Said Bargandzhia

14 poems of three Abkhaz young poets - Inar Chitanava, Inal Gitsba and Sharida Kapsh, students of the Abkhaz State University, were translated into the Abaza language. Akhra Ankvab, the head of the “Abazgi” project, aimed at bringing the Abkhaz and Abaza youth together, told the WAC web information portal about it. Within the project, the translation of poems was carried out.

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“All poems [in Abaza] were published in the newspaper “Abazashta”. This is a good and confident step towards the rapprochement of Abkhaz-Abaza student youth. The poems were translated by the famous Abazin poet Fatima Apsova, ”Ankvab said.

One of the authors, Inal Gitsba, is 25 years old. He began to take a great interest in poetry ten years ago; his first poems were published in the newspaper “Agara” (Gudauta district newspaper, “Agara” in translation from Abkhaz means “cradle” - ed.). Then his poems began to appear in the University journal of young poets “Аҧсынгьери” (“anvil” - ed.). The young poet was also published in the socio-political journal of the Union of Writers of Abkhazia “Alashara”. Inal Gitsba is the author of a collection of poetry in the Abkhaz language “My heartbeat is my time”, published in 2015. Inal said that the translations of his poems from Abkhaz into Russian were made by Alina Zhiba, and already from Russian into Abaza by Fatima Apsova.

“Certainly, this event for us, young poets, is a significant one, since for the first time our poems “spoke” in the Abaza language. This is very important for the strengthening and development of our [with the Abaza] cultural relations,” said the Abkhaz poet.

Aminat Dzugova, editor-in-chief of the socio-economic department of the newspaper “Abazashta”, recalls that 30 years ago - for so long she works in a newspaper - the editorial board actively translated works of Abkhaz poets into Abaza. However, in the last 25 years, as noted by Dzugova, “Abazashta” did not publish verses of Abkhaz poets in the Abaza language. Therefore, the publication is a special event.

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“I personally would like the Abaza to know that there are such talented young Abkhaz poets. It is especially important that there is an opportunity to read their poems in the Abaza language. It is very interesting. It is also important for our rapprochement. It would be good if verses of Abaza young poets were translated into the Abkhaz language,” said Dzugova.

The “Abazgi” project is carried out within the framework of an agreement signed by the Abkhaz and Karachay-Cherkess state universities under the leadership of the ANO “Alashara”. The project provides for various activities, united by the idea of bringing the Abkhaz and Abaza youth closer together.

Within the framework of this project, meetings of representatives of Abkhaz and Abaza students have been held at the Abkhaz State University (ASU), dedicated to the anniversary of the famous Abkhaz poet and literary critic Vladimir Ankvab. This meeting served as the impetus for translating the verses of Abkhaz youth into the Abaza language. Within the framework of the project, another event dedicated to poetry will also be held within the walls of the ASU: the celebration of the anniversary of the outstanding Abaza poet Kerim Mkhtse.