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Cultural Resistance in Belarus

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Cultural Resistance in Belarus N E W S L E T T E R # 4 N O V E M B E R 3 , 2 0 2 0 Cultural Resistance in Belarus B E L A R U S I A N C U L T U R E S O L I D A R I T Y F O U N D A T I O N B E L A R U S I A N P E N C E N T R E Photo Credit: Katsia Maskaliova 1 . A R R E S T S The “people's ultimatum” expired on October 25, and many cultural figures, 2 . P R E S S U R E A N D D I S M I S S A L sometimes entire collectives, joined the nationwide strike. There’s been an escalation of pressure, but the regime 3 . C U L T U R A L R E S I S T A N C E can’t restrain the freedom of thought and creativity any longer. 4 . V O I C E O F B E L A U R U S I A N The Belarusian Cultural Solidarity C U L T U R E Foundation called on all cultural figures to join the National Strike, and for our colleagues abroad to organize 5 . I N T E R N A T I O N A L S O L I D A R I T Y solidarity actions in order to give Belarusians moral and financial 6 . A U C T I O N T O H E L P support. B E L A R U S I A N C U L T U R A L For donations, please refer to the F I G U R E S Facebook page of the BCSF or donate via this page. 0 2 1. Arrests Eduard Akulin, a poet and bard, was detained on October 26 in Minsk as he was standing in a solidarity chain. On October 27, his case was sent for reconsideration. Alena Hironak, an actress, was detained during peaceful protests in Minsk on October 26. In the evening of the same day she was released after a report had been drawn up. “ I N T H E P O L I C E V A N , A M A N W A S L Y I N G I N T H E A I S L E . I S A I D I W A S N ’ T G O I N G T O M O V E F O R W A R D U N T I L T H E Y P I C K E D U P T H E M A N . T H E Y H I T M E O N M Y H E A D S E V E R A L T I M E S , D R A G G E D M E I N , A N D P h o T I G H T E N E D M Y H A N D S t o W I T H A S T R A I N E R B E H I N D C r e d M Y B A C K ” , A L E N A T O L D i t : R A D I O L I B E R T Y / R A D I O R a d i F R E E E U R O P E A B O U T T H E o S C I R C U M S T A N C E S O F H E R v a b D E T E N T I O N . o d a 0 3 P h o t o C r e d i t : C h a r t e r 9 7 . o r g Ihar Alinevich, a former political Ihar is now in the KGB detention prisoner and activist of the anarchist center and he, together with two movement, laureate of a PEN Belarus other activists of the anarchist award and a Viktar Ivashkevich movement, is sewed by Article 289 National Prize for Human Rights, was of the "Terrorism Act" and the article detained while crossing the state 295 "Illegal arms turnover" of the border of Belarus on the night of Criminal Code of Belarus. October 28-29. Halina Kazimirouskaya, a director of the Concordia choir and wife of a Belarusian musician Zmitser Vaitsiushkevich, was arrested on October 29 right from her office by plainclothes men. On November 2, Halina was fined 60 basic units (526 Euro). Pyotr Marchanka, a guitarist of a Belarusian fantasy folk band Irdorath, which has become quite legendary over the last months due to playing their music in the crowd on Sunday marches, was detained during such a march on November 1. The following day, he was fined 15 basic units (131 Euro). 0 4 2. Pressure and Dismissal For October 30, 12 actors and actresses have been fired from the Hrodna Regional Drama Theatre for joining and supporting the nationwide strike. All of them call for restoring the law in the country, releasing political prisoners and holding new transparent elections. All the upcoming shows and rehearsals in the theatre have been canceled. A number of key musicians have been dismissed from the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre in Minsk for supporting the “people’s ultimatum” and signing the Open Letter from the Belarusian Arts and Culture Community. They are a conductor Andrey Halanau, the leading soloist of the theatre, laureate of 16 international vocal competitions Ilya Silchukou, the first violin of the orchestra Rehina Sarkisava, a violinist Ala Dzhyhan and a violist Aliaxandra Patsiomina. “I just do what I have to do, what my heart and conscience tell me. Of course, being fired doesn’t make me happy, there is uncertainty about the future, but what can you do, it’s how all Belarusians live now. My conscience is dearer to me than other things,” Ilya Silchukou said in his interview to Nasha Niva. Andrey Novik, the leading actor of the Republican Theatre of Belarusian Drama, resigned in solidarity with the strikers and the repressed on October 29. He explains his action by saying that he does not have the strength to go on stage at the state theatre when his colleagues are "thrown out into the street at best." Rehina Sarkisava, violinist Photo Credit: Parter Magazine, rtbd.by 0 5 P h o T H R E E S T U D E N T S , S E R A F I M H A N I C H A U , A L I A K S A N D A R t o C D A N I L K I N , A N D K A R Y N A C H A K U R , H A V E B E E N E X P E L L E D r e d F R O M T H E B E L A R U S I A N S T A T E A C A D E M Y O F A R T S O N i t : F O C T O B E R 2 7 F O R T A K I N G P A R T I N T H E R A L L I E S I N a c e S O L I D A R I T Y W I T H T H E N A T I O N W I D E S T R I K E . b o o k Alena Bokhan, Teachers and staff of the Academy of the academic director, refused to sign Arts have been signing an open letter the expulsion order, commenting that urging the institution's leadership to she was "against expelling students stop persecuting students and staff because of their civil position", but who express their civic position, to that is unlikely to help. restore expelled students and stop interfering with peaceful assemblies. The concert of the band Litesound, scheduled for November 13 in the Minsk Concert Hall, was canceled due to a "governmental event" that is supposed to take place there on the date. Litesound has openly condemned the violence of the security forces after the August 9 election. The band has also supported the "people's ultimatum" and urged its audience to refrain from visiting cultural institutions. Photo Credit: Radio Svaboda 0 6 3. cultural Resistance On October 27, the fired cultural figures staged a flash mob in the large hall of the Belarusian State Philharmonic. Before the performance began, they came up to the stage with signs "We are not slaves" and "Culture against violence", after which they chanted "Long live Belarus!" and the audience changed back. On October 27, at the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre in Minsk, before starting to perform, the orchestra stood up and made a statement to the audience that it was difficult for them to perform when there had been so much violence in the country. Most people in the audience supported them with chanting "Long live Belarus!", and the Free Choir sang “Mahutny Bozha” (Belarusian for “Mighty God”), a song off the poem written by Natallia Arsiennieva in 1943 which became a religious anthem of Belarusian immigrants and was proposed as the national anthem of the independent Belarus in the 1990s.
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