Belarusian artists are announcing a cultural protest: is it time to stop making fun of us?

Representatives of the Belarusian cultural world, including those who have not spoken before about politics, have begun to share on social media the manifesto #cult protest (# культпратэст) against the arrests of protesters and candidates, and the censorship imposed on artists. They claim that COVID-19, contrary to Lukashenko’s speech, is not a “psychosis”, and refuses to participate in any state event.

Photo by TASS / Protester in Belarus.

“After the #cult protest in the play, we will do what we do best: create art. And we will not be judged by the advice of artists, but by the awakened people of Belarus. Our #cult protest will sing, film, pre-paint and hold events for free citizens, not for the tired government, ”said the manifesto.

Belarusian actors and musicians shared a video address asking, “Is it time to stop making fun of us?”

One of the initiators of the cultural protest is the theater actress Polina Dobrovolska. 15 minutes He claimed that the artists had spontaneously joined: in just one day, approximately a thousand people had joined the protest group on the Telegram channel.

“(Belarus) there are no places for cultural events, scholarships, support or freedom of expression. Without a change in the political situation in this country, creativity cannot exist. Therefore, I cannot understand how a creative person can remain silent “Said the actress.

According to P. Dobrovolska, artists are censored in the country.

“It cannot show certain characters, it cannot say certain things, it cannot react negatively to the current government. It is prohibited in all state institutions, in independent places it can have economic and political consequences for both authors and owners. However, It is important to understand that this is not formally and legally documented. All “knowledge” about censorship is transmitted orally, “he said.

As the regime dealt with potential presidential candidates and protesters, new protest songs began to emerge.

The band “Naka” with the groups “DZIECIUCKI”, “RSP”, “Petlia pristracija” and “Rostany” released the song “Jums” according to the poem of the same name by Vladimir Nekliayev.

Denis Tarasenka of the RSP spoke of the brutality of the officials: “Ultimately, human misconduct cannot be justified by service, circumstances or orders. Only moral choice describes a person. “

In July, the popular group TOR BAND also expressed its political position: a new protest song “Who, if not you?” Appeared before the Belarusians. It does not require more suffering and taking destiny into your own hands. During the first day, 30,000 people saw the clip of the song on the YouTube platform. together.

Members of the post-punk group Nurnberg 15 minutes He said he joined the cultural protest because he was not indifferent to the political situation, and also opposes the arrest of and violence against peaceful protesters, and the start of trials.

“It is our duty, as with all creative professions, to join the cultural protest and fight with our skills and talents,” they said.

Belarusian freelance journalist Francis Vyachorka said that although artists have expressed a political position in the past, many people from different sectors are joining the initiative for the first time.

“Now we see that the artists are organizing. We see that artists who work on state television, give concerts at state events, join the initiative. ” 15 minutes he said.

According to F. Viacorka, culture is a great tool to mobilize people.

“Few people are very politicized, many of them are not involved because they are afraid of politics. But now many people are listening to rock music, songs about the situation in the country and thinking: why am I not involved? I have to do something about.

Celebrities inspire many people, especially young Belarusians. They are beginning to understand the importance of participation, “said the journalist.

The store was closed

Informal polls conducted on independent news portals this summer showed that 2-3 percent would vote for Lukashenko in the presidential election. population.

Analysts say the number is actually higher, around 30%, but popular protest symbols such as “We 97%” and “Psycho 3%” have been born. The latter is an allusion to Lukashenko’s claim that the coronavirus is “psychosis”.

Pavel Belavus, head of the Symbal.by brand, who created the shirt with the inscription “Psicho 3%” 15 minutes He said that as the product gained immense popularity, businesses began to come under pressure.

Photo by Scanpix / Protesters hold a sign with “We 97%” in Minsk

The courier service, which initially transported the goods, was detained by the militia, and on Thursday a fine of 1,360 rubles (498 euros) was imposed on the company for “transport violations”, and P. Belavus himself, as director , was fined 675 rubles (247 euros).

At the same time, inspections of various services, from tax to fire safety, began at the store. Precisely because of “fire safety violations”, the Symbal.by physical store is currently banned. However, P. Belavus assures: after the announcement of its closure, large queues were extended near the store, and all products were sold out.

Symbal.by / Symbal.by Products Photo

According to P. Belavus, the store with the historic Belarusian red and white flag, Pahonia (Vytis), is very popular in the store.

“We are a nation that did not emerge, as propaganda tries to show, in the years of the Soviet Union, and has a long history, whose roots go back to the Duchy of Polotsk, we were part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Republic of the Two Nations. ” We explain to Belarusians that we are a nation with a long history. We have our own symbols, language, culture “, 15 minutes assured the director of Symbal.by.

Eliminated the strongest opponents.

Lukashenko’s strongest potential rivals were eliminated from the presidential elections: popular blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky, former head of the High-Tech Park Valery Cepkala and former head of the Belgazprombank Viktor Babaryka.

ALSO READ: Overview: Babarka’s road to the presidents of Belarus is over

It is true that Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, wife of S. Tikhanyovsky, was allowed to participate in the presidential elections. She registered as a candidate after her husband’s arrest. S.Thananovskaya staff announced that they would join the staff of V. Babaryka and V. Cepkala.

The Belarusian youth leadership was announced on Monday. In it, young people talk about the lack of political rights, the bad economic situation, homophobia and sexism, the construction of the Astrava nuclear power plant.

According to developers, decisions in Belarus are made without consulting young people.

“We are constantly told: when you grow up, you will understand. We grew up and we refused to understand everything that was happening. We want to and we can do better. Listen to us at least once!”