ISIL funds supported the making CD’s for the children’s musical production of stories from The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible. Lyudmila Людмила Мельникова and Pavel Koktyshev have accomplished a magnificent success in Kazakhstan.
Along with the internet distribution, these CD’s are going to schools throughout the member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), formerly of the Soviet Union: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. In August, Lyudmila will be presenting the theatrical performance in Finland, introducing the play to a music festival competition of European theater for youth.
The play has already been performed in numerous schools and on television in cities of Kazakhstan and today I enjoyed a special performance at Kenesary St. School in Astana. Pavel was instrumental in bringing the book to Kazakhstan and to Lyudmila who became fascinated with the concept.
Lyudmila composed the music and script, and directed the performance with a cast of 15 children and the musical and video production. Pavel arranged a press conference at the World Anti-Crisis Conference for the public release of the CD.
Pavel and Lyudmila have shown me around Astana. Yesterday we visited a monument which memorializes a third of the Kazakh population that perished under Stalin’s collectivization famine in the 1930’s. It is a stark reminder of reasons to remain diligent to the cause of advancing liberty everywhere. Children everywhere are our future.
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