“This Is an Additional Argument About the Role and Strength of Belarusian Culture”: Siarhei Budkin Comments on Culture Council Being Declared an “Extremist Formation”

Yesterday, the ArtPower Belarus programme, the Belarusian Magistrates project and the Vasminoh Belarusian-language education support programme were designated as “extremist formations”.

This comes despite the fact that the Culture Council, which implements the ArtPower Belarus programme supporting independent Belarusian cultural initiatives, had already been declared an “extremist formation” in 2022.

“This decision will not affect our plans in any way. On the contrary, it is an additional argument about the role and strength of Belarusian culture. Fighting our language, culture and history is the same as trying to stop the arrival of spring. Spring will inevitably come to Belarus!”, noted the head of the Belarusian Culture Council Siarhei Budkin.

The Culture Council called on Belarusians to take care of their safety, especially those inside the country. At the same time, it encouraged those who are in safe conditions to make use of their “extremist materials”, which it says contain much useful content.

The Belarusian Culture Council is a community of experts, managers and creators working to rebuild the ecosystem of Belarusian culture under new conditions — amid repression, the emigration of cultural figures and the search for identity in new countries — and seeks to preserve the unity of the Belarusian cultural space for both those who have left and those who remain in the country.

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