Cambridge strides on the Silk Road

The Cambridge Central Asia Forum and Kazakhstan Society invited people from across the city and UK to mark the coming of spring over the weekend by celebrating Navroz, a traditional ancient Iranian festival marking the Persian New Year. The event was held in Jesus College Chapel and included a performance by Jesus Choir alongside Kazakh, Uzbek, Kyrgyz and Turkish musicians and dancers. The festival's aim is to transcend religious, ethnic, linguistic and national divisions and to bring people together to celebrate the moment the sun crosses the celestial equator and equalises day and night. Professor Siddharth S. Saxena, Chairman of the Cambridge Central Asia Forum said: 'The 2010 Central Asian Navroz celebration was the largest one in Cambridge or anywhere else in UK. The large audience of more than 300 people is an amazing endorsement of interest and support for cultures of Central Asia. Equally wonderful was how Cambridge brought together people and cultures of Central Asia and Caucuses which have grown apart since the break up of the Soviet Union.' The Forum took this opportunity to gather Ambassadors, Embassies, the UK Foreign Office and other prominent organisations to explore policy issues surrounding energy, security, and climate change. Central Asian countries posses some of the largest petrochemical reserves and many have potential for solar, wind and hydroelectric power resources.