A 23-year-old Kazakh citizen from Almaty makes 50 types of musical instruments. Among them are beloved by many dombyra, kobyz and zhetygen. The works of the master are in great demand. He achieved this due to hard work, knowledge and talent.
“I spent all my free time in a dombyra-making workshop from the 7th grade. It lasted until college. Over this time, I have learned to make different versions of musical instruments. Also, I began choosing and processing wood properly. After graduating from college, I decided to open a small workshop,” shared Abzal Akimbek, traditional musical instruments craftsperson.
Akimbek managed to turn his hobby into a profitable business. The beginner received a grant of 2.5 million tenge under the state program in 2019. Thus, he could purchase modern machine tools and other necessary equipment. Now the master makes more than 200 different instruments per year.
“Nearly 80 percent of all orders is accounted for making dombyra. Indeed, this instrument is in high demand. Kazakh people even have a saying: “A true Kazakh is not a Kazakh himself, a true Kazakh is a dombyra,” noted the master.
The Kazakh master has big plans for the future. One of them is to boost production. The young man also dreams of taking part in international exhibitions, but for now Abzal Akimbek is teaching this difficult craft to the younger generation.
Translation by Saniya Sakenova
Editing by Galiya Khassenkhanova
Web-editor: Admin
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