As she reported, her health did not allow her to respond promptly to the situation, which deeply saddened her.
“Some individuals continue to gossip and discuss my brother, spreading false information. Although 17 years have passed since his death, the criticism against him has not ceased. They say: ‘Of the dead, either good or nothing,’ but some continue to disturb his soul. Sometimes I think that the enemies of the Kyrgyz people do this intentionally, seeking to sow discord,” Roza noted, adding that she does not harbor malice towards the slanderers but called for them to stop.
“I am already 89 years old, and I have experienced a lot: both joyful and sorrowful moments. But nothing has upset me as much as this... Our family went through terrible times after the arrest and execution of my father. We suffered from hunger and poverty. The Soviet power treated us cruelly, calling us ‘children of the enemy of the people.’ I am endlessly grateful to my people, my father’s relatives, and the residents of Sheker and Talas, who supported us during those difficult times,” Roza Aitmatova shared.
She expressed regret that now all sins are being attributed to Chingiz.
“If he could say: ‘That’s not true, it’s like this!’ - all the gossipers would calm down. Chingiz opened the world to the Kyrgyz people and glorified our epic ‘Manas.’ He fought for the establishment of Kyrgyz schools in Bishkek, asserting that this is his native language, and eventually opened two schools. It pains me that his memory is not left in peace, being smeared with dirt all over the world. Yesterday I received a call from Kazakhstan asking: ‘What is happening? Why is there so much controversy around Aitmatov?’ I felt ashamed,” she added.
It is important to note that none of the rumors are true. I am ready to prove it.One of the rumors claims that “Chingiz wrote in Russian because he did not know Kyrgyz.” His books have been translated into 185 languages, and he ranks third in the number of publications among authors worldwide, after Shakespeare and Tolstoy. The reason for his refusal to write in Kyrgyz was the persecution by some Kyrgyz officials in 1957, who received instructions from Moscow. They threatened him and his family: “Your son Chingiz may meet the fate of your husband Torokul. If necessary, we will bring him to that. Let him stop writing!” Can you imagine what a trial this was for my mother? Chingiz was ill for a long time and was forced to stop writing in his native language. We, Kyrgyz, did not write, which made it difficult for him to work. The great Russian poet Alexander Tvardovsky, knowing about his problems, supported him and advised him to write in Russian, which allowed him to continue his career. His works were not published in Kyrgyzstan for about 15 years; he wrote only for Russia.
Nevertheless, Chingiz grew up in Sheker, knew his native language, and wrote his first works in it. He always took pride in and praised the Kyrgyz language,” emphasized Roza Aitmatova.
She also noted that some claim that Chingiz enjoyed life in Europe while Kyrgyzstanis suffered in the 1990s.
“In fact, they do not understand what they are talking about. My brother was the ambassador of Kyrgyzstan in Europe and the first to establish connections between our country and the West. He said: ‘My people live in Central Asia,’ and this contributed to strengthening the international relations of our young republic,” she added.
Some write that he was on the side of the Uzbeks in the conflict in Osh. I asked him why he flew to Uzbekistan during the events in Osh. He replied that there was no time. He was in Moscow when Uzbek troops concentrated at the border and prepared for an attack. Chingiz quickly contacted the Minister of Defense and requested a meeting with the President of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov. He could not miss the opportunity, as it could prevent a major conflict. As a result, after a two-hour conversation with the president, Chingiz convinced him not to interfere in Kyrgyzstan’s affairs, which saved our country from war,” Roza recounted.
She also mentioned that Chingiz was elected to parliament when other candidates failed: “He told the deputies: ‘Why don’t you take a look at this young Akayev?’ But my brother did not run for office and did not come to Kyrgyzstan at that time. Akayev was elected, and that is true,” she wrote, calling for an end to both glorifying and criticizing Chingiz so that his soul may rest in peace.
Roza expressed hope that the funds allocated for the 100th anniversary of Chingiz will be directed towards improving the lives of ordinary people, which would be a true tribute to his memory.
She recalled her mother Nagima, who studied in a madrasa and imparted knowledge to children despite prohibitions. “My grandfather built mosques and madrasas, and my great-grandfather was a mufti. Therefore, the assertion that ‘Aitmatov distanced himself from religion’ is incorrect. He respected Islamic rituals. But who can measure a person's inner faith, except for God?”
“All the characters in his works have real prototypes, and his stories contain no lies. Chingiz was a writer of the 20th century, and his works reflect the events of that time. But regardless of the time, as my brother said, we must remain human every day,” Roza Aitmatova concluded.
She called on the people to respect themselves and their culture, not to tarnish Chingiz's name, and to live in peace.
Let us remind you that on January 16, a podcast by Ernist Kyazov featuring Syimyk Japikeev was held on YouTube, where topics of mankurting and Aitmatov's creativity were discussed. Japikeev stated that Aitmatov's works are “five-kopeck stories.”
His statements caused a resonance, and deputy Gulsharkan Kultaeva, along with the Union of Writers of Kyrgyzstan, called on the authorities to give a legal assessment of such statements.
