Panellist
Parallel Session 1.4: Through cooperative culture and safeguarding cultural heritage
Dinara Chochunbaeva is an artist, expert on traditional handicrafts and conductor of art and social projects. Since 2004, she coordinates in Central Asia, the UNESCO/World Crafts Council Program’s “Award of Excellence for Handicraft Products”. In 2000 she initiated the establishment of the Central Asia Crafts Support Association which united over 5000 craftsmen all over the region, and was its President till 2008. She represented the region at the World Crafts Council – Asia Pacific Region (WCC-APR) as a Vice-President for Central Asia in 2012-2016.
Ms. Chochunbaeva has worked since 2009 as an expert on handicrafts development and is the head of the regional team of trainers of Central Asia Crafts Support Association’s Resource Center in Kyrgyzstan – CACSARC-kg, which has trained hundreds of craftsmen in Kyrgyzstan. Trainers of CACARC-kg provide training on traditional crafts technologies and marketing for craftsmen in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Turkey, Hungary, Italy, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
Ms. Chochunbaeva conducted several studies of the craft market in Central Asia, in 2006 she established in Kyrgyzstan International Festival of Traditional Crafts and Culture “OIMO” which is recognized today as one of the most successful market for craftsmen and attractive touristic event in the region. As an expert Dinara Chochunbaeva conducted research in the sphere of craftsmanship in Kyrgyzstan (Chatkal district, Osh, Batken, Issyk-kul and Naryn provinces), Tajikistan (Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, Sught province), Afghanistan (Mazar-i-Sharif of the Balkh province), Georgia (sites of Tusheti and Samtskhe-Javakheti), and Turkey (Kars city of Kars province).
Ms. Chochunbaeva is a UNESCO Expert on Intangible Cultural Heritage in Kyrgyzstan and UNESCO ICHCAP Correspondent. In 2015 she published a coffee table book “Shyrdak, the Kyrgyz Felt Carpet”, which was recognized as the best art publication in Kyrgyzstan of 2015 and awarded by Moscow International Book Fair in 2016.