UCA Hosts International Conference on Cultural Heritage Documentation and Performance in Central Asia

The University of Central Asia’s Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit (CHHU) hosted the international hybrid conference “Digitising the Past, Nourishing the Present: Cultural Heritage Documentation and Performance in Central Asia” in Dushanbe.
The conference brought together scholars, researchers, artists, archivists, cultural practitioners, and students from Tajikistan, Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Romania, Germany, Italy, China, Russia, Switzerland, and the United States to explore how digital technologies, performance, and community participation can support the preservation and sustainability of cultural heritage.
Throughout the conference, participants explored the opportunities and challenges of digitisation, including ethical questions surrounding cultural documentation, accessibility, sustainability, and community participation. Discussions highlighted the importance of balancing technological innovation with local knowledge systems and living cultural traditions.
Presentations covered a broad range of topics, including manuscript preservation, digital archives, ethnographic photography, music documentation, language preservation, environmental knowledge, AI-powered storytelling, virtual reconstructions, and oral traditions across Central Asia.
A recurring theme was the role of younger generations in preserving and reinterpreting cultural heritage through contemporary artistic and digital platforms.

Sessions dedicated to Shashmaqom, photography, dance, oral traditions, and digital media demonstrated how cultural practices continue to evolve while remaining deeply connected to regional identity and memory.

The conference concluded with a live musical performance celebrating Shashmaqom (classical vocal and instrumental music and poetry of the peoples of Central Asia) and the wider musical heritage of Central Asia, creating a dynamic space where scholarship and artistic expression came together through performance.

Participants highly appreciated the conference’s academic quality and regional relevance. Reflecting on the event, renowned Tajik scholar Lola Dodkhudoeva noted that the conference created an important and timely platform for meaningful discussion on preserving and reinterpreting Central Asian cultural heritage through both scholarship and contemporary technologies, while also bringing together specialists from different countries and disciplines in a highly collaborative atmosphere.