[im] Manas

[János Sugár]

Kyrgyz artist Gulzada Ryskulova has rocked the local music scene with 
a powerful take on an epic poem that serves as a fundament of the 
Central Asian country's culture.

Manas is the classic centerpiece of Kyrgyz literature, and parts of 
it are often recited at Kyrgyz festivities by specialists in the 
epic, called Manaschi. Manaschis tell the tale in a melodic chant 
unaccompanied by musical instruments.Reciters of the Manas are 
guardians of an oral folklore whose origins remain obscure. They are 
also almost always men.

Kyrgyzstan has many Manaschis. Narrators who know all three episodes 
of the epic (the tales of Manas, of his son Semetei and of his 
grandson Seitek) can acquire the status of Great Manaschi. Great 
Manaschis of the 20th century are Sagimbai Orozbakov, Sayakbai 
Karalayev, Shaabai Azizov, Kaba Atabekov, Seidene Moldokova and Yusup 
Mamai.

Now, with the release of a song based on the epic and sung by a 
woman, the tale of Manas has a new twist, now carrying an urgent 
message about the need to preserve the country's incredible nature 
and its nomadic heritage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe7-MYliEzM

https://globalvoices.org/2016/12/09/now-thats-epic-kyrgyz-woman-pop-star-remakes-poem-traditionally-sung-by-men/