Almaty: Book launch of “Together we have it all” and photo exhibition

1. Book launch and photo exhibition in Almaty 23-24 March, 2023

“Together we have it all” book launch and photo exhibition

On March 23, 2023, Atelier Cauchemar hosted the presentation and photo exhibition of the book “Together we have it all: Women entrepreneurs in Kyrgyzstan’s community-based tourism sector”, dedicated to developing women's entrepreneurship and economic empowerment of women. The book contributes to implementing and promoting Sustainable Development Goals 5, “Gender Equality”, and 8 “, Decent Work and Economic Growth”.

Community-Based Tourism (CBT) is an entrepreneurial activity owned and administered by the local community in the tourism sector. In the last two decades, CBT has developed into a mechanism for facilitating sustainable and socially-inclusive tourism activities in many developing and transition economies, including Kyrgyzstan. The Kyrgyz CBT model, with a sustainable approach, has successfully generated economic livelihoods and reduced rural poverty while also protecting the local environment and cultural practices and providing an alternative income and employment for local communities. In this book, we present a collection of 18 narratives bringing forward the message that CBT not only encourages a deeper connection between the host and visitor but also promotes women's empowerment, cultural conservation, social responsibility, and the enhancement of livelihoods. The project is supported by Nazarbayev University Faculty Development Grant No. 11022021FD2913.

The speakers of the presentation were: Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Political Science of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Associate Professor Bekzhan Meirbayev, Photographer & Visual Anthropologist of Myriad Film & Research Alexander Parkin-Smith, Head of the Department of Religious and Cultural Studies of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Professor Ainura Kurmanaliyeva, Representative of Atelier Cauchemar Aiman Kulzhanova, research fellows of the Nazarbayev University Research Center for Entrepreneurship (NURCE) Amina Chaia and Assel Abdrakhmanova, also Senior Lecturer of the Department of Religious and Cultural Studies at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and Postdoctoral Fellow at the NURCE Nurlykhan Aljanova.

Professor Bekzhan Meirbayev emphasized the peculiarities of cultural tourism in Kyrgyzstan, the role of nomadic heritage, which is the basis of Kyrgyz culture, and the development of tourism in the CIS countries. Next, visual anthropologist Alexander Parkin-Smith described how women entrepreneurs in Kyrgyzstan are brought centre-stage through photographs and written narratives. Using visual methodologies alongside more conventional social research methods, the women’s stories are made accessible to a broad public audience. Finally, researcher Amina Chaia shared her experience writing narratives, conducting interviews, and contacting respondents.