Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “Dear friends, for 26 years, Belarusian state culture had been in decline. But last year, a wave of creativity showed that our culture is stronger than violence, weapons, and dictatorship. Concerts in courtyards, online performances of Kupalauski theater, poetry evenings. That’s us – Belarusians.
Until now, we didn’t have a Day of Belarusian Culture, let alone an international one. We all know why: Lukashenka’s regime has never understood or been interested in Belarusian culture. So now we, together with the Belarusian Council of Culture, want to change this. Therefore, we declare July 7th as the International Day of Belarusian Culture.
Famous Belarusians Janka Kupala, Jan Chachot, and Marc Chagall were born on this day – our fellow people, known far from the homeland. Also, on the night between July 6th and 7th, Belarusians have been traditionally celebrating Kupala Night – a night of love and freedom, uniting our people at home and worldwide.
Of course, our culture is too extensive to fit on the same day. And we declare July 5-11 as the Week of Belarusian Culture. I call on Belarusians and the Belarusian diaspora worldwide to join the week of our culture.
What we propose to do to support it:
– Read the famous poem by Janka Kupala, “And, say, who goes there?” in the language of the country you live in. Then, share the video with the hashtag #by_culture and #StandwithBelarus.
– Celebrate Kupala Night in your town.
– Organize a performance of Belarusian songs.
– Hold an exhibition, musical concert, or theatrical performance with the participation of local Belarusians. Any cultural event is important.
I call on you to celebrate this week with our genuine Belarusian affection. After all, culture is the heart of the nation. Even a single gesture, speech, or poem can become a symbol for tens, thousands, millions of people. Remember when our fellow people took their shoes off when they stood on benches during rallies? Or maybe you got a letter from Siarhei Tsikhanouski, where he circled his palm with a pencil? Or maybe you cried while listening to “Volny chor” performances and laughed while watching videos of Margo Levchuk and Andrei Pavuk. And I am sure that your day feels a bit better when you see the white-red-white historical flag or protest graffiti somewhere.
This is why the Week of Belarusian Culture is so important for everyone. Join and contribute in any way you can. And remember: our new Belarus is already in every poem, in every child’s lullaby”.
