Famous people in Kazakhstan

Sometimes it seems as if the whole world is populated by Americans and Brits – or at least that’s how it looks if you watch films and TV shows. That the world’s pop culture is currently dominated by Western names is undoubted, and certainly other areas are weighted in favour of the larger economic powerhouses of the world. But of course each country has its own distinct culture interiorly, and often a large field of world-class people who don’t always get their due simply because their home country doesn’t have the publicity apparatus that the USA or Great Britain wields.

It’s unfair, really. A country like Kazakhstan, with its rich history and culture, has produced some of the world’s leading citizens, and it should get more attention for it – and not just from translation services professionals! Here’s my small contribution to the PR of Kazakhstan’s leading lights – the most famous Kazakhstan-born people in the world!

Sports

Marat Zhylanbayev. Born in Ekibastuz, Marat Zhylanbayev is one of the most successful marathon runners in the world, with seven world records. He was the first person to cross the Sahara on foot, and at the age of just 48 has plenty of running ahead of him!

Yevgeniy Nabokov. Nabokov was born in Ust-Kamenogorsk and actually went to Hockey School there as a teenager – which paid off handsomely as he is an all-star Hockey player in the National Hockey League. As a goaltender he has set numerous records (including being only the second Goalie to keep 40 victories 3 seasons in a row) and played in the World Championship of 2008.

Arts

Marat Bisengaliev. Hailing from Almaty, Bisengaliev is one of the most talented violin players of recent times. Although he has lived the past few decades in Great Britain, Kazakhstan has never relinquished her proud connection with Bisengaliev, naming him an official Honoured Artist of Kazakhstan.

Alan Buribayev. One of the most famous bandmasters in the world, Buribayev is just 33 and is currently the Musical Director of Ireland’s National Symphonic Orchestra, and works closely with many other national orchestras across Europe.

Science

Shoukhrat Mitalipov. Although he lives and works in the United States currently, Mitalipov was born in Almaty Oblast and Kazakhstan proudly counts him as one of its sons. Mitalipov was the first to clone a primate, and in 2010 he was granted license to experiment with human eggs and embryos – the first time this has ever been done.