From September 8 to 13, 2024, Kazakhstan hosted the 2024 World Nomad Games. Held every two years, this event celebrates nomadic culture through sports, artistic, and cultural disciplines that highlight the traditions of the peoples of Central Asia. While the first edition gathered 400 athletes from 19 nations, 10 years later, no fewer than 2,500 participants representing 89 nations gathered in Astana for the 5th edition. The event provided an opportunity to reflect on the role of soft power in the foreign policies of countries in the region, including Kazakhstan, where such events allow them to shine and affirm their identity on the international stage.
September 8, Astana Arena, 8 PM
In Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, a spectacular show unfolded before a crowd of 30,000 spectators, impressing both local and international observers. The opening ceremony of the World Nomad Games launched the 5th edition, which would last for five days. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev opened the festivities, emphasizing respect, solidarity, and friendship among nations. A two-hour hypnotic show followed, during which artists celebrated the nomadic way of life amid grand backdrops, recreating key events in Kazakhstan’s history. Among the heroes of the past, Tomiris, the legendary queen, appeared in the Astana arena. In a fierce battle for freedom against Cyrus the Great, the steppe tribes united under her command and crushed the Persian army, 200 years before Alexander. Scenes of traditional dances, interspersed with contemporary music, followed—a harmonious blend that perfectly conveyed the event’s theme: the perpetuation of traditional identity in a globalized and modern world. Behind the immense stage, giant screens displayed horsemen galloping through vast desert landscapes. The spectacle concluded with choreography performed by hundreds of dancers in traditional outfits—colorful robes, chapkas, and riding boots—alongside wolves, eagles, and their handlers.
The first edition of the World Nomad Games was created in 2014 with the goal of bringing together peoples around nomadic culture. The conditions for the rise of this culture took shape 5,000 years ago with the domestication of the horse, the earliest traces of which were found 300 km from Astana. For millennia, nomadic peoples roamed the steppe, conquering the largest empire in history. Thanks to their central position on the Silk Roads, they facilitated commercial exchanges between the Italian Republics and the Chinese Empire, as well as the transmission of technologies such as gunpowder in both directions.
Kyrgyzstan, a small mountainous country bordering China’s western frontier, took the initiative to organize the WNG for the first time. Since then, this gathering has taken place every two years (except in 2022 due to Covid-19), featuring sporting and cultural competitions that highlight the qualities essential for survival on the steppe. The games combine physical and intellectual disciplines with strategy games prized by nomadic peoples. In the Ethno-aul, a reconstructed yurt village, visitors can immerse themselves in the daily life of tribes, admire traditional crafts, and attend a hundred cultural events organized for the occasion, such as theatrical performances, epic singing demonstrations, and traditional poetry.
Ethnic differences, resource tensions and a hostile environment
The six Central Asian countries—remote and little known, the famous “Stan” countries (to which we can add Mongolia)—all gained independence after the collapse of the USSR in 1991. However, they are far from forming a homogeneous group. The region comprises hundreds of ethnic groups: Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Uighurs, Turkmen, and more, each with its own cultural, religious (Sunni Islam, Zoroastrian traditions, Tengriism), and linguistic (Turkic, Persian, or Mongolic) practices. Moreover, borders divide many of these already numerous ethnic groups (a Soviet legacy), forcing minorities to coexist within the same country, often with difficulties.
Significant disparities also exist concerning the distribution of natural resources. Kazakhstan, for example, can rely on its rich subsoil, which contains oil, gas, rare earth metals, and uranium. Its Kyrgyz and Tajik neighbors, on the other hand, cannot boast such resources. These two mountainous countries possess the region’s main water reserves, which has led to tensions with downstream nations like Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
The region is also surrounded by powers that do not prioritize democracy: to the north is Russia, the world’s largest country; to the east, China, the world’s second-largest economy; and to the south, Iran, a pariah in the international community. Strategically, Central Asia faces two nuclear powers and a third one on the verge of joining them.
In comparison to these giants, the Central Asian countries appear vulnerable and underdeveloped. Ethnic tensions and resource inequalities create cracks that make the region easy prey for predatory appetites.
This is when the World Nomad Games come into play.
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