Famous Kazakh people we lost in 2015 (PHOTOS)
ALMATY. KAZINFORM Kazinform International News Agency remembers the famous people of Kazakhstan who passed away in 2015, and who had made a great contribution to the cultural, political and other important spheres of the country's life.
Herold Belger
The death of outstanding Kazakhstani writer, translator, publicist and member of the Kazakhstan Writers Union Herold Belger became an irreparable loss for the Kazakh literature. He died of heart attack on February 7, at the age of 81.
Herold Belger was born October 28, 1934 in Russia's city of Engels. In 1941, his family was forcefully moved to Kazakhstan, like thousands of other Volga Germans, who had been living in Russia for two centuries prior to the WWII. In Northern Kazakhstan, the Belgers found a shelter in a Kazakh village. Kazakh language became his third mother tongue after German and Russian.
Belger graduated from the Linguistics Department of the Abai Kazakh Paedagogical Institute in Almaty, after which he worked as the Russian language teacher at a school. In 1992 he was appointed Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the “Phoenix” anthology published in German. In 1994-1995 he was a Deputy of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
H. Belger authored 53 books including such popular novels as "Dom skital'tsa" (House of a wanderer), "Tuyuk Su", "Razlad" (Disorder) and 1,600 publications in periodicals. He translated works by Beimbet Mailin, Gabit Musrepov, Abdizhamil Nurpeissov into Russian.
Kazakh lifestyle, folklore, traditions, behavior, habits and tastes he absorbed in childhood made him the first outlander to thoroughly understand the very essence of Kazakh people and think the same way. Thanks to his all-round education, natural nobleness and firm commitment to principles he won the respect that gives him the right to speak on behalf of Kazakhs, at that, to voice things that may be perceived otherwise if said by any other non-Kazakh. For a reason, people call him Gereke, Belgibai, "the last Kazakh".
Nurlan Kapparov
March 26 became a day of mourning Nurlan Kapparov, Head of Kazatomprom corporation. He died of heart attack in Beijing.
N. Kapparov was born on March 30, 1970 in Almaty. In 1997 he got a higher education diploma from the Almaty University of Technology. He held Master of Public Administration degree from the Harvard Kennedy School of Public Administration. In 1991-1997 he was the President of Accept Firm LLP. In 1997-1998 – President of KazTransOil National Oil Transportation Company. In 1998-1999 – President of KazakhOil National Oil&Gas Company. In 2012-2013 he served as the Minister of Environmental Protection of Kazakhstan. In 2013-2014 he was the Minister of Environmental Protection and Water Resources of Kazakhstan. On August 7, 2014 he became Chairman of the Board and Member of the Board of Directors of Kazatomprom National Atomic Company.
Batyrkhan Shukenov
On April 28, first soloist of "A Studio" music band Batyrkhan Shukenov died in Moscow at the age of 52. According to preliminary data, the singer has died of heart attack. Batyrkhan Shukenov was born 18 May 1962 in Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan. The band was created in 1982 in Almaty which was called "Arai", then renamed as "Alma-Ata Studio". Later, the name was changed to "A-Studio". In late 1990s A-Studio worked with Greg Walsh, famous UK sound-producer. Since 1988 A-Studio has released 13 albums including 10 studio albums, 2 live albums and 1 compilation album.
The artist left the band in 2000 for his solo career. During this period he has released six solo albums. On the day of his death, Batyr’s fans in Almaty held an improvised concert in front of Arman cinema where they sang his songs to a guitar accompaniment. Funeral ceremony was held at the Zhambyl State Philharmonic Hall in Almaty where thousands of Batyr’s fans gathered. On December 8, Almaty hosted a grandiose concert “So far, so close” in remembrance of Batyrkhan Shukenov Maksut Narikbayev
Maksut Narikbayev was the President of JSC Kazakh University of Law and Humanities. He died of cancer on October 12. He was 75.
Maksut Narikbayev was born in 1940 in Almaty region. Graduate of a technical college in Ukraine and S.M.Kirov Kazakh State University. In different years he served at the Presidential Administration, Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Prosecutor General’s Office and Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Since 28, 2000 he headed the Kazakh University of Humanities and Law as the President, CEO and Rector.
Nurlan Balgimbayev
On October 14, Kazakhstan lost another his son, former Prime Minister Nurlan Balgimbayev. Born in 1947, Nurlan Balgimbayev was a graduate of the Kazakh Polytechnic Institute. Since 1973 until 1986 Mr. Balgimbayev carved a career in oil industry of Kazakhstan. Until 1997 he served in a number of ministries in the capacity of vice minister and minister. Since October 1997 until October 1, 1999 Mr. Balgimbayev held the post of Prime Minister of Kazakhstan. Afterwards he helmed two oil giants - CJSC "National Oil $ Gas Company "Kazakhoil" and JSC "Kazakhstan Oil Investment Company". He also was the advisor to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Timur Dossymbetov
On December 3, Kazakhstan deeply regreted over premature death of the first President of the National Olympic Committee - Timur Dossymbetov. At the age of 25 Timur Dossymbetov became the first world champion in modern pentathlon.
Since 1990 his life had been closely connected with the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan. Hundreds, even as much as thousands of sports and cultural events, were held in Kazakhstan under the aegis of the NOC. Under his leadership the Kazakh sportsmen partook in seven winter and five summer Olympics, six summer and five winter Asian games, winter and summer youth Olympic and Paralympic games, Asian Para Games, Asian Indoor Games, Islamic Solidarity Games, Central Asian and East Asian Games and in various international starts held under the aegis of the NOC.
In 2011 Astana and Almaty cities hosted VII Asian Winter Games with the direct involvement of the NOC.
Timur Kamalovich Dossymbetov was born on December 17, 1957 in Alma-Ata, the Kazakh SSR. He was a Merited Master of Sports of the USSR in modern pentathlon (1982). He was a member of the USSR national teams (1974 - 1984), winner of the USSR State TV and Radio Super Cup (Moscow, 1981), Champion of Mexico (Mexico Open Championship, 1981), winner of the Winter Championship (Tallinn, 1982), World Champion (Rome, 1982), repeated prize-winner of the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR, multiple champion and prize-winner of international tournaments.
In 1990, Dossymbetov assumed the post of the first President of the Kazakhstan National Olympic Committee (1990). He held the post of the Deputy Chairman of Dynamo Kazakh Physical Training and Sports Agency and first Vice President of the Kazakhstan National Olympic Committee. In August 2002 he was reelected the President of the NOC. His last positions were Secretary General and Vice President of the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan.
Kalmukhan Issabayev
Kalmukhan Issabayev was the veteran of the Great Patriotic War, journalist and local historian. Hr died in Almaty on December 3.
He was born in 1925 in Bayanaul village, Pavlodar region. In 1951 he graduated from the Kazakh State University named after S.M. Kirov. He worked at "Sotsialistik Kazakhstan" newspaper as the director of the Kazakh branch of the Bureau for literature propaganda. In 1959 he published the first collection of short stories "Bayan". Two years later he published the story "In the grip of death" and then a collection of stories called "The Mysterious House" (1962) and the novel "Face to face" (1963).
In 1961 the writer walked along the road of the future channel Irtysh - Karaganda and later wrote the collection of essays "On the tracks of dreams" (1962). In 1966 he released a documentary novel "Heroic deeds in steppe". The same year he published the novel "The flight of a falcon" and in 1967 - the novel "Aykyz". In addition he wrote such well-known novels as "At the crossroads" (1974) and "In crosshairs" (1978) which are parts of the trilogy "Heritage". He was awarded the Order of the Red Star, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor and other medals of the USSR.
Abish Kekilbayev
Prominent public and political figure of Kazakhstan Abish Kekilbayev passed away December 11.
Hero of Labour, people's writer of Kazakhstan, State Prize Laureat, linguist, academician of the Social Sciences Academy, Honorary Professor of the al-Farabi Kazakh National University and Eurasian National Gumilyov University.
Abish Kekilbayev was born December 6, 1939 in Ondy village, Mangyshlak region (Mangystau region today). In 1962 he graduated from the Philology Faculty of the S.M.Kirov Kazakh State University.
He served as Deputy Minister of Culture of the Kazakh SSR, 2nd Secretary of the Board of Writers' Union, head of department of the Kazakhstan Communist Party Central Committee, Head of the Records Office for Culture and Inter-Ethnic Relations of the Kazakh SSR Presidential Administration. He worked as a copy reader for the "Kazakh Literature" newspaper, and Head of Literature and Art Department at the editorial office of the "Leninshil Zhas" newspaper.
Abish Kekilbayev was elected Deputy of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan (12th and 13th convocation), Chairman of the National Policy, Culture and Language Development Committee of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan. From April 1994 through May 1995 he was the Chairman of the Republic of Kazakhstan Supreme Council (13th convocation).
In May 1995 Kekilbayev was appointed State Advisor to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In December 1995 he was elected Deputy of the Majilis of the Kazakh Parliament (1st convocation), Chairman of the Committee for International Affairs, Defense and Security of the Majilis.
From October 1996 through January 2002 he served as Secretary of State of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Advisor to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In 2002, by the Presidential Decree, he was appointed Deputy of the Senate of the Kazakh Parliament.
Abish Kekilbayev was famous for translation of the novels by Guy de Maupassant "Pierre et Jean", "Une vie ou L'Humble Vérité," Chingiz Aitmatov's story "Cranes Fly Early" and participation in translation of Leo Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" and I.Bunin's works.
"King Lear", "Romeo and Juliet" by Shakespeare, "Princess Turandot" by Carlo Gozzi, "On the Night of the Lunar Eclipse" by Mustai Karim, "Don Juan oder Die Liebe zur Geometrie" by Max Frisch and "Ghost" by Henrik Ibsen were also translated by Kekilbayev and were included in the repertoires of Kazakhstani theatres.
Abish Kekilbayev is the author of a collection of poems "Golden Rays" (1963) and a collection of stories "A Flock of Cloud" (1966), "Steppe Ballades" (1968), articles "Face to Face with Time", essays "Cranes", "Steppe Ballades", "Snow in March", "The Ballades of the Forgotten Years", "The End of a Legend" and "Pleiades - Constellations of Hopes."