Schoolchildren from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Russia Travel in the Footsteps of Historical Memory

14/04/2023 20:00

In order to develop Eurasian youth humanitarian cooperation, the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly and Rossotrudnichestvo for the first time implement the International Action “Twinning in Memory” in Russia on April 15 - 22, 2023. The Action dedicated to the common feat of the peoples who defended Moscow in 1941.

The project is inspired by the idea of preserving the historical heritage and memory of the feat of the peoples who defeated fascism in World War II, and, in particular, will be dedicated to the defense of Moscow in 1941.

The project is based on the successful interaction of two schools - Gymnasium No. 24 named after Aaly Tokombaev in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) and Railway Station Secondary School in Volokolamsk (Russia). Also, the Russian-Kazakhstan school-lyceum No. 54 named after Ivan Panfilov actively maintains contacts with museums and near schools in Volokolamsk.

The initiator of the action was the search movement of Kyrgyzstan "Bizdin Zhenish - Our Victory". Since 2003, it has been verifying and correcting the lists of those killed on the memorial plaques of Kyrgyz and Russian mass graves, helping siege survivors and veterans to restore their documents, and collaborating with government agencies in Kyrgyzstan and Russia to preserve and restore monuments to World War II heroes on the territory of Kyrgyzstan. The movement is made up of pupils from schools in the country's capital and districts and volunteers. The leader is the journalist Svetlana Lapteva.

The beginning was laid by an initiative group of the search movement - 11th form grader Sultan Sultanov, who approached the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly with a request to visit the site of his ancestors' exploits and give the keepers of Volokolamsk Memory Book updated information about those killed on Ludin Mountain. This information he checked with a search team - pupils of Aaly Tokombaev gymnasium No 24 of Bishkek, working in archives.

The Chairman of the Council of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly on the Preservation of Historical Memory, historian, professor of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University Layla Akhmetova joined the development of the idea and included the Russian-Kazakhstan school-lyceum No. 54 named after Ivan Panfilov in the project. During the war years, an evacuation hospital was based on the territory of the school, and now its students are engaged in preserving the historical heritage of the school and the Panfilov division.

This action of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly and Rossotrudnichestvo was effectively supported by the Government of Moscow, the Moscow Center for International Cooperation, the Administration of the Volokolamsk City District and the Railway Station Secondary School in Volokolamsk.

From April 15 to April 18, 2023, schoolchildren in Volokolamsk will visit the Volokolamsk Kremlin, the Konstantin Romanov Museum, and the Center for the Reproduction of Rare Animal Species as part of their cultural program.

The main events will include:

  • solemn laying of capsules with earth from the hero's homeland - on Ludina Gora, the place of the courageous feat of the defenders of Moscow; land from Ludina Gora will be donated to participating schools for transfer to museums in Bishkek and Almaty;
  • visiting the memorial complex Dubosekovo;
  • visiting the settlement of military prowess Ostashevo - a link - a meeting place for the Panfilov division and the 40th separate rifle brigade - military formations, the history of which is studied by schoolchildren.

An international round table will be held at the Railway Station Secondary School, where children (including Volokolamsk activists - members of the Search Group of the Regional Museum of the Railway Station School) will discuss search activities as one of the promising areas of Eurasian youth cooperation. Mikhail Sylka, head of the Volokolamsk urban district, will take part in the round table. The solemn moment of the round table will be the transfer of updated information about the defenders of Moscow by students of Gymnasium No. 24 named after Aaly Tokombaev in Bishkek to Volokolamsk. According to Mikhail Sylka, these corrections will be made on the memorial plates, which will be updated on the anniversary of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory.

In Moscow, the children will visit the main sights of the capital of Russia: Red Square, VDNKh, Old Arbat, etc. They will also visit the Victory Museum and the Museum of Defense of Moscow.

On April 20, a meeting of schoolchildren from Almaty, Bishkek and Volokolamsk with representatives of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly, Rossotrudnichestvo and the Government of Moscow will be held at the headquarters of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly.