{"id":4912,"date":"2021-01-12T13:37:12","date_gmt":"2021-01-12T13:37:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/?p=4912"},"modified":"2021-08-04T12:05:18","modified_gmt":"2021-08-04T12:05:18","slug":"a-hto-tam-idze-novy-god-represii-usyo-tyya-zh-vypusk-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/2021\/01\/12\/a-hto-tam-idze-novy-god-represii-usyo-tyya-zh-vypusk-14.html","title":{"rendered":"Who Goes There? New Year, Same Repressions. Issue 14 of Weekly Digest about Belarusian Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Stand with Belarusian Arts and Culture community. Donate to\u00a0\u00a0Donate (paypal.com)<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Save Our Songs campaign<\/a>.<\/strong><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

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Arrests and Convictions<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Aleh Ma\u0142a\u0161\u010danka<\/b>, a military retiree from Baranavi\u010dy, whose family initiated a number of projects developing Belarusian culture and language, including a Belarusian-language class,\u00a0 in their native town, was detained and deported to Russia on December 30 ( he had a Russian passport). The court suspended the decision, but only after Aleh had been deported.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kry\u015bcina Pa\u0142taviec<\/b>, an artist and art teacher from Skidziel, was detained for painting murals<\/a> about the events of recent months. A criminal case has been filed against her.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pressure, Dismissal, Ban<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

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Michai\u0142 Rybako\u016d<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Michai\u0142 Rybako\u016d<\/b>, director of the Museum of Belarusian Literature History in Minsk, has been fired. <\/span><\/p>\n

After the events of August 9-11, most of the museum staff took a photo with the caption \u201cWe are against violence\u201d, it was posted on the museum\u2019s social media. <\/span><\/p>\n

Michai\u0142<\/span> himself also openly expressed his position. <\/span><\/p>\n\n

Ksienija Kniazieva<\/b>, an associate professor at the Department of History and Theory of Arts at the Belarusian Academy of Arts, a well-known theater critic, had her contract not extended for political reasons.<\/span><\/p>\n

S\u0142ava Kamisaranka<\/b>, a stand-up comedian from Belarus living in Moscow, had his shows in Minsk canceled. The artist has repeatedly spoken out about the election fraud and condemned the violence by the security forces.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Belarusian customs did not allow <\/span><\/a>Viktar Marcinovi\u010d<\/b>‘s novel titled “Revolution” through the western border;<\/span> the volume “Belarusian National Idea” written by Zmicier \u0141uka\u0161uk and Maksim Haruno\u016d\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>have also been detained at the border. The same thing happens with the parcels of the symbal.by<\/strong> store. <\/span><\/p>\n

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The pressure on cultural venues has been ongoing for more than a month, many have been closed down. Among them are the art pub <\/span>Torvald<\/b> in Viciebsk<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and cultural hub <\/span>OK16<\/b> in Minsk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

OK16 was sponsored by Belgazprombank and Maryja Kalesnikava was its director before the start of the election campaign 2020. The hub gave home to a lot of contemporary art projects, and its closing is part of the attack on independent Belarusian culture.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Due to the closure of OK16 space, which has long given life to many important projects, the performances of the independent <\/span>theater TOK<\/b> have been canceled.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Alaksiej Baciuko\u016d<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Alaksiej Baciuko\u016d<\/b>, director of the Mahilo\u016d History Museum, has his contract not extended<\/a>. <\/span>Earlier, he and six museum workers signed an open letter condemning the brutality of law enforcement officers. Among their requirements was Luka\u0161enka’s resignation.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

The independent <\/span>Contemporary Art Theater<\/b> (SHT) had to suspend its activities because they have been deprived of the opportunity to perform in Belarus.<\/span><\/p>\n

Repressions for the Symbols<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Repressions for white-red-white flags and other symbols continue. For the past two weeks, such cases have been reported throughout Belarus: in Re<\/span>\u010dyca, Minsk, Viciebsk, Homel, Navapolack.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cultural Resistance<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

See the link<\/a> for new <\/span>music of Belarusian protest<\/b> for the first week of the new year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

An online broadcast of a <\/span>Batlejka<\/b> play (Batlejka was one of the first folk forms of puppet theatre, very popular around Christmas) took place on January 9.\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The Christmas online concert of the legendary <\/span>Volny Chor<\/b> (Free Choir), whose songs have been heard in different parts of the country in recent months, took place on January 10. The choir performed with the orchestra for the first time.<\/span><\/p>\n