‘Ak At’, a play recounting the tragedy of the Ashgabat earthquake at the Fourth International Theatre Festival of TURKSOY in Andijan
The play ‘Ak At’ (The White Horse) was performed by the State Academic Drama Theatre of Turkmenistan named after the Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi at the Fourth International Theatre Festival of TURKSOY held in the city of Andijan in Uzbekistan.
The play, written by Baba Annanov was directed by Mekan Jumabayev along with Nurberdi Hojayev, the artistic director of the theatre and Honoured Worker of Arts of Turkmenistan and featured a large cast with Mayagül Annayeva, a People’s Artist of Turkmenistan as “Cemal”, Gülalek Akmyradova, a People’s Artist of Turkmenistan as “Nazyra” and Begenç Garlyyev as “Alisher”.
The dramatic plot of the play focuses on the great earthquake disaster which struck Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, in 1948, and the intertwining fates of two families. The story begins when Azat, the young son of the horse trainer Gurban—who was trapped under the rubble—is rescued and taken to Uzbekistan. Nazyra, an Uzbek woman who adopts the child from an orphanage, names him Alisher. Events unfold when Jemal, his biological mother, who survived the earthquake with serious injuries and regained her memory years later, sets out to find her son.
The jury of the festival highlighted the emotional and human depth of the play dealing with the devastating earthquake which struck Ashgabat in 1948 and the solidarity between the two peoples. Jury member Janysh Kulmambetov emphasised the production’s success in conveying the tragedy caused by the disaster to the audience and its universal themes; whilst Beibit Bakhtygereyev commended the work for its impressive description of human nature, self-sacrifice and suffering through powerful components of classical dramaturgy.
Jury member Gavhar Zakirova noted that the play’s true strength lies in its roots in real life, stating that author Baba Annanow’s inspiration from the true life story of Alisher—who migrated from Turkmenistan to Uzbekistan and was raised by an Uzbek mother—imparts a unique spirit to the work. Feride Celilova remarked that the profound grief experienced by the two mothers and their love for their children were portrayed on stage with an extremely touching, human warmth. Agamyrat Baltayev, a Turkmen jury member, emphasised that this harrowing story symbolised the historic friendship between the Turkmen and Uzbek peoples, solidarity in difficult times, and a shared destiny in the face of suffering.
The play ‘Ak At’ skillfully recounted the tragedy caused by a natural disaster while evoking emotional moments for the audience through the philosophy that ‘a mother understands a mother’s language’, hence, securing its place among the festival’s most memorable performances.
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