Almaty

ew Year’s Eve is an important event in the lives of Kazakh people. As part of the festivities, people make plans, list their achievements, and burn pieces of paper with their wishes scribbled on them. A Soviet Union tradition, the celebration signals a chance for a brighter future and carries many hopes and expectations for transformation. In 2022, those changes were swift to come. On January 2, protests began in the city of Zhanaozen after a sharp increase in