“Prop Master 1: Have you seen how the dollar rate rose again?
Prop Master 2: Yeah… How much will it cost next year?
Assistant director: Queues at the border again! My parents have been there for 20 hours already.
Operator: My passport is running out of pages. Going to Belarus is not an option. And here I have problems with legalization…
Director: My cousin was detained at work. They found pictures from the protests in her phone.
Makeup artist: Sviatlana, are you ready for the new year?
Sviatlana: You know, my team even teases me about the way I sigh heavily. They say you can feel all the weariness in the world when you hear it.
Makeup artist: Isn’t that true? Aren’t you tired?
Sviatlana: Well, of course… Honestly, I am very tired. I’m just a human, like everyone else.
I want life to be quiet and stable too. Sometimes it seems like the world is going crazy. Who could have imagined that we, Belarusians, would face such trials?
Lighting technician: Agreed. I feel like we’re all tired of what’s happening around us. And we need more strength to keep going.
Sviatlana: True. People are tired of the negativity.
Prices are rising, people are getting arrested every day, and you cannot get a visa for a trip. It makes you want to hide so that no one can bother you and you can just live your life.
But imagine how tired the people in prisons must be. Thousands of people. Tired of waiting, tired of hoping, tired of believing. Imagine how tired Pavel Kuchynski from the town of Maladzechna must be, who suffers from cancer. And there are hundreds of people who need medical help. Imagine how tired Ales Bialiatski’s wife must be of trying to find out if her husband is fine. And how tired the children must be of growing up away from their moms and dads.
You know where I draw strength from? When I wake up in the morning, I think about the people facing even greater hardships. And it hurts so much… But I turn that pain and anger into energy.
Sound engineer: Actually I often wonder: should I just make peace with life as it is or should I keep hoping for a change in the future?
Sviatlana: So you say, “keep hoping for a change.” But as long as you rely solely on hope, you won’t get far ahead. And just making peace is not an option either.
Think about it, maybe you’re already doing something to change the situation. Don’t think it’s not important. Even if it seems like there’s nothing grand about it.
Remember the Solidarity Marathon. People from 86 countries joined it. It wasn’t just a nice gesture. It was tangible help for our political prisoners and their families.
Remember how a doctor who fled to Poland continues to advise his patients from Navapolatsk because they haven’t been able to get an appointment with a doctor for two months.
Or a woman from Pinsk who printed pamphlets saying “No to war” and distributed them around her neighborhood. A neighborhood where lots of officials live. It may seem like a small act, but how bold!
It may seem to us that such simple things can hardly make an impact. However, it’s them that lead to important changes.
Even my eight-year-old daughter, who never lived in a Belarusian-speaking environment, told me the other day she wanted to speak her native language. And now, every day for me begins with the words “Good morning” in Belarusian.
Decorator: I’ve been reading about your meetings with different politicians. They haven’t forgotten about us, have they?
Sviatlana: Of course they haven’t. They support us and are willing to help. But you don’t think that Biden or Macron will just solve our problems for us, do you?
We can only do it ourselves. How the world treats Belarus only depends on us. Others will support us as long as we support each other.
And we’re doing all of this not for something vague. We want very clear and simple things that we rightfully deserve.
We want to reclaim our home and be its masters. We want to feel safe. We want to live in a country where the government respects people, not disdains them.
Assistant director: But we’ve tried so many times already…
Sviatlana: And this once again proves how unyielding our nation is! Even in the most challenging circumstances, after unsuccessful attempts, we didn’t cry, “All is gone!” Instead, we sought new ways to achieve our goals.
And we’ve accomplished a lot. Both thanks to our efforts and despite the challenges.
Despite the repression, we continue to launch new initiatives and restore the media.
Despite the attempts to russify us, we speak Belarusian and celebrate national holidays.
Despite increasing regulations and taxes, entrepreneurs develop their businesses.
Medical professionals save lives despite the lack of medicines. And the elderly no longer believe in propaganda because their grandchildren have taught them to use YouTube.
And we do all this despite fatigue, anger, disappointment…
Cameraman: Belarusians are truly amazing!
Sviatlana: And it’s time for us to start appreciating ourselves!
Because we, Belarusians, have the endurance to respond to any challenge. Creativity to do new things. Honor to admit mistakes. Ambition to tackle even the most complex tasks. And big hearts to help each other.
Try remembering this every day.
Director: We start recording in a few seconds. Hurry up!
Sviatlana: “Hurry up…” We’re always rushing somewhere. To finish work, do everything around the house, read important news… But now, as we bid farewell to this challenging year, take a little pause. Breathe.
Think about the person you easily forget in all that’s happening – yourself. Because each of us is a living person who deserves love, respect, and care.
Find something you’re proud of – I’m sure you have something. Thank yourself. For enduring all the challenges and keeping a warm heart.
I know it might seem like all that’s around is chaos. It’s easy to get confused and lose yourself. We are all different. But remember, we always have something that unites us.
Dear Belarusians!
I don’t have answers to all the questions. I don’t know what awaits us in the new year. And I won’t tell you that everything will be fine.
Sometimes, we must persist despite the challenges we face. As we step into the new year, I hope for fewer obstacles and more momentum.
With the support of solidarity, we can achieve the release of political prisoners.
With the momentum of our unity, we will gain new allies around the world. With the support of our wisdom, we will make fewer mistakes.
With the momentum of our love for life, we will find more reasons to smile and continue supporting each other.
And most importantly, with the support of our people’s strength, step by step, we will advance towards a free and independent Belarus.”
