370 THE JOURNAL OF BYELORUSSIAN STUDIES Byelorussian Chronicle 1967 I. The International Scene I. GENERAL In May the Byelorussian delegate * to the United Nations L. Klackoŭ A Byelorussian delegation also took spoke at the General Assembly of the part in the sessions of the European need to grant immediate indepen­ Economic Commission of the United dence to South-West Africa. * Nations in Geneva. * In June a delegation, headed by A. Šeldaŭ, took part in the 51st session of On the 24th June the head of the the International Labour Organisation delegation to the United Nations A. in Geneva. Later in the year the Perm­ Hurynovič spoke at the General Assem­ anent Parliamentary Commission for bly in support of the Arab states in the Foreign Affairs (chairman L. Klackoŭ) Arab-Israeli armed conflict. He spoke recommended the Byelorussian Parl­ again in October in defence of the iament to ratify the ILO convention's economic interests of the nations resolution concerning the leisure time which had recently attained indepen­ of industrial workers. dence. II. INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EXCHANGES T h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s Soviet pavillion. The highlight of the day was a concert given by the famous From November to the end of Byelorussian State Folk Instruments December an exhibition of Byelorus­ Orchestra under the direction of sian books was held in the United professor I. Žynovič, the Female Folk Nations Library in New York. Song Quartet, the singers Tamara * Šymko, Tamara Nižnikava, Arkadź Saŭčanka, Viktar Vujacič, the ballet A r m e n i a dancers L. Kaścianieckaja, Nina Davi­ denka, N. Martynaŭ, Jaŭmień Paŭło­ A Byelorussian Film Festival took vič and others. There was general place in January in Erevan. The films praise for the high standard and skill shown included Ja rodam z dziacin­ of the Byelorussian artists. However, stva, Idu šukać, Kachanaja, Piśmy da numerous Russian items in the rep­ žyvych, Alpijskaja bałada and others. ertoire of certain individual artists There were also many documentary created the unfortunate impression films. that there was not enough Byelorus­ * sian material of a sufficiently high Days of Byelorussian Culture took standard to fill the programme. place in Armenia between 5th and An additional Byelorussian concert 11th October, with a full programme was held on the 1st October. of concerts and exhibitions, as well as opportunities for meeting Byelo­ russian writers and artists. E n g l a n d C a n a d a An exhibition 'Nottingham — Minsk' was held in Nottingham on The 28th September was Byelorus­ 16-26th March. It was organized by sian Day at the International Exhibi­ the local branch of the Anglo-Soviet tion 'Expo-67' in Montreal. Displays Friendship Society and the Byelorus­ of books, works of art, souvenirs and sian section of the Soviet Society for industrial products, as well as a show­ Cultural Relations with Foreign ing of films were arranged in the Countries. Apart from a number of CHRONICLE 371 nondescript photographs, children's represented by its own section. Byelo­ drawings (signed in Russian) and russian exhibits won 5 gold medals. souvenirs — some of them quite artistic — the most remarkable exhib­ P o l a n d its were large Intourist posters invit­ ing the visitors to come and see Lenin­ In January a Byelorussian Film grad and Novgorod. There was no lit­ Festival was organised in Warsaw. erature or information available on The films shown ranged from the first Minsk or, indeed, Byelorussia. Byelorussian film Lasnaja byl made in 1924 to such recent productions as F r a n c e Dziaŭčynka šukaje bаćкi, Treciaja ra­ kieta and Čyrvonaje liście. Days of Byelorussian Culture organ­ * ised by the France — USSR Society were held during the month of May. The well known archaeologist Lea­ The Byelorussian State Folk Song nid Pobal has been in Poland on a Choir under H. Citovič, together with research scholarship. On the 3rd singers Tamara Šymko, Śviatłana Da­ February he gave a paper on the niluk, Ihar Sarokin, Zinovi Babij, the archaeology of Byelorussia to mem­ cymbalist Arkadź Astramiecki and bers of the Warsaw branch of the ballet dancers Irena Savelina, Valan­ Byelorussian National Cultural Asso­ tyn Davidaŭ and others toured several ciation in Poland. French cities with concert prog­ * rammes. The places visited included Paris, Lyons, Clermont-Ferrand, Neu­ The famous Ahinski Song and Dance illy, Saint-Nazaire, Brest, Troyes and Ensemble from Smarhoni visited the Rennes. The French press reviewed Biełastok province with a programme the concerts favourably and gave high of concerts in Biełastok, Hajnaŭka praise to several individual artists. A and Łomža. Everywhere they were large proportion of non-Byelorussian given an enthusiastic reception. — and particularly Russian — items seemed rather out of place in a prog­ R u s s i a ramme aiming to show Byelorussian cultural achievements to foreign Days of Byelorussian Culture were audiences. held in Moscow from 30th August to 6th September with the usual prog­ ramme of plays, concerts, exhibitions E a s t G e r m a n y and encounters with Byelorussian The singers Tamara Šymko and writers and artists. Ihar Sarokin sang for the first time in the Berlin Opera. They took part Y u g o s l a v i a in performances of Eugene Onegin The Byelorussian State Folk Dance and Rigoletto. Ensemble visited Yugoslavia in the * summer, giving performances in Bel­ At the International Leipzig Fair grade, Sarajevo, Skoplje and other Byelorussia was for the first time cities. II. Events in Byelorussia MINSK On 9-10th January the 4th Congress russian novels, such as I. Mielež's of the Byelorussian Theatrical Union Ludzi na bałocie or I. Šamiakin's took place in Minsk. In her chairman's Serca na dałoni. On the other hand address Łarysa Aleksandroŭskaja, the there had been a lack of original plays well known actress, summed up the specially written for the stage. No new achievements of the Byelorussian Byelorussian opera had been produced theatre during the past season. A con­ since Kalučaja ruža (music by Ja. siderable success was achieved in Siemianiaka) in 1960, although the stage adaptations of the best Byel­ Theatre of Opera and Ballet had 372 THE JOURNAL OF BYELORUSSIAN STUDIES marked for production in the near The best theatrical performance in future another opera by the same the national festival was considered to composer, Apałajie liście. Chore­ be of the play Raskidanaje hniazdo by ography fared better with the creation Janka Kupała, produced by the Mazyr of several original ballets on Byelo­ Amateur Theatre. The Mahiloŭ russian themes, such as Mara (music Repertory Society staged the play by J. Hlebaŭ), Śviatło i cieni (music Muryn bor by their own young play­ by H. Vahner), Alpijskaja bałada wright I. Isačanka. The staff and (music by J. Hlebaŭ) and a new pupils of the Cimkavičy Secondary production of Kniaź-voziera (music by School revived the play Hanka by Uł. V. Załataroŭ). There had been several Hałubok, which was taken off the good television and radio play adapta­ Byelorussian stage over thirty years tions, and it was pleasant to hear in ago, at the same time as its author them good spoken Byelorussian. Then disappeared. There were several the speaker continued: ‘Very often we remarkable performances of musical witness, even in the Janka Kupała plays, amongst them D. Łukas's opera Theatre, the shabby attitude of actors Kastuś Kalinoŭski produced by the towards our native word, the laws of Minsk Palace of Trade Unions our native tongue... The Byelorus­ Theatre, the comic opera Rabinavyja sian State Institute of Dramatic Art karali (music by J. Siemianiaka) by takes little account of the needs of the the Ašmiany Amateur Theatre and Byelorussian theatre. As a rule, the the musical comedy Viasielle й Mali­ graduates of the Institute know the пайсу by amateur actors from Bara­ Byelorussian language very badly.’ navičy. A great success was scored by * the Mahiloŭ Song and Dance Ensem­ ble 'Uśmieška' which won an invita­ In January an exhibition of graphic tion to visit Bulgaria. However the art was held in Minsk with works by group that won everybody's heart was L. Dubaŭ, S. Herus, I. Misko, H. Pap­ the dance troupe from the village of łaŭski and N. Papłaŭskaja, N. Bielski, Charoški in Mahiloŭ province with its J. Cichanovič, I. Radunski and others. magnificent performance of a charm­ * ing and practically unknown Byelo­ russian folk dance Husaryki. Between the 11-14th April the Jakub Kołas Institute of Philology of * the Byelorussian Academy of Sciences In April Neville Dilks, the English in Minsk organised an International conductor, visited Minsk where he Conference of Slavists. The subjects directed the Byelorussian State Sym­ under discussion were typology, the phony Orchestra. Among the works history of the Slavonic languages and performed was the Byelorussian the relations between various Slavonic composer J. Hlebaŭ's second sym­ literatures. Slavists from Moscow, phony. Leningrad, Vilna, Alma-Ata, Samar­ kand and other cities were present. * The director of the Jakub Kołas 'Melodies of Friends — 1967', an Institute, M. Sudnik, acquainted the east European song contest, was held delegates with the work of Byelorus­ in Minsk in April. Artists from Bul­ sian Slavists. M. Łarčanka, professor garia, Czechoslovakia, east Germany, of Byelorussian literature at Minsk Poland, Rumania and Yugoslavia took University, read a paper on relations part. between various Slavonic literatures. * F. Jankoŭski, dean of the Faculty of Byelorussian Language at the Minsk An arts festival called 'Spring in Pedagogical Institute, spoke on some Minsk' took place between 20-28th of the problems of Byelorussian May to commemorate the 900th phraseology.