Memorandum Signed with the Central State Archive of Film, Photo Documents and Sound Recordings of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Exhibition Presented on the Role of Women in the Culture of the Kazakh Steppe
On June 9, 2025, a memorandum of cooperation was signed at the Lithuanian Central State Archives (Lietuvos centrinis valstybės archyvas, LCVA) with the Central State Archive of Film, Photo Documents and Sound Recordings of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Under this memorandum, both institutions agreed to cooperate in the areas of archival preservation, organization, and dissemination of documents; to exchange theoretical knowledge and best practices; to organize internships, training sessions, academic meetings, seminars, and roundtable discussions. The parties also committed to sharing digital copies of archival documents related to the histories of Lithuania and Kazakhstan.
The memorandum was signed by Dalius Žižys, Director of the Lithuanian Central State Archives, and Saule Satayeva, Deputy Director of the Central State Archive of Film, Photo Documents and Sound Recordings of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The signing ceremony was attended by Timur Urazayev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Lithuania, and Inga Vizgirdienė, Deputy Director of the Lithuanian Central State Archives.
During the ceremony, a photography exhibition titled “The Role of Women in the Culture of the Kazakh Steppe in the Late 19th – Early 20th Century” was opened. The documents for the exhibition were selected and prepared by the Kazakh archive, while the Lithuanian Central State Archives organized, printed, and framed the exhibition. This photography exhibition is part of the national program “Archives 2025”, which aims to develop the archival sector and enrich the National Archival Fund of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
One of the missions of the Central State Archive of Film, Photo Documents and Sound Recordings of the Republic of Kazakhstan is to preserve the memory of ancestors and their material and spiritual culture. Today, in the early 21st century, the nomadic world remains a terra incognita. In the photographs presented at the exhibition, ancestors of the Kazakh people – great-great-grandmothers – look out at visitors from the depths of history. The images depict the everyday lives of Kazakh women. Even in times of peace, this life was difficult, demanding incredible strength to preserve children, future generations, genetic heritage – and with it, the state itself.
At the exhibition opening, welcome speeches were delivered by LCVA Director Dalius Žižys and Kazakhstan’s Ambassador Timur Urazayev. Saule Satayeva, Deputy Director of the Kazakh archive, presented the archive’s activities and international projects. She noted that the signing of the memorandum and the opening of the exhibition will contribute to the continued partnership between the two archives and to the dissemination of Kazakhstan’s cultural heritage abroad.
Photographs by Larisa Dmuchovskaja.
