On May 26, the National Library of the Kyrgyz Republic named after A. Osmonov hosted the international conference “Preservation of Traditional Culture and Development of Creative Industries Based on Intangible Cultural Heritage” as part of the 20th OIMO International Festival.

The event brought together more than 100 representatives of government institutions, international organizations, museum directors, researchers, artists, designers, craftspeople, and experts in the field of intangible cultural heritage from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, India, Turkmenistan, and the United Kingdom.

A special place in the program was given to the screening of a film dedicated to the memory of Dinara Chochunbaeva, the founder of the OIMO International Festival, who made a significant contribution to the development of the handicraft movement and the preservation of Kyrgyzstan’s cultural heritage.

As part of the conference, presentations were delivered on the role of museums in interpreting nomadic heritage, national identity in material culture, the legal protection of traditional knowledge, and the experience of international cultural heritage projects in various countries.

Representing Turkmenistan online was Tajigul Kurbanova, head of the UNESCO-affiliated national creative group “Design Plus” and a People’s Artist of Turkmenistan. Her presentation focused on traditional folk arts and crafts and the experience of passing Turkmen cultural heritage on to younger generations.

The 20th OIMO International Festival of Traditional Culture and Crafts is one of the largest cultural platforms in the region, promoting the preservation of intangible cultural heritage, the development of traditional crafts, and the strengthening of international cultural cooperation.