Born and raised in Kazakhstan, Guzelya is a descendant of an ancient ethnic group of Turkic people from Central Asia - the Uyghurs. Having both parents from the full Uyghur background, her upbringing was built around the Uyghur language, traditions, culture, and Islam as a religion. After finishing her high school in Almaty, she and her family moved to Paris, France where she has built herself as an adult: studying at the French university, representing France in WASCO world championships, and becoming a French citizen. Passionate about the Islamic digital economy, she has actively been involved in startup industry curation initiatives in ASEAN. Today, Guzelya is based in Jakarta, Indonesia, married, and has a baby boy, Eldar.

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Uyghurs were the first settlers and founders of civilization in Central Asia. A modern Uyghur nation results in a Turkic, majority-Muslim population. A land of fairy tales, a dreamland of mountains with glaciers, evergreen forests and alpine meadows, shifting sand deserts, Silk Road oases with bazaars and folk fairs, as well as old ruined cities. Uyghur culture is a tremendously rich culture combining various elements of other cultures that we have acquainted as the center of the remarkable Silk Road. Whether it is an Uyghur language, clothing, food, or music, each element of our culture tells its long story of creation, thriving, and now - surviving…

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Leenagul is a traditional and digital artist currently experimenting with stylized illustrations. She was born and raised in Australia with an Uyghur/Greek heritage and is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture. Her interests focus on creating emotive pieces that draw inspiration from nature and her ethnicity, often using symbolism creatively to tell a story.