In New York, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya presented Belarusian singer and journalist Danchyk (Bohdan Andrusyshyn) with the Francysk Skaryna Medal for his longstanding contribution to Belarusian culture, language, and freedom of speech.
The ceremony took place at the Delegation of the European Union to the UN in New York on the margins of the UN General Assembly.
Danchyk is one of the best-known figures in Belarusian culture in exile. He was born and raised in New York in a Belarusian–Ukrainian family. He began his musical career in 1974, releasing the album “Belarusachka” in 1977, the first Belarusian music record in the United States. He later released the albums “My Adnoj Tabe Naliezhym”, “Ya Ad Vas Daljoka”, and “Kaliadnyja Piesni”.
Danchyk traveled to Belarus and Vilnius to perform concerts in 1989 and performed in Belarus again in 1996. In 1997, he ended his music career and moved into journalism. For many years, he worked for the Belarusian Service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, including as Deputy Director.
“Through his music, Danchyk inspired thousands of people to discover Belarus. For many, it was through his songs that the Belarusian language became closer to them and Belarusian culture became their own”, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya noted.
In 2019, Danchyk was also awarded the Belarusian Democratic Republic 100th Jubilee Medal.
