Winds, sands, ship graveyard and techno: The Stihia festival in Muynak

In the beginning of May, the Stihia (“Stihia” - the force of nature eng.) festival takes place in Muynak (Karakalpakstan), which gathers more and more guests from all over the world in its yurts every year. It doesn't matter if you are a fan of techno music, or listen to rock of the 80s, Stihia will take you into the sand cycle and introduce you to the world DJs or the culture of the Karakalpak people.

On the shore of the dried-up Aral Sea, you can feel the power of the elements, which is invisibly present everywhere. The 4 elements are: air, water, fire and earth. In Muynak, in a city where once the sea was real, all four elements are presented, and even the water itself that we do not see. The fifth element is a person who is to unite all forces.

Stihia - in Greek means element and force of nature. The organizers of the festival decided not to translate the word Stihia into English.

Otabek Suleymanov, producer-in-chief and Odyl Mukhamedov, producer of the Stihia festival and MOC - creative community in Tashent, told us about the great mission of the festival, which is attaining sustainable development of Muynak. It then follows into numerous objectives, including boosting tourism in postpandemic times, launching sustainable development projects in Muynak, searching for local talents in music and other creative professions.

It is very important for the organizers of the Stihia to talk about Uzbekistan as a tourist destination where you can find something new and fresh.

Muynak is the region with tons of social, economic and infrastructure difficulties due to its remoteness, but mainly due to the death of the Aral Sea. The region certainly needs more attention from the government. Shavkat Mirziyoyev became the first president to visit Muynak and gave a huge signal to the whole country that this region requires investments and new ideas.

The private sector is not entirely interested in this region. There is no sea that would help to develop tourism more, there is no brisk trade. But if we learn how to solve problems in such a remote region as Muynak, then we will be able to solve problems all over the country, - producers says.

How did the Stihia appear?

From the dull and depressive look of the city, the guys got an idea – to bring records, put on music and shoot a small video. Apart from chaotic gathering of hundreds of locals, there were 50 people at the first festival, 10 of whom were foreigners who found out about the event completely by accident.

After the one day music event back in 2018, it became evident for the organizers that the project may grow into something bigger.

Someone may say that we are hyping the Aral Sea. But if this helps to make the city better? If people become interested in the region and are they ready to come here? Our major enemy is the gloominess, sadness in the town, and we are committed to shine this out with everything we can, - festival organizers said.

Uzbekistan is an exotic country for tourists, and Muynak is an opportunity to feel new emotions, throw off all the glamor and feel the power of nature.

Hotels in Muynak appeared only last year. In the first and second years of the Stihia, guests lived in tents, yurts and some guest houses. But all visitors of the festival had one common desire - to find and see something unusual.

Would the festival be so attractive if it was held in Tashkent? Most probably not. When the organizers send photos of the location to the DJs, they agree to perform for the sake of the unrivaled atmosphere and otherworldly experience.

Uzbek government certainly plays important role in supporting the festival. Producers particularly mention Mr. Aziz Abdukhakimov, Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism and Cultural Heritage, who has been supporting the progressive concept and implementation of the festival from the day one.

When people from other countries find out that the Ministry of Tourism is helping us, they are extremely surprised that the government can support things like techno festivals. Mr. Aziz Abdukhakimov once said that Uzbekistan should turn into a country of the festivals, and we think this is a great idea, - festival organizers said.

What is new this year?

The festival is completely non-commercial, but expenses must be covered. Three stages are planned for this year: electronic, progressive and live. It will also host various social initiatives including Stihia Gen, Stihia Arts and more. This year there are more light installations, more music and DJs. There is also an entry ticket to the festival. The cost of tickets is not high, so if a person is ready to come to the Stihia, then he is ready to spend from 200,000 to 400,000 soums (approx. 20-40$).

Otherwise, everything remains the same - sands, winds, music and a lot of people who are complete strangers, but for several days they become part of one big tribe.

In 10 years, we hope that the Stihia will become a more effective instrument to attain the sustainable development in Muynak. We plan to grow up to 30,000 tourists at the festival. Become more integrated into the global electronic music industry. For example, it would be greatest honor if Leonardo DiCaprio visited our festival, because he is a big fighter for saving the environment. Or, for one of the officials or the Prime minister of Central Asian countries came to our Stihia N+1 forum to discuss the problems of the Aral Sea. And I think we will get there. Perhaps someday Shavkat Mirziyoyev himself would open our science forum and that would be a real triumph, - said the producers.

There is hidden desire to strive for the Great Unknown and follow your personal universe. And that is why Stihia exists.