Trip to a pizzeria in Italy turned into an unusual story and photo with Tokayev

Tengrinews.kz – Photos are a time capsule. Sometimes they reveal amazing stories, as happened in one pizzeria in Rome, where a Kazakhstani woman met a man who showed an unusual photo of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

A reader, Zhazira Sagyndykova, wrote to our editorial WhatsApp number and told us an amazing story. Her 18-year-old daughter, Zhanel Shaimanova, is currently studying at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at The Sapienza University of Rome.

On December 10, 2024, Zhanel went to a local pizzeria to grab a bite to eat, where an unexpected surprise awaited her. The owner of the establishment, upon hearing that Zhanel spoke Kazakh, proudly said that he also spoke Kazakh. Moreover, he showed a photo of himself in his youth playing on a football team with the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

Photo provided by a reader. Tokayev in the center of the top rows of the yellow uniform. The future owner of the pizzeria was left in a white uniform.

"This moment filled my daughter's soul with pride for Kazakhstan and brought to mind the important role of sports in the lives of leaders. Interestingly, the owner of the pizzeria used to work in the Italian representative office in Kazakhstan for 9 years, which once again proves how small our world is," Zhazira noted.

Zhanel also shared that the owner of the pizzeria lived in Almaty for some time.

"He said that you need to find the positive in everything," the Kazakh woman noted.

Photo provided by a reader

By the way, recently the famous sinologist Ivan Zuenko also shared rare archival photographs of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.