Almaty, Kazakhstan, September 2022
British street artist, Fanakapan, created this as part of a mural fest in 2017. He has used the metallic balloons that we have come to love in his art (click here for an example).
The mural features the two letters Q and Z, prompted by news that Kazakhstan would switch from the Cyrillic script to Latin. It seems the linguistic move is still planned, starting in 2023.
The Kazakh language has been through such changes before, switching from Arabic to Latin alphabet in the early 1920s, and then to Cyrillic in 1940 along with the other Turkic-speaking republics of the Soviet Union.
And in reflection:
Copyright Debbie Smyth, 21 February 2022
Enjoying street art has become a regular event on my travels around the world: more of my findings can be seen here
For even more art, pop over to see Sami at Monday Mural
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Travel with Intent 
Very cool!
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Those are certainly different and I agree with Jo that all the changes must get confusing. I also agree with Margaret: you do get around! But we benefit from it as well. 🙂
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I have been keen to visit the countries that were part of the Soviet Union to see how things might have changed. Plus seeing parts of the old Silk Road.
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Love the artist’s name, Debs. Reminds me of something my gran used to say- fanakettypan! No idea what it meant. And how confusing it must be to be a Kazakh!
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I met him in Birmingham in 2016 and the air was thick with the smell of weed. I wonder if he had to abstain while he was there.
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Ah yes, I think he would ha e been more careful here.
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Gosh, you do get about. And what a great mural!
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