Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “Thirty years ago, a referendum was held in Belarus that resulted in changing the state symbols, deepening economic integration with Russia, and granting the Russian language equal status with Belarusian. That was the moment Lukashenka chose the direction for the country’s future – and from that point on, the will of the people he had promised to serve no longer mattered to him.
Now, looking back, we can clearly see where that decision led us. An authoritarian regime. Dependence on Russia. A preserved Soviet-style economy. Unstable GDP growth. A weakened currency. Limited reforms. Repression. Crushed protests. Total state control over the media.
How could one seemingly ordinary decision lead to all this? The answer is simple: Instead of developing our own culture, implementing modern European reforms, and building a strong, independent state, the Lukashenka regime chose to align itself with Russia.
And where has that brought us? To meager wages, politically motivated firings, and arrests. To isolation from the civilized world, strained relations with our neighbors, and the rewriting of history. To the erasure of Belarusian culture, the loss of identity, and dependence on foreign power. We opened the door to the ‘Russian world’, and now it seeks to take away our most precious possession – our national consciousness.
We cannot change the past – what’s done is done. But we can influence the future.
Preserve and pass on Belarusian culture to your children. Speak Belarusian more often, read our books, listen to Belarusian music, support Belarusian-speaking creators. True freedom begins with love for what is ours. And if we want to be masters of our own land, we must honor our heritage and our roots”.
