Proposal to put the Tatar primer "Älifba" on the intangible cultural heritage register

Danis Shakirov, a deputy of Tatarstan's State Council and head of the Executive Committee of the World Congress of Tatars, has proposed adding the well-known Tatar primer "Älifba" to Russia's register of intangible cultural heritage. He spoke on 11 November at an off-site session of the State Council's education and culture committee held at the World Congress of Tatars. The session was devoted to the state programme for preserving the national identity of the Tatar people.

The idea was put forward on behalf of the Tatar community by Kamiya Khamidullina, a People's Teacher of Tatarstan. The primer first appeared in 1965 and has sold more than a million copies in total. Its authors, Salei Vagizov and Ramziya Valitova, worked on it for five years. A museum devoted to Vagizov stands in his native village of Tatarsky Baytugan in the Samara region, set up with the backing of Tatarstan's head Rustam Minnikhanov.

Khamidullina said Minnikhanov had ordered the work to be done, but it is stuck because officials say books cannot be entered in the register. Shakirov suggested treating "Älifba" as a monument of national culture rather than just a book. Documents are being prepared, and he offered to be the rapporteur when the State Council takes the matter up.

The session also reviewed the state programme itself: 64 events and more than 111 million roubles in funding. The global "Tatarça diktant" campaign has drawn over a million people from 78 regions of Russia and 28 countries. Marat Akhmetov, deputy chair of the State Council, told deputies to "start with themselves" when it comes to preserving Tatar identity.