Kyrgyz people's oral tradition has been forming for centuries and is one of the key elements of cultural heritage. All experiences and knowledge has been transmitted orally from generation to generation. Kyrgyz people's oral traditions contributed a great deal to the world's intangible cultural heritage.

Manas is the largest Kyrgyz epic and the name of its main character—the hero, who united the Kyrgyz. Manas is included in the UNESCO list of masterpieces of the intangible cultural heritage of mankind, as well as in the Guinness Book of Records as the most voluminous epic in the world. The Manas epic is divided into three parts: “Manas,” “Semetey.” and “Seytek.” The main contents of the epic are the feats of Manas. The Sagymbai Orozbakov (1867–1930) and Sayakbay Karalaev (1894–1971) Manas versions are considered classics. Modern scholars have not come to a consensus about when the epic originated. Hypotheses put forward indicate that it is connected with events of the Kyrgyz people of the ninth century. Some historians believe that the historical background corresponds to conditions of the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries but that it also contains more ancient ideas. Also, many historians point out that the epic time in Manas is not mythical, but historical. Last year, there was a youth hackathon event to create multimedia contents on intangible cultural heritage. Uluu Ash, a motion comic based on Manas, was made at this event. A motion comic is one in which sound or music is added to illustrations, and some pages show moving pictures, which is different from an animation with moving pictures throughout. Ak Shumkar KUT public association, a Kyrgyz NGO, implemented the motion comic project with the support of the Institute for Sustainable Development Strategy, public foundation. During the hackathon, project participants developed a demo version of the mobile application named Manas, and a script was written for the motion comic. Later, the film working group, which included animators, artists, journalists, scriptwriters, musicians, and Manas reciters, continued to work and eventually made the film. Uluu Ash, the film’s title, is one of the most important scenes in the epic. The glorious Kyrgyz Khan Kekötöy, having reached old age, leaves a testament to his son Bokmurun with instructions on how to make a burial and how to arrange all the posthumous rites. He also bequeaths to seek advice from Manas. Having buried Kökötöy, Bokmurun prepares a memorial service for his father. Manas takes over the entire administration. Many visitors from distant countries come to the ceremony. The Kyrgyz people gathered the representatives from Asia and Europe. The more important point in this ceremony was the advice of wise men and brave warriors at the end of the commemoration, which is described in the film. During the hackathon, an informal platform was formed to generate ideas for promoting elements of intangible cultural heritage among young people. This platform has its further development as a club for young creative minds to enhance comprehension and promote traditional culture. One of the products of the event was a mobile application of Manas. The application is informative and educational. It has been growing with subsequent addition and expansion of its content. This epic product is being made for the first time, and hopefully will provide a good example for young people to show the possibility that spiritual and cultural heritage may even now be the most vital element determining future and development prospects. photo 1 : Capture from the Uluu Ash motion comic ⓒ Ak Shumkar KUT Public Association photo 2 : Showing the Manas mobile application ⓒ Ak Shumkar KUT Public Association

Kyrgyzstan, officially called the Kyrgyz Republic, is a small mountainous country in Central Asia with a population of around six million people. The Kyrgyz Republic shares borders with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and China. The Kyrgyz Republic gained its independence in 1991 after the downfall of the Soviet Union. About 80 percent of the populations are ethnic Kyrgyz. The other 20 percent consists of ethnic Russians, Uzbeks, Ukrainians, Tatars, Tajiks, Kazakhs, Dungans, Koreans, and other groups. The Kyrgyz people overwhelmingly consider themselves Muslim. The Kyrgyz Republic ratified the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2006 and became one of the first Central Asian State Parties to the Convention. Also, the Kyrgyz Republic will continue to be a member of the Intergovernmental Committee until 2016.

The epic Manas occupies a central place in the spiritual culture of the Kyrgyz people as a consolidating factor of the ethnos and basis for self-identity. The significance of the epic in the treasury of human heritage was recognised by the world community in 1995. The resolution ‘On celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Kyrgyz National Epos Manas was adopted at the 49th session of the UN General Assembly carried out by UNESCO and UNDP. The 1000th anniversary of the epic ‘Manas’ was celebrated on the international level with the participation of more than 60 countries. A number of exhibitions, festivals, and conferences dedicated to the epic ‘Manas’ were held in Turkey, China, USA, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus and other countries. The inclusion of Manas on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013 was the next important step in the recognition of the Epos as World Heritage.

The rich folklore of the Kyrgyz people is an important historical and cultural phenomenon developing over many centuries and spiritually and artistically valuable. As an inexhaustible source of people’s wisdom, it reflects the history, life and social, political and spiritual ideals of the people. The oral folklore is the basis of our unique cultural heritage. Due to the harsh conditions of the nomadic life, endless clashes with enemies and invaders, and long distances of migration, the Kyrgyz people have not preserved their spiritual culture in the stone monuments of architecture, papyrus or clay writings but have preserved it in their memory for more than two thousand years of history. Memory proved to be good enough for keeping millions of lines of epic songs and works, which have been passed from generation to generation and reached the present day.

Throughout their history, the Kyrgyz people have lived nomadically, which then determined the direction of their cultural and spiritual life. This idea comes to life quite easily when examining the intricacies of Kyrgyz folk art and epic poetry, in particular. The main core of Kyrgyz epic poetry is Manas.