhanabai Balabaev is the head of the regional Kazakh national-cultural autonomy in Orynbor and the founder of the Baiterek charitable foundation. People who know Zhanabai Aitkaliuly are proud of him as an example for many, because he is doing a lot of good in the region with the largest concentration of Kazakhs in Russia. Especially the athletes who were born and raised there say that they saw a lot of good things from him. We contacted and recorded the story of an entrepreneur-philanthropist, who, in addition to Orynbor, is expanding his business in several cities of Kazakhstan.

WORKING WITH BUSINESSMAN IN KAZAKHSTAN IS MORE EFFECTIVE

I was born on September 5, 1977 in the village of Engels, Aleksandrovsky district, Orynborsky district. My grandfather is a Kazakh, he was an honored shepherd of the region, and was awarded the Order of Lenin. My mother worked as a sakmanshi (caring for newborn lambs) and my father was a veterinary technician. After rural school, I graduated from an agricultural university. In the village where I was born there were only 44 houses. Six of them were inhabited by Kazakhs, the rest were Russians, Ukrainians, Chuvashs and representatives of other nationalities. Since childhood, I grew up watching family members cutting meat, baking zheti shelpek on Fridays and reading the Koran. We raised our hands and prayed. However, at the time I did not understand the meaning of this. “What are we applauding?”, “Who are we asking for what?” I was surprised. Later I came to Orynbor and after graduating from university I lived in a rented house. In the meantime I got married. However, for some time I could not find a job and was burdened by this. I drove a taxi and worked as a security guard. At that time, my wife gave birth to a seven-month-old premature daughter.When I arrived at the hospital, the doctors said that the child had difficulty breathing due to immature lungs. “I will bring whatever you say. What can be done?"  When I said this, the doctor replied: “You better pray!” But I didn't know how to pray. At that time I was 24 years old. I came home, sat down on the bed and sobbed. Then everything resolved itself and my daughter began to recover. I also found work. I got a job in the company of a Tatar businessman engaged in grain production. He was a simple-minded man who did not miss the fivefold Namaz and went on Hajj. Many mosques have been renovated. I learned a lot from being around him. One day, after leaving work, I begged: “Oh Allah, if You give me a chance, I will do something more worthy than my director.”

After working there for five years, I went into private business. First I bought an elevator. Then I bought a grain warehouse, then another and another. Later I bought grain wagons.  Now my colleague and I are building a dairy production plant in Orynbor. In addition, we have our own laboratory, which determines the quality of the product. We rent out the building. We have a parking lot. I also own a small cafe. The menu includes national dishes of different nations, including ours. In addition, I am involved in the restoration of mosques. We have a saying: “What your right hand gives, your left hand should not know.” This is not something to brag about. I say this only to be an example for people around me who have the same opportunities as me. Last year, Kazakhs living in the village of Donguz asked for help in completing the construction of a mosque. We not only helped, but also built a canteen nearby for 250 people. Then I participated in the construction of a mosque in the Kuigansky district. Now we are also building a mosque in the Yasnensky district, where a large number of Kazakhs live. In addition, I have a common business with my partners in Kazakhstan. Together with my partner, I am actively involved in the operation of a vegetable oil processing plant in Kostanay. In addition, I have three restaurants decorated in national style. They plan to open another such restaurant in the city of Grozny, which is visited by many tourists. Because you know that Chechens respect us and our food very much. Since the border between the two countries is the longest in the world, it is more profitable for me to work with entrepreneurs in Kazakhstan.

My wife's name is Oksana. She is Kazakh, a linguist by profession. She and I are raising 4 boys and 1 girl. My eldest son, 25 years old, works in Astana. My 23-year-old daughter studies at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow. My middle son is 13 years old. He studies at an international school in Astana. Another son studies at school in Orynbor.  And the youngest son, 2 years old, is at home with us.
Since I started entrepreneurship, I have started doing charity work. However, it was difficult to cope with this matter alone. I didn't have much time. Then my wife said that it would be better to open a fund. Thus, we opened the Baiterek charity foundation. The more money was made, the more people needed help. In particular, the number of citizens wishing to study the Kazakh language and history has increased. First we took control of these two areas. Later, professionals joined us voluntarily. For example, Aigerim from Kyzylorda, who got married here, said that she could teach dombra and opened a section. At first I didn't pay them anything. Later I said, “I will pay you, but gather a lot of people.” Thus our work came to life.

WE ARE 120 THOUSAND

Like the Assembly of Peoples in Kazakhstan, our Federal Agency for Nationalities Affairs is actively functioning. This agency unites the cultural autonomies of different nationalities. The group led by our brother Azamat Baidauletov was responsible for the regional Kazakh national-cultural autonomy in Orynbor, but was unable to work actively, as they said at first. One day he came to me and said: “You can do it.You have enough opportunities. Head the administration of the autonomy,” he suggested. So, four years ago I was appointed to the position of head of the autonomy. Since then we have been holding big events, celebrating Nauryz and Korisa. We, the Kazakhs of Russia, are making every effort to show that we occupy a worthy place in the structure of the peoples of Russia. In total, Orynbor has 36 districts, 16 of which are inhabited by Kazakhs. In fact, fifty percent of the residents of some villages are Kazakhs. The Astrakhan region is the region with the largest concentration of Kazakhs in Russia. 180 thousand Kazakhs live here. The Orynbor region is in second place. There are 120 thousand of us. You probably know that Orynbor is a special place for every Kazakh. I realized the importance of this after managing cultural autonomy. We give a tour and show the city to Kazakhs from Kazakhstan. The city was the first capital of the Kazakh SSR. In addition, there is a school where Ibray Altynsarin studied. The Kazakhs who actively worked before me installed a memorial plaque in this school. There is a building where the first government of the Kazakh SSR was located, a house where Akhmet Baitursynuly lived. We have Baitursynuly, Almatinskaya, Aktobe, Karaganda streets. And the military school where Talgat Bigeldinov, who was twice awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, studied. Perhaps you know from history that the lives of many figures are connected with this Orinbor. 5 years ago we sponsored the publication of the book “The Orenbur Road of Akhmeta Baitursynuly” and made a presentation. Then businessman Serik Sakenuly provided financial assistance for its translation into Kazakh.

It should be noted that we help ethnic Kazakhs who have achieved success in big-time sports under our wing. Judoist Nurlan Isatay, who brilliantly competes for Kazakhstan, was brought by his father when the boy was 9 years old and said: “God willing, my son will become an Olympic champion.” Since then, we have helped him with clothes, training and travel to competitions and tried not to limit the boy. After Russia was banned from participating in international competitions, his Georgian coach invited him to go to Georgia. We wanted him to visit his historical homeland – Kazakhstan. Thank God, luck smiled on the boy, he received citizenship, immediately won the Asian Cup, and a month later won the gold medal of the European Cup. Then he became the world junior champion. We all witnessed that this was a great success not only for us, but also for Kazakhstan. There are enough strong people like Nurlan in our region. Damir Ismagulov, the first ethnic Kazakh to compete in the UFC league, is also a native of our village. After that, Zhalgas and Shavkaty from Kazakhstan moved to play in the same league. Our strongman Salamat Isbullaev trains at the Aktobe sports club. Our daughter named Zhanar Kusanova is the Russian champion in sambo, silver medalist of the world championship. Dias Izbasarov, our Paralympian, is involved in various sports. 30-time Russian champion. We try to help and support such talented children. By the way, we publish about our achievements and activities in our magazine “Kazakhs of Orenburg”. In addition to athletes, we distribute food to low-income people every year.We do not divide people by nationality; we mainly help villagers. Recently, the house of a Kazakh woman, raising five children alone, burned down. Having gathered Kazakh businessmen who are involved in heat supply, window manufacturing, and lighting, I said: “I will buy all the materials. Please help me". As a result, we recently renovated a woman's house. We never tire of supporting specialists who have received the title “Teacher of the Year.” If we notice that he is Kazakh by nationality, we contact him, ask what he needs and provide support. Thus, we want to show the citizens of Kazakhstan that the Kazakhs in Russia are the same as you, that is, that the Kazakhs of Russia and Kazakhstan are one people.

Indeed, we are united. Even Kazakhs who came here from Kazakhstan do not hide their surprise, saying: "You adhere to traditions more than we do." However, it is worth noting that we have a language problem. Previously, Kazakhs who came to Orynbor to study went to their villages and immersed themselves in the Kazakh environment. Now most of the villagers have moved to the city. There is no such environment as before. They cannot talk to anyone. I was also sad that my children grew up without knowing the language. Therefore, I sent my eldest and middle sons to Kazakhstan to study the mentality and language. Thank God, the eldest said that he wants a family and we have already met our matchmakers. God willing, we will take our daughter-in-law from Uralsk. There will be a big wedding at the end of August. "I would like my bride to be from Kazakhstan! Let my grandchildren live in Kazakhstan!" I dreamed. My wish came true and a kind and modest daughter-in-law will join our family. I provide most of the money needed to hold events organized by the Autonomy. From time to time, other entrepreneurs mobilize. Using my reputation in business circles, I say: “We need a bus,” “We need a yurt.” They support every initiative of mine. Recently, we celebrated Nauryz on the central street of Orynbor, dressed in national clothes. We treated people to food. We danced. No photo or video can convey this effect. While we were celebrating on this square, we noticed that representatives of other nationalities were curious, and our ethnic Kazakhs were more proud of this than we were. I really enjoyed walking along this street like this. At first, I actually looked at that event only as work, but when I returned, I was over the Moon.

DAD, EVERYONE SPEAKS KAZAKH HERE
My wife Oksana runs the “Daughters-in-law of Orynbor” project. Our married sisters meet once every two weeks. In addition, we have a project called “Grandmothers of Orynbor”, which brings together older people. Brides and grandmothers often get together. Our elders tell the brides everything they know about traditions and superstitions. They teach them things they need to know, like how to say hello and how to serve food. Not only in Orynbor, but also in Kazakhstan,  traditions are honored in different ways. For example, the West and the South are not alike. And we are studying the tradition of Western Kazakhstan, which is close to us. We want to teach men to do the same. Last year I went to four funerals in four months. This happens differently in different places. I asked my friends in Kazakhstan for advice and wrote everything down exactly.

There is a children's camp in the autonomy. We teach about thirty children who study in three shifts the Kazakh language and teach them simple concepts, for example, who is an uncle and who is a nagash (relatives on their mother’s side). In addition, we tell them the history of the Kazakh people. We don't forget the adults either. There are many people who want to learn how to give bata (blessing) correctly. Our girls with pedagogical education invite them personally and teach them everything. In addition, we have about 80 people studying dombra. The Baiterek Drum Ensemble, created by the Foundation, participates in many concerts and events. Recently, members of this ensemble received guests from Aktobe. Later, when we were leaving the office, I pointed to our girls, dombra players, who boarded the trolleybus, holding instrument cases in their hands. “Look! You will not see such a scene on the streets of Kazakhstan. And in Orynbor it’s like that,” I boasted. Actually, we don’t have a balalaika ensemble in Orinbor, but we do have a dombra ensemble. In addition, we have the Tumar ensemble, which promotes national dances.

As I said above, young people come to the city in pursuit of dreams. Many will join our ranks. In fact, in the city itself you will see many Kazakhs. If you walk down the street, you will have the feeling that you are walking through Kostanay, South Kazakhstan region. We also have a freestyle wrestling section. There are also clubs teaching handicrafts and drawing.
Assistance is provided by the Compatriots Fund and the World Association of Kazakhs. The Compatriots Fund gave us six dombyras and various shapans. They donated two TVs. Unfortunately, they cannot give as much as we would like. However, they do not forget us. Every year about thirty children receive vouchers to the Baldauren camp. Children willingly go there. One day I sent my middle child away. First: “Dad, everyone here speaks Kazakh. “I don’t understand them,” he cried. But after two weeks, he said: “I don't want to go back. I'll stay here. I made friends with Kazakh children from Mongolia, the Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan and Europe,” he said, which made me happy.
We are currently working in my former office. My dream is to create a large center uniting Orynbor Kazakhs. We have a national village here. At one time, each diaspora built their own small houses there. There are twelve houses in total. Once upon a time, the Kazakhs also had their own small house. In front of the door are three yurts, a museum and a restaurant. Since the house was registered to an individual who went bankrupt, it eventually came into the possession of the bank. I am currently in negotiations with this bank and am considering repossessing the house. God willing, I would like to renovate it and make it a place where all Kazakhs can come together and unite the work of the foundation and the autonomy.

I WOULD LIKE THE AIR CONNECTION TO BE OPEN
Right now we only have two problems. First of all, we would like to open air links with Astana or Almaty. Seven years ago there were flights to Astana twice a week. And now we can only go by car to Aktobe or Kostanay. As access has become difficult, fewer people are now traveling to the capital. We write to the embassy and ask them to solve this problem. Because we want to visit not only Aktobe or Kostanay, but also other cities. We tend to divide our children into groups and visit big cities. As for the second number, the former head of the Otandastar Foundation, Abzal Saparbekuly, brought an Almaty ensemble of 50 people to Orynbor. They played the dombra and kobyz, and the audience applauded them. At this time, a description of each instrument was written on the screen. Not to mention the Kazakhs who have never seen a kobyz in their lives, the Russians say: “If we ask if the Kazakh national instrument is a drum. “There is also Kobyz,” he was surprised. However, the fate of the large ensemble is different. The clothes are also very different. The performance is also amazing. Cultural promotion is completely different. We would like to organize such concerts in Orinbor more often.
Because we want to be proud and declare that “not only we, but also our brothers in Kazakhstan can show this art.” Tursynbek Kabatov, Abay Begey, Askhat Targyn, Nurbolat Abdullinder came to us and gave a concert. Kairat Nurtas recently arrived. We often invite artists to charity concerts.Later, the number of agencies involved in organizing commercial concerts and weddings increased. Although they want to make money, they are promoting our culture without knowing it. They listen to a song we haven't heard and bring in and introduce a singer we've never seen before. For example, Nurbolat Abdullin performed at Tursynbek’s party. We don't even know who he is. If you check, he is one of the popular singers performing hits in Kazakhstan.
In conclusion, I would like to say that, as I said above, I did not talk about many of my works with pride. I have a big pocket, but I want to be an example for other guys. Because in fact, many people who have seen what I do are trying to repeat it. For example, when people from Kazakhstan recognize me, they say: “Jake, you travel around Orinborough and promote our culture. You have a charitable foundation. But in Kazakhstan we don’t do this,” he says, looking down. Later, when I visited Kazakhstan, I noticed that he had started some business. Then, when I go to the village, they tell me about the results and brag about them. So we sacrifice along with them and compete with each other.
I'm not proud, but I'm a wealthy man. I do not need anything. God increased my wealth and gave me the opportunity to start many businesses. I would like to further develop our culture if there is such an opportunity. I don’t want to be the governor of one region, a State Duma deputy or the head of one enterprise. All I have to do is remain a simple business person and do good things around me.I am grateful to the Russian government, which gives me the opportunity to do business and create many projects. The people of Russia respect us very much, and we respect them very much. Being a native of the Orinbor region, I will do everything possible to create conditions for a comfortable life for the Kazakhs living here. God willing, the issue of appointing me as Honorary Consul of Kazakhstan in Orinbor is being considered. I believe that if all goes well, work will be busier than before.

 

Recorded interview

Aliya Tleuzhankyzy

turkystan.kz

translation of Qazalem