The Triple Life: Priest, Missionary, Spy
A glimpse into the Kazakh press of 1925
Cover of the newspaper "Shanshar" No. 1 (1925)/from open access
The second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century were marked by a great wave of awakening among Kazakh intellectuals. In both the Steppe and Turkestan krai, the publication of newspapers and journals in Kazakh surged. Soon, a variety of publications emerged, covering topics such as business, society, politics, and humor. Qalam invites you to explore snippets from the heritage of the Kazakh press compiled by historian Abai Myrzagali, offering a glimpse into the important issues of the past.
"May faith guide those who have passed and grace be bestowed upon the living"
In 1925, as Soviet rule solidified its presence in the Steppe, a number of Kazakh intellectuals claimed that they had been opponents of the Tsarist regime from the outset and supporters of the working class. The author of this satirical article mocks this stance by parodying the common autobiographical confessions of that era:
‘From 1902 to 1907, I served as a missionary for [Tsar] Nicholas, baptizing Kazakhs. However, the baptisms did not go as planned, prompting me to leave Nicholas's service and voluntarily wander as a clergyman for almost three years. But even that did not suit me. Subsequently, I served in the okhranka [secret police] for two years. Due to my distrust of the Tsarist government, I served the Kazakh people as both a censor and a spy.
Now, as I sit here reflecting on my work experience, it dawns on me that I've been a communist since 1905!’—Author unknown
Shanshar (Kazakh for ‘sharp-tongued’ or ‘parasitoid wasp’ [insect]) was a satirical magazine in the Kazakh language, published in Tashkent as an organ of the Central Committee of the Turkestan Communist Party, supplementing the newspaper Aq Jol (White Path). However, the publication stopped after its inaugural issue, despite being printed twice: 3,000 copies on yellow paper and 6,700 color copies on white paper.
