Toktogul Satylganov

Who is Toktogul Satylganov?

Toktogul Satylganov was born on 25 October 1864 to a poor farming family in Kushchu-Suu village in the Ketmen-Tyube valley, in what is now the Toktogul district of Kyrgyzstan. He became one of the most celebrated Kyrgyz akyns, singer-improvisers who compose and perform on the komuz, a traditional fretless three-stringed lute. His songs gave voice to the hardships of ordinary herders and peasants under Tsarist colonial rule and called openly for freedom and justice. In 1898 he was arrested for his involvement with the Andijan uprising and initially sentenced to death; the sentence was commuted to seven years of hard labor, and he was exiled to the Aleksandrovsky Central prison near Irkutsk in Siberia. After repeated attempts he escaped and made his way back to his homeland around 1910, where he resumed composing and performing. He continued his work until his death in 1933 at the age of 69. Toktogul is remembered as a foundational figure of Kyrgyz music and literature; the town of Toktogul, a major hydroelectric reservoir, and Kyrgyzstan's national opera and philharmonic institutions all bear his name in tribute.

Sources: Wikipedia, "Toktogul Satylganov" · Central Asia Guide, "Toktogul Satylganov" · Kyrgyzjer.com, "Toktogul Satylganov (1864-1933)"