The Marat Barmankulov Laboratory is working intensively.

SDG-17 This year marks 25 years since Professor Marat Barmankulov passed away. Fortunately, we are graduates of the Faculty of Journalism who had the chance to meet the professor in person. It was May 9, 2000. We were about to finish our first year at the faculty — that restless “freshman” period of our lives was coming to an end. Along with the dawn of a brightening morning, the spring rain kept drizzling without stopping. It rained as if the sky itself had split open. We had just left the dormitory and entered class at eight in the morning when we heard the sad news from the dean’s office: our respected teacher, Marat Karybayuly Barmankulov, had passed away. On that Victory Day, we perceived this news as the day of defeat before death for our honorable journalism veteran. Nature was crying — and so were we. A quarter of a century has swiftly passed since then. Yesterday, we cut the ribbon to open the television studio named after our esteemed journalism professor. To be more precise, the studio had existed before, but it was last renovated and equipped back in 2009. Sixteen years have passed since then — the equipment had become outdated, and the studio had deteriorated. When we came into office last year, we raised this issue directly and received full support from the leadership. After all, we ourselves come from the world of television.

We mentioned this matter to our classmate Dinara Satzhan. She informed her colleagues at the “Media Alliance,” and with the support of Kaspi.kz, led by Executive Director Marzhan Elshibayeva, we managed to renovate and fully equip the studio with brand-new technology. We express our great gratitude to our journalism alumnus, media manager Armanzhan Baytasov, and to Kanat Sakhariya, Director of “Atameken Business” TV channel, for their special support.

We are also sincerely thankful to the members of the Journalists’ Club of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, led by Lazzat Kozhakhmet and Asel Artakshinova, for their presence and encouragement at the event.

The opening ceremony was attended by our distinguished faculty members — Namazaly Omashuly, Sagymbay Kabashuly, Kaken Kamzin, Layla Akhmetova, Klara Kabylgazina, Galiya Ibraeva, Moldakhan Abdraev — as well as Baqytzhan Omar, Vice-Rector for Social Development of Al-Farabi University, students, the late professor’s daughter Alua Barmankulova, journalism alumni and members of the Parliament Senate of Kazakhstan Bibigul Zhexenbay and Alisher Satvaldiev, “Alatau Aqparat” Media Holding Director Erzhan Tolek, “Alatau” TV Channel Director Bauyrzhan Berdimuratov, Kaspi Executive Director Marzhan Elshibayeva, renowned PR manager Yerbol Azanbek, Serik Zhanbolat, Imanbay Zhubai, and our doctoral students Telman Beisen and Dauren Maksutkhanuly.

A special thanks goes to Galiya Maikotova, Chairwoman of our Alumni Association, for her great contribution in organizing the studio’s documentation, and to our PhD student Berikbol Tolegen, who worked tirelessly on the studio’s design and technical setup. Right after the opening, we began filming the “Ai Science” project in collaboration with “Alatau” TV channel. The host is Aigerim Yesimkhan, a 4th-year journalism student.

If Professor Marat Barmankulov were alive today, he would have turned 88. Although he is no longer with us, his legacy continues to live on. There is now a television studio named after him, and in addition, the Marat Barmankulov Laboratory, led by Candidate of Philological Sciences Zhidegul Abdizhadilkyzy, is working actively. Every year, the faculty holds the “Barmankulov Readings” in honor of the scholar who laid the foundations of television journalism theory. Truly, a scholar’s words never die.

Photo by Dauren Maksutkhanuly.