The DOMBYRA UNITY international online challenge, initiated by the Department of Culture, Archives and Documentation of the Karaganda region in honor of the National Dombra Day, brought together fans of Kazakh musical art from around the world.

Initially, the project was conceived as an international creative event with the participation of artists from the Karaganda region and foreign performers who are passionate about playing the dombra. But the interest in the challenge exceeded the expectations of the organizers. Participants from the Netherlands, the USA, Belgium, Sweden, Uzbekistan and other countries have already joined the initiative, and applications continue to arrive from almost all continents.

— We expected an international response, but we did not expect that the geography of the project would be so wide. It is especially gratifying that the challenge was supported by residents of such distant countries as the Netherlands, the USA, Belgium and Sweden. Today we continue to receive new video works from different parts of the world. This indicates that the project is resonating with people. The challenge will last until July 5," said Aizhan Shakenova, Deputy Head of the Department of Culture, Archives and Documentation.

As part of the challenge, participants perform Kazakh folk kuis on dombra and record video greetings dedicated to the National Day of Dombra. All materials are published on social networks under the single hashtags #DombyraUnity2026 and #DombyraKuni2026, creating a single international cultural space.

The project aims to popularize the national musical heritage of Kazakhstan, introduce the world audience to the art of kuya and unite people from different countries around their love of dombra and Kazakh culture.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/karaganda/press/news/details/1252800?lang=ru