The Turkmen poet and philosopher Magtymguly Fragi’s 300th anniversary celebration took place Oct. 2 and featured performances and celebration of Turkmenistan culture. With help from the Wick Poetry Center and the Global Education Department faculty, students and citizens came together to learn and perform Fragi’s cultural works. 

The event was attended by the university’s President Todd Diacon, Iverson Long, the desk officer from Turkmenistan working in the U.S. State Department, Meret Orazov, the ambassador of Turkmenistan to the U.S. and Azat Atayev, the Deputy Minister of Education of Turkmenistan. 

One of the performances was by Maya Tuylieva on the piano. Tuylieva is the founder and director of the Kansas City Music Academy. 

“I’m very excited to be a part of this event because I feel very passionately as a musician that Turkmen music has a lot to offer, and not many people know anything about Turkmen music” Tuylieva says, “It was a mission in my life to make sure to bring Turkmen music to my audiences.”

David Hassler, the executive director of the Wick Poetry Center, had a speech celebrating the poetry of Fragi.

“We believe in the transformative capacity of poetry to bring people together across the cultural borders and barriers of language to give voice to our shared humanity,” he said. 

Hassler welcomed Orazov to the stage who stated the intentions of the Turkmenistan delegation for being at the event. 

“We are here for two main reasons. First, to schedule a long term partnership with Kent State University … second, we are here to mourn our great poet Magtmguly Fragi,” Orazov said. 

Marcello Fantoni, the vice president for global education at Kent State, talked about the reasons why the day was special. 

“Just a couple hours ago, his excellency was just reminding us that Kent State University … signed an agreement [with the Turkmenistan delegation] for future collaboration,” Fantoni said “This is a beginning of future work together.”

Kent State students senior psychology major Sergio Roper, senior integrated social studies major Elaina Letso and Victoria Troche, a senior teaching English as a second language major, read poems from Fragi. 

After the poetry readings, there was a performance by Turkmenistan students showcasing cultural songs, dances and plays.

Lindsay Collier is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected]