On May 21, as part of the Stockholm Conference on Belarus, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya participated in the event “My Future, an Empty Seat” dedicated to contemporary Belarusian culture and featuring special guests, including writer Eva Vezhnavets, poet Valzhyna Mort, and musician Sveta Ben. The event was also attended by the Swedish Minister of Culture, Parisa Liljestrand, translator Mikael Nydahl, and actors Gunnel Fred and Hannes Meidal.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gave speech:
«Dear Minister Parisa Liljestrand,
Dear friends,
Dear artists and defenders of freedom,
It is a great pleasure to be with you tonight. I want to thank the organizers of the Stockholm Conference on Belarus, and especially Minister Billstrom and Ambassador Johanneson for bringing us together.
I want to confess – before 2020 I didn’t know how strong the power of culture and language is. I didn’t know how important it is to have a strong national identity. I didn’t know that culture is not just a tool of expression. But it is the heartbeat of our nation.
But one important thing I learned at the beginning of my accidental political career is that Sweden has always supported our culture and identity.
So strong that even one of the Swedish Ambassador to Minsk Stefan Erikson has learned the Belarusian language perfectly and practically became a rock star in Belarus.It was a remarkable moment when during the Minsk Film Festival, Lukashenka’s minister of culture gave the speech in Russian, and then, the Swedish Ambassador spoke – in perfect Belarusian! Stefan, bravo to you!
Sweden has been always present in Belarus in the cultural sphere. Many Swedish books were translated into the Belarusian language. Belarusian children know Мама Mу, Pettson and Findus. It not only promotes Swedish culture, but also popularizes the Belarusian language among the youngest.
For more than 10 years, the Swedish Embassy together with the Swedish Institute has been organizing Days of Swedish Culture in Belarus. It was an amazing festival of culture from Jazz to Folk-rock, from literature to cinema. I’m sure we will get this great initiative back to free and democratic Belarus again.
Meanwhile, I’m grateful to Sweden for the support of Belarusian cultural initiatives in exile.
As the Belarus regime tries to destroy our identity and suppress our language and culture, we must keep it alive. Our culture is a testament to our resilience. I’m so glad to see here today the brightest minds of Belarus – writers Taciana Niadbai, Valzhyna Mort and Sviatlana Kurs, and the drivers of Belarusian culture Alina Koushyk, Siarhei Budkin and Lizaveta Dubinka.
Thank you for reminding us that art and language can light the way even in the darkest times.
Дзякуй вам, мае дарагія!
I’m confident that today’s performance will speak for itself better than any words.
Tonight, as actors will read texts by the brave Maksim Znak, we honor not only his words but the spirit behind them. Maksim, like so many others, is a prisoner because he dared to speak the truth.
Tonight, as we listen to Sveta Ben’s musical performances, let us remember that music has the power to unite and inspire.
Dear friends,
Let us keep writing, singing, painting, and creating. Each act of creativity is a blow against oppression, a step towards freedom.
Thank you. Long live Belarus!»
