{"id":492542,"date":"2024-04-17T06:19:22","date_gmt":"2024-04-17T03:19:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reform.news\/?p=492542"},"modified":"2025-10-22T12:33:24","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T09:33:24","slug":"belarusian-pen-belarusian-culture-has-no-state-of-its-own","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/belaruski-pjen-belaruskaja-kultura-ne-mae-svajoj-dzjarzhavy","title":{"rendered":"Belarusian PEN: &#8220;Belarusian culture has no state of its own&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">36 people of letters are currently behind bars in Belarus, the Belarusian language can become a reason for detention. The works of Belarusian writers disappear from school programs and vanish from bookstores. Reform.news met with the president of the Belarusian PEN, <strong>Tatsiana Niadbai<\/strong>, to find out how the organization has adapted to the new reality, why emigration makes Belarusian literature more open, and what motivates its members personally to continue their activities.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"info\"><p>The<b> Belarusian PEN <\/b>is an association of &#8216;People of the Wor&#8217; aimed at building a space for the development of culture, dialogue, and the realization of the potential of creators, as well as defending the civil and cultural rights and freedoms of People of the Word. The organization was founded in 1989 and was accepted into the International PEN a year later.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2><b>&#8220;As an organization managed to survive in the new situation&#8221;<\/b><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_410537\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-410537\" style=\"width: 1500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-410537 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-027.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1500\" height=\"999\" srcset=\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-027.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-027-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-027-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-027-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-027-601x400.jpg 601w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-027.jpg\",\"width\":\"1500\",\"height\":\"999\"}<\/script><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-410537\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u0424\u043e\u0442\u0430: \u0410\u043b\u0456\u0441\u0430 \u0413\u0430\u043d\u0447\u0430\u0440 \/ Photo by Alisa Hanchar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After being shut down in 2021, the Belarusian PEN was forced to leave the country. The president of the organization, Tatsiana Niadbai, began rebuilding its activities. The Belarusian PEN was re-registered in Poland in the summer of 2022. Tatsiana recounts that it was a challenging time:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Although we never stopped our work for a single day, I only recently realized that we survived against all odds. Our team changed significantly\u2014many new people joined, some left. But only now, in the spring of 2024, we can state that we endured: as an organization, we managed to survive in the new situation and think about development rather than mere survival.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The organization faced many challenges \u2014 dissolution, relocation, registration under new conditions. However, according to Tatsiana, any crisis forces a reassessment of one&#8217;s activities and provides room for growth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 I am very pleased that we preserved our essence. After the dissolution, PEN declared the &#8216;Manifesto of Uncertain Times&#8217;, stating that &#8216;everything we do, we do with thoughts of Belarus and for Belarus&#8217;, and our main criterion of belonging to the Belarusian cultural community is not territorial, but value-based. This is especially important considering that many cultural figures have left, and we must keep them in focus.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tatsiana admits that the organization often lacks resources and manpower.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 PEN doesn&#8217;t feel stable and operates on short-term planning of three to five months. These are not the best working conditions. Mistakes happen, but they almost always provide valuable experience from which we learn, grow stronger, and try not to repeat. At the same time, we have fantastic support from partners \u2014 without them, we wouldn&#8217;t cope.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_410538\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-410538\" style=\"width: 1500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-410538 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-015.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-015.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-015-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-015-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-015-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-015-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-015.jpg\",\"width\":\"1500\",\"height\":\"1000\"}<\/script><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-410538\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u0424\u043e\u0442\u0430: \u0410\u043b\u0456\u0441\u0430 \u0413\u0430\u043d\u0447\u0430\u0440 \/ Photo by Alisa Hanchar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite the challenges, PEN continues to work in two main directions: creative and advocacy. They often intertwine, explains Tatsiana. In the creative direction, PEN, in partnership with other organizations, awards literary prizes and implements projects that contribute to the professional development of creators.<\/span><i><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Belarusian literature exists under repression, so all projects aimed at supporting its development are also about defending cultural rights. Additionally, we monitor human rights violations in the cultural sphere. Every three months, we publish analytical reports with statistics and trends on violations, and every two weeks, we provide operational reviews.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In terms of advocacy, PEN documents violations related to all cultural representatives, not just writers.<\/span><i><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 In 2019, when we started monitoring and considered focusing on literature, we realized that monitoring isn&#8217;t done in other segments of culture. Therefore, we decided to &#8216;take under our wing&#8217; the entire cultural field. However, when we talk about the creative direction, our main target group remains writers, but in the broad sense of the word: translators, literary critics, journalists, editors, publishers, researchers, and anyone who creates and defends the word.<\/span><\/i><i><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Belarusian PEN calls them &#8216;People of the Word&#8217;, says the organization&#8217;s president, Tatsiana Niadbai.<\/span><i><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Belarusian culture is under pressure. There is no freedom of expression, speaking out against violence is prohibited, and Belarusian books are banned.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently, 36 People of the Word are behind bars, but not all of them are writers, explains Tatsiana. For example, <strong>Maxim Znak<\/strong> worked as a lawyer but literary creativity is a significant part of his identity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 He expressed himself in original songs, wrote poetry, and in prison, he switched to prose. In the first year of his sentence, it was still possible to pass manuscripts to the outside, and that&#8217;s when Maxim&#8217;s book &#8216;Zekameron&#8217; was published, which is now available in Belarusian, Russian, English, Swedish, and German.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The book &#8220;Zekameron&#8221; was shortlisted for the British Republic of Consciousness Prize and previously received the English PEN Award.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Or <strong>Andrey Aliaksandrau<\/strong>, who worked as a media manager, but writing was also a significant part of his life. Human rights defender and Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski came to human rights advocacy from the literary environment but continued to care about the Belarusian word and literature parallel to his activities at the Human Rights Center &#8216;Viasna&#8217;. &#8216;People of the Word&#8217; contribute to the development and defense of the word.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_410539\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-410539\" style=\"width: 1500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-410539 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-013.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-013.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-013-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-013-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-013-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-013-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-013.jpg\",\"width\":\"1500\",\"height\":\"1000\"}<\/script><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-410539\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u0424\u043e\u0442\u0430: \u0410\u043b\u0456\u0441\u0430 \u0413\u0430\u043d\u0447\u0430\u0440 \/ \/ Photo by Alisa Hanchar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><b>&#8220;The Belarusian language has become our home that we carry with us&#8221;<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently, around 80 members are part of PEN. Tatsiana says that during the re-registration under these conditions, everyone is asked whether they are willing to continue their membership in the organization and in what format \u2014 public or not \u2014 this concern is about the safety of the members.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 We understand that this can be dangerous. Sometime before 2020, we decided to publicize PEN members. We thought people should know who is a member. But after 2020, we created a format of public and non-public membership, meaning we don&#8217;t mention a person&#8217;s name without their permission.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Belarusian branch of PEN was established in 1989 and is grounded on the values of the international organization. The PEN Charter applies to everyone, and it must be adhered to, says Tatsiana.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_410540\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-410540\" style=\"width: 1500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-410540 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-036.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-036.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-036-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-036-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-036-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-036-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-036.jpg\",\"width\":\"1500\",\"height\":\"1000\"}<\/script><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-410540\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u0424\u043e\u0442\u0430: \u0410\u043b\u0456\u0441\u0430 \u0413\u0430\u043d\u0447\u0430\u0440 \/ Photo by Alisa Hanchar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Today, there are more than 140 PEN centers worldwide, both in countries with developed democracies and in countries with dictatorships and totalitarian regimes (in this case, these PEN centers often operate in exile). Just imagine: Eritrea, North Korea, China, Flanders, Wales, PEN countries of Basques, and others. Each PEN has its problems, its agenda, but in its activities, everyone relies on the common value framework. For the Belarusian PEN, the human rights component is also important because we are part of the Belarusian Human Rights House.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Often people expect something from the organization, thinking that membership in PEN doesn&#8217;t give anything, admits Tatsiana. She considers this a Soviet approach when members of the Writers&#8217; Union of the Soviet Union were given extra meters in apartments or flights or other benefits. For her, membership in the organization is a way to join the community to contribute to solving social problems.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 PEN is a tool, so in my opinion, members should think about what they give to the organization with their authority. Writers talk about the problem of lack of freedom of speech, and they work to solve it. We \u2014 people of the word \u2014 come together to address this problem because together we not only &#8216;hit harder&#8217; but also create, defend, solve problems. Understanding that PEN&#8217;s successes and achievements are also the achievements of a member.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For Tatsiana, being a member of the association means contributing to its activities, supporting it with one&#8217;s name and authority, being a kind of ambassador.<\/span><i><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 It should be a win-win situation, where a person strengthens the organization with their authority, and vice versa. At the same time, there are times when paths diverge when a person realizes that they no longer align with the organization, that they are no longer close to its goals or tasks or the methods it sets for itself. It&#8217;s also normal.<\/span><\/i><i><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In their analytical papers, the Belarusian PEN addresses the issue of Russification of Belarus. Sometimes there is so much material for one report, says Tatsiana, that some problems that require deeper examination or separate attention are separated into a separate document.<\/span><i><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Such a topic, for example, is &#8216;Russification of Belarus&#8217;. I wouldn&#8217;t say that the Russian language itself is dangerous. The problem is that the Belarusian language does not have normal opportunities for existence and development, not to mention any preferences, which would be logical after a long period of oppression. The Belarusian language is a sign of disloyalty. And for us, Belarusian writers, the Belarusian language has become our home that we carry with us.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_410541\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-410541\" style=\"width: 1500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-410541 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-019.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-019.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-019-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-019-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-019-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-019-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-019.jpg\",\"width\":\"1500\",\"height\":\"1000\"}<\/script><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-410541\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u0424\u043e\u0442\u0430: \u0410\u043b\u0456\u0441\u0430 \u0413\u0430\u043d\u0447\u0430\u0440 \/ Photo by Alisa Hanchar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Books in Belarusian attract more attention from the authorities. Belarusian-speaking protesters in 2020 were marked with additional labels to make them stand out more. Today, publicly speaking Belarusian can be a reason for detention, continues Tatsiana.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 In my opinion, Belarusian culture does not have its own state. There is a deliberate promotion of the ideology of the &#8216;Russian world,&#8217; which occupies public space. Colonial concepts, a whole complex of valuable ideas, are used to cleanse the Belarusian space and replace it with the ideology of the &#8216;Russian world.&#8217; This is very dangerous.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tatsiana says she wants the Belarusian language to become simply a means of communication, to be normal, and for conscious society not to perceive it as a banner.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Once I translated <strong>Eve Thompson<\/strong>&#8216;s book &#8216;Russian Literature and Colonialism&#8217;. The author used a post-colonial perspective in relation to Russian literature. Thompson shows how Russian literature creates, strengthens, and then propagates the myth that Moscow civilized all adjacent territories. They use derogatory terms like &#8216;churki\u2019(caucasians) , \u2018khokhly\u2019(ukrainians), \u2018bulbashy'(belarusians) in relation to the less, in their opinion, civilized nations. However, culture in Moscow came from the West. They try to forget this and make it the other way around\u2014that Belarus and Ukraine need external management to show them how to live. The same attitude applies to the Caucasus and Central Asia, although their culture is much older than Russian.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Tatsiana Nyadbai&#8217;s opinion, Russian literature cannot be &#8220;cancelled&#8221; \u2014 on the contrary, it needs to be read very carefully to understand and see imperial narratives and reject them. Tatsiana believes that if we close our eyes and stop seeing them, they will not disappear.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_410543\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-410543\" style=\"width: 1500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-410543 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-002.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-002.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-002-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-002-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-002-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-002-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-002.jpg\",\"width\":\"1500\",\"height\":\"1000\"}<\/script><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-410543\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u0424\u043e\u0442\u0430: \u0410\u043b\u0456\u0441\u0430 \u0413\u0430\u043d\u0447\u0430\u0440 \/ Photo by Alisa Hanchar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><b>&#8220;The authorities seek to make writers invisible, forgotten, and erased&#8221;<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Belarusian PEN, along with other civic associations, implements literary awards. In total, there are about 10 such awards, each dedicated to a certain literary genre or type of literary activity\u2014prose, poetry, translation, children&#8217;s literature, etc. However, the two oldest literary awards appeared in 1995 and 1996 when PEN established the awards named after Franci\u0161ak Bahu\u0161evi\u010d and Ales Adamovich \u2014 for historical prose and journalism respectively. Tatsiana talked about plans to organize a new award.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Together with <strong>Svetlana Alexievich<\/strong>, we plan to announce an award for the best testimonies, for voices that capture the present time. Writers need to have the strength to document our complex reality. These can be politically motivated pieces with their diaries, themes related to protests or experiences of emigration and participation in war. As one would say, subscribe and wait for the news.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PEN plans to revive master classes for young writers, which were actively held in the 2000s-2010s. Tatsiana herself participated in such meetings, which integrated her into the literary community. Earlier, there was a translation workshop where young and experienced translators brought their works for discussion and feedback. Now the Belarusian PEN intends to revive these projects and is looking for funding for this purpose.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_410545\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-410545\" style=\"width: 1500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-410545 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-017.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1500\" height=\"999\" srcset=\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-017.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-017-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-017-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-017-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-017-601x400.jpg 601w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-017.jpg\",\"width\":\"1500\",\"height\":\"999\"}<\/script><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-410545\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u0424\u043e\u0442\u0430: \u0410\u043b\u0456\u0441\u0430 \u0413\u0430\u043d\u0447\u0430\u0440 \/ Photo by Alisa Hanchar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 We are working on the possibility of residencies and support for cultural figures so that writers can develop their creative potential. Mostly we will try to support those who have stayed in Belarus, this is a priority for us, but we do not forget about those who left, because we are one community, and today supporting our unity is another challenge. Unfortunately, I cannot go into detail about the activities inside the country for security reasons. PEN has not given up the opportunity to work in Belarus.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Tatsiana&#8217;s opinion, writers can remain even in an isolated totalitarian regime, in conditions similar to North Korea:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Even in the darkest years of 1937-1939 in Belarus, writers remained. Today there is no opportunity for public activity: there are &#8216;blacklists,&#8217; bans on quoting. By the way, this was the case even before 2020. For example, after 2010, songs based on the verses of <strong>Uladzimir Niakliaeu<\/strong> were broadcast on state channels, but without indicating his authorship. The authorities seek to make writers invisible, forgotten, unknown, and erased.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then we have a situation where we know <strong>Dostoevsky<\/strong> and <strong>Pushkin<\/strong>, but we do not know Belarusian writers. But this is not about weight and talent; it&#8217;s about awareness and access of writers to readers, and readers to works: through bookstores, libraries, school programs, meetings with writers, broadcasts of public media, and various other formats. That&#8217;s why we don&#8217;t know what our writers have because there is almost no opportunity for our writers to meet with readers.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_410546\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-410546\" style=\"width: 1500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-410546 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-011.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-011.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-011-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-011-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-011-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-011-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-011.jpg\",\"width\":\"1500\",\"height\":\"1000\"}<\/script><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-410546\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u0424\u043e\u0442\u0430: \u0410\u043b\u0456\u0441\u0430 \u0413\u0430\u043d\u0447\u0430\u0440 \/ Photo by Alisa Hanchar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><b><i>&#8220;<\/i>If we don&#8217;t reflect on today&#8217;s events, this pain will come back to us&#8221;<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the other hand, says Tatsiana, it&#8217;s possible to remain a Belarusian writer even outside the country. This is demonstrated by examples such as <b>Alhierd Bakharevich<\/b>, <strong>Svetlana Alexievich<\/strong>, <strong>Andrey Khadanovich<\/strong>, and many others.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Even if writers don&#8217;t write in Belarusian, they remain Belarusian writers. <strong>Yulia Tsimafeeva<\/strong> initially wrote her diary in English, only recently it was published in Belarusian translation. In my opinion, the same goes for Sasha Filipenka, who spent a significant part of his life abroad, and now his books translated into Belarusian are very successful (recently &#8216;Former Son&#8217; was published by the &#8216;Gutenberg&#8217; publishing house). <strong>Tatsiana Zamirovskaya<\/strong> writes in Russian, but for me, she is a Belarusian writer. <strong>Uladzimir Arlou<\/strong> remains a Belarusian writer regardless of his whereabouts. Our time helps to stay connected to Belarus, even if not physically.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The pain of not being able to be home allows for writing new Belarusian works, thinks Tatsiana.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_410547\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-410547\" style=\"width: 1500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-410547 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-014.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-014.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-014-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-014-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-014-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-014-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-014.jpg\",\"width\":\"1500\",\"height\":\"1000\"}<\/script><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-410547\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u0424\u043e\u0442\u0430: \u0410\u043b\u0456\u0441\u0430 \u0413\u0430\u043d\u0447\u0430\u0440 \/ Photo by Alisa Hanchar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Many perceived Svetlana Alexievich as a Russian writer because she is Russian-speaking. However many Russian writers reacted very negatively to Svetlana&#8217;s Nobel Prize; they wanted it to be <strong>Pelevin<\/strong>, <strong>Sorokin<\/strong>, and others. Many Belarusians, on the other hand, were very happy, even if they were skeptical before. Svetlana herself is very deeply involved in Belarus and the Belarusian cause: she is always interested in PEN matters and the affairs of specific people, helping many without publicizing it. She misses her home in Belarus. Her texts are undoubtedly broader, I would say, they are about the twists and turns of history and the human being at these turning points, but this only adds dimension to our literature.<\/span><\/i><i><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the PEN president, Belarusian literature is quite hermetic, it doesn&#8217;t open up to the world much. Moreover, there are not many translators from Belarusian.<\/span><i><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Many works interesting to the Belarusian audience are not interesting to foreigners. Our literature is very self-focused. In 2020, the world noticed Belarus again, and foreigners were ready to read our works. Tsimafeeva and Baharevich said that a considerable part of their time was spent giving endless interviews to foreign media &#8211; and it&#8217;s good that there was demand for information about Belarus.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_410548\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-410548\" style=\"width: 1500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-410548 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-032.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-032.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-032-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-032-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-032-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-032-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-032.jpg\",\"width\":\"1500\",\"height\":\"1000\"}<\/script><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-410548\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u0424\u043e\u0442\u0430: \u0410\u043b\u0456\u0441\u0430 \u0413\u0430\u043d\u0447\u0430\u0440 \/ Photo by Alisa Hanchar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tatsiana thinks that the dispersion of writers around the world will make Belarusian literature more open.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Our experience of emigration will add new locations to our works, the atmosphere of Vilnius, Warsaw, Berlin, and other cities. This can make books interesting for the residents of these cities or for other migrants who may compare their immigration experiences with those described by Belarusian authors. In any case, writers will have to &#8216;live through&#8217; 2020 and its consequences in their books, and through these books \u2013 readers and society. To live through what our neighbors, acquaintances of acquaintances, or even family members who were beaten and arrested in 2020, are now engaged in criminal operations, tortured with detainees and their relatives, children, and elderly parents. These are also Belarusians, we live with them in the same country. If we don&#8217;t reflect on today&#8217;s events, this pain will come back to us.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When asked about her driving force to persist in her endeavors, Tatsiana responds:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 It&#8217;s impossible to stop now. Sometimes in the evening, you feel like giving up. But in the morning, you wake up and realize that you need to work for yourself and for those behind bars. I understand that our struggle is long, but I believe that I am doing the right things and there will be a positive outcome.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_410542\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-410542\" style=\"width: 1500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-410542 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-029.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-029.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-029-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-029-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-029-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-029-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240404-niadbai-ag-029.jpg\",\"width\":\"1500\",\"height\":\"1000\"}<\/script><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-410542\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u0424\u043e\u0442\u0430: \u0410\u043b\u0456\u0441\u0430 \u0413\u0430\u043d\u0447\u0430\u0440 \/ Photo by Alisa Hanchar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Text: Herman Zabaronak. Photo: Alisa Hanchar<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"check\"><p>The special project &#8220;Survivors&#8221; documents the state of Belarusian civil society organizations (CSOs) in the year 2024.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>36 people of letters are currently behind bars in Belarus, the Belarusian language can become a reason for detention. The works of Belarusian writers disappear from school programs and vanish from bookstores. Reform.news met with the president of the Belarusian PEN, Tatsiana Niadbai, to find out how the organization has adapted to the new reality, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":492541,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142347,142339,142338,142327],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-492542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-articles","category-main","category-news","category-survivors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/492542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=492542"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/492542\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/492541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=492542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=492542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=492542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}