MALDZIS Festival to Be Held in Warsaw Featuring Sviatlana Alexievich, Lavon Volski and Sasha Filipenka

The MALDZIS Festival, a forum bringing together leading figures shaping and promoting contemporary Belarusian culture, will take place on July 13, 2026, at the Museum of Modern Art (MSN) in Warsaw. The centerpiece of the event will be a public conversation with Nobel Prize-winning writer Sviatlana Alexievich. Registration for visitors is now open.

The festival program is divided into several thematic sections covering a broad range of topics, from the presentation of historical artifacts to the impact of artificial intelligence on literature and the representation of Belarusian cultural identity in Europe.

Opening and Conversation with a Nobel Laureate

The forum will open with introductory remarks by organizers Ryhor Astapenia and Paval Matsukevich, who will present a newly acquired historical artifact from the MALDZIS project collection.

The main event of the program will be a discussion with Sviatlana Alexievich, moderated by Ryhor Astapenia. The conversation will focus on the writer’s upcoming book, her previous works, and how Belarusian literature has become one of the ways through which the modern world perceives Belarus.

Professional Panels: “How to Create Belarusian Culture”

A separate section of the festival will feature a series of short keynote-style presentations. This part of the program will be moderated by journalist Sasha Ivulin.

The announced speakers and topics include:

• Belarus Free Theatre co-founder Mikalai Khalezin will present “What Cultural Projects Are Needed Today?”;
• The Ethics project will discuss the question “How Should Belarusian Traditions Be Celebrated?”;
• “Who Wrote This Book? Authorship and Responsibility in the Age of AI” will be presented by Gutenberg Publisher head Valiantsina Andreyeva;
• Art historian Dzmitry Salodki will speak about the Belarusian cultural code in the context of neighboring European traditions;
• Artist Sasha Adamau will share practical advice in a talk titled “How Can a Belarusian Artist Create a Sanatorium During Warsaw Gallery Weekend?”

Discussion on Belarus’ Image Abroad

The festival will conclude with a panel discussion titled “What Does Belarusian Culture Tell the World?”, moderated by film critic Iryna Katsialovich. Participants will include writer Sasha Filipenka and musician Lavon Volski. Organizers said the name of one additional panelist will be announced later.

Admission to all festival events is free but requires prior registration.

Due to limited seating at the Museum of Modern Art, organizers warn that not all registration requests will be approved automatically. Participants are advised to check their email for confirmation messages.

MALDZIS is a cultural initiative dedicated to returning lost historical heritage to Belarusians and strengthening the image of Belarus as a European country. The project is named after prominent Belarusian literary scholar, writer and historian Adam Maldzis, who devoted his life to discovering and restoring the country’s lost cultural treasures.

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