Адзенне брэнда LSTR. Фота: lstr_adziennie / Instagram
In recent weeks, it has emerged that the Nash Grunwald historical reenactment festival has been cancelled, Kupalle celebrations have been banned in the Belarusian village of Liatokhi near Vitsyebsk, and the iconic ethnic goods stores Honar, LSTR Adziennie and Ragna have closed. Belarusian cultural figures believe these developments are not coincidental but reflect a consistent state policy aimed at destroying everything connected with national culture and identity.
“The closure of Belarusian brands and cancellation of cultural events are not isolated incidents but a manifestation of a long-term policy of cultural colonisation, Belarusian Council for Culture head Siarhei Budkin believes. The space for Belarusian culture is being deliberately narrowed, while national initiatives are gradually being displaced by Russian or ideologically controlled content…. Cultural events are needed under any government. Naturally, Russian culture is not the kind of foundation that guarantees officials a comfortable position. There is a struggle within the ruling circles, but the Russian lobby is winning. Yet despite the pressure, demand for Belarusian culture is not disappearing. On the contrary, society continues to seek ways to preserve its national identity even under the most difficult conditions”.
Irena Katsialovich, responsible for culture at the National Revival Mission of the United Transitional Cabinet, is convinced that the closure of Belarusian brands is driven less by economic pressure than by the systematic destruction of visible signs of Belarusian identity. “Belarus is surrendering further ground to creeping Russification: the closure of the LSTR, Ragna and Honar brands leaves Belarusians with fewer opportunities to show that they identify as Belarusians rather than as part of the Russian-speaking world, Irena Katsialovich noted. Amid such aggressive and systematic Russification by Russia, it is very dangerous, among other things, to suppress signs of self-identification at the grassroots level. Unfortunately, this has become commonplace in Belarus, and I can only hope that the bans will provoke even greater attachment to national motifs and their integration into everyday life”.
National Revival Representative Pavel Barkouski explained on Belsat television that “Belarus is being prepared for some kind of Anschluss, and all the authorities’ actions today are striking at the foundations of national tradition and culture… No one will explain the reason, but we live in a country where everyone understands everything”.
Viasna Human Rights Centre chairman and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski described the latest developments as “another step towards the Russification of Belarus, carried out by the Belarusian authorities themselves. Of course, this is a programme to destroy everything Belarusian that has continued for more than 200 years. In this way, the regime demonstrates its lack of independence and complete dependence on imperial narratives, both in applied arts and in everything related to the visual representation of Belarusian culture”.