Q is for Qazaqstan: Independent Media, Brain Drain, and the New Alphabet

Kazakh journalists Aigerim Toleukhan and Yelnur Alimova, visiting Austin on a State Department exchange program, enlighten Matt and Tracy about their experiences as independent and international media practitioners, the challenges they face in a country they say whose government tolerates no opposition. We definitely learned a lot from their perspectives and personal anecdotes. Thanks to the Central Asian Journalist-in-Residence program (CAJIR) for making their visit to our studios possible! See here for a BBC article from 2017 on the alphabet change in Kazakhstan which is dictating the change in spelling to Qazaqstan: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41800186 NOTE: Episode was recorded on October 28th, 2019 at the University of Texas at Austin. CREDITS Co-Producer: Matthew Orr (Connect: facebook.com/orrrmatthew) Co-Producer: Tom Rehnquist (Connect: facebook.com/thomas.rehnquist) Associate Producer: Tracy Heim Associate Producer: Lera Toropin Supervising Producer: Kathryn Yegorov-Crate Music Producer: Charlie Harper (Connect: facebook.com/charlie.harper.1485 Instagram: @charlieharpermusic Visit him on the web: www.charlieharpermusic.com) (additional original background music from John Bartman, Philip Gross, Glad Rags, Loyalty Freak Music, and Lobo Loco ) Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (Connect: facebook.com/mdanielgeraci Instagram: @michelledaniel86) www.msdaniel.com Follow The Slavic Connexion on Instagram: @slavxradio, Twitter: @SlavXRadio, and on Facebook: facebook.com/slavxradio . Visit www.slavxradio.com for more episodes and information.Special Guests: Aigerim Toleukhan and Yelnur Alimova (Елнур Алимова).