Students of KazNU Journalism Faculty Meet Participants of the «Crossroads of Worlds» Festival

On September 19, students of the Faculty of Journalism at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University met with participants of the international «Crossroads of Worlds» festival.

The festival is being held in Almaty from September 18 to 21 as part of Eurasian Cultural Week. The meeting brought together writers, publishers, filmmakers and other representatives of the creative industries from different countries.

The meeting was held in an informal format. The guests spoke about their work, books and creative projects and answered questions from the students. The discussion covered literature, journalism, cinema, publishing and opportunities for young authors to reach readers.

One of the guests was Marat Akhmedzhanov, founder of the Eurasian Creative Guild in London and owner of the British publishing house Hertfordshire Press. He is also involved with OCA Magazine, a London-based publication covering the culture, economy and public life of the Eurasian region.

Marat Akhmedzhanov spoke about the work of the Guild and its international creative projects. For students who are just beginning their careers in journalism and publishing, the discussion about working with foreign authors and publishers and opportunities for publication was particularly interesting.

The meeting also featured the new literary magazine «Crossroads of Worlds». The magazine aims to bring together authors from different countries. It plans to publish fiction and poetry, interviews, journalism, articles about literature and art, photography and visual projects. It will also cover books, literary competitions, festivals and cultural initiatives.

Among the guests was Bubuyra Bektenova, a writer and researcher from Kyrgyzstan and one of the longtime members of the Eurasian Creative Guild. Her works focus on the history and culture of the Kyrgyz people. She is the author of books including Baytik Baatyr, The Ambassador’s Sword, Feelings Before Which I Bow, Those Who Flew from the Nest and The Era of Zhangarach Biy. Her works have been translated into Russian, English and Korean.

Lilia Mirza, a children’s writer and fairy-tale author, also spoke about her experience in literature and education. She is a member of the Writers’ Union of Bashkortostan and, since 2026, the Writers’ Union of Russia. She also works as a teacher and develops educational projects.

Lilia Mirza is the author of The ABC Book Through Fairy Tales, The Sunny Army and other works. She has developed an approach to teaching children to read and tell stories through fairy tales. She has also prepared educational materials for learning to read Arabic script. She is currently working on a new Bashkir alphabet based on texts from Bashkir epics.

The festival participants also include Nadzhia Garieva and Nargisa Karasartova from Kyrgyzstan, Elfik Zograbyan, a laureate of the «Eurasian Fairy Tale 2026»  competition, and Elena Makarova, a children’s writer and fairy-tale author from Uzbekistan.

Cinema was another topic of the discussion. The festival delegation includes film directors and screenwriters, as well as the head of the Romford Film Festival in London. For students studying journalism, publishing and cinema media, the meeting was an opportunity to speak directly with professionals working in these fields.

The meeting lasted several hours. Students asked questions about creative work, publishing, international competitions and the first steps for young authors.

Meetings of this kind give students an opportunity to meet professionals working in literature, cinema, journalism and publishing and to learn about their experience firsthand.

The «Crossroads of Worlds»  festival programme in Almaty continues until September 21.