Doolot Sydykov (born 1983), is a manaschi (a reciter of the
Kyrgyz epic of ''
Epic of Manas
The ''Epic of Manas'' is a lengthy and traditional epic poem of the Kyrgyz people of East and Central Asia. Versions of the poem which date to the 19th century contain historical events of the 8th century, though Kyrgyz tradition holds it to be ...
)''.
In November 2020, he recited the epic continuously in
Ala-Too Square
Ala-Too Square is the central square in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
History
The square was built in 1984 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic, at which time a massive List of statues of Lenin, statue of Lenin was p ...
in
Bishkek
Bishkek, formerly known as Pishpek (until 1926), and then Frunze (1926–1991), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. Bishkek is situated near the Kazakhstan ...
for a record 14 hours and 27 minutes.
In September 2021, he recited the epic for 111 hours over a five day period in Moscow.
His earlier attempts to promote the epic included touring across Kyrgyzstan in 2012 performing with
Talantaaly Bakchiev, making audiovisual recordings of his performances depicting the funeral feast for Kokotoi Khan and episodes from Semetey, and performing with Solenye Oreshki, a jazz band.
While popularising the epic, he has also spoken out against the commercialization of the epic (such as branding alcohol with the names of the epic's heroes).
Transcriptions of three audiovisual recordings, made at the
American University of Central Asia
The American University of Central Asia (AUCA) (; ), formerly the Kyrgyz-American School and the American University in Kyrgyzstan, is a liberal arts university located in Bishkek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic.
History
AUCA began its exis ...
, narrating the birth of the titular character, Manas, available online, have been studied to reveal his in-performance composition methods.
In 2022, he left Kyrgyzstan owing to a political dispute regarding the Manas Ayyly (Museum).
References
Living people
1983 births
Manaschis
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