Banner Reading “47.3 Billion Tenge for a Name. #CANCELELBASY” Appears in Almaty

Adamdar news Kazakhstan

Banner Reading “47.3 Billion Tenge for a Name. #CANCELELBASY” Appears in Almaty

December 1, 2020

Almaty, Kazakhstan

Early in the morning of December 1, anonymous members of the art collective #QazaqKoktemi hung a banner in Almaty with the text “47.3 billion tenge for a name” and two hashtags: #QAZAQKOKTEMI and #CANCELELBASY.

The message’s place and date were not coincidental: the banner was put up on Nazarbayev Avenue on December 1, on “First President’s Day.”

Photo: @rukh2k19

Anonymous members of the group #QazaqKoktemi outlined the essence of their message in a statement published on @rukh2k19’s Instagram page:

“We have not forgotten how the government of Kazakhstan renamed the capital and main streets of this country, without consulting its people, on 23 March 2019. According to various sources, more than 47.3 billion tenge were spent in an effort to immortalize the Nazarbayev name. Today, while he and his retinue celebrate this day as a holiday, citizens who do not recognize it think instead about bringing an end to this cult of personality.

The Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan states that the people are the sole source of power. We believe that every Kazakhstani should have the opportunity to participate in managing state affairs. Our right to vote and freedom of speech must be respected.

We also declare that all are equal before the law in our shared home, and therefore, the law “On the Leader of the Nation” must be repealed.”

The anonymous artist and activist collective #QazaqKoktemi rose to fame in 2019. Several works of protest street art and artistic messages posted in public places in Almaty have been attributed to the group.

Monument to Viktor Tsoi in Almaty, May 2019
Kazakh: “A country rots from the head down,” 1 December 2019 (@rukh2k19)

Published: December 1, 2020