{"id":535696,"date":"2026-04-22T17:15:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T14:15:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reform.news\/?p=535696"},"modified":"2026-04-23T06:21:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T03:21:13","slug":"40-days-of-remembrance-a-guide-to-cultural-events-marking-the-chernobyl-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/40-days-of-remembrance-a-guide-to-cultural-events-marking-the-chernobyl-anniversary","title":{"rendered":"40 Days of Remembrance: A Guide to Cultural Events Marking the Chernobyl Anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This year marks 40 years since the disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the largest man-made catastrophe in history, which affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of Belarusians for decades to come.<\/p>\n

To mark the date, environmental organisations \u201cZialionaya Setka\u201d, \u201cEcodom\u201d and the Alliance \u201cGreen Belarus\u201d have joined forces in a joint initiative \u2014 the campaign \u201cAfter Chernobyl: 40 Days of Reflection on Health, Memory and the Future\u201d, which will span dozens of cities around the world.<\/p>\n

Reform.news\u2019 \u201cCultural Front\u201d has selected cultural initiatives from the extensive programme of events.<\/p>\n

Theatre and Live Word: Monologues Worth Hearing<\/b><\/h2>\n

Vilnius: <\/b>Reading of \u201cChernobyl Prayer\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

One of the most notable events in the programme will be a reading of the work by Belarusian Nobel laureate Sviatlana Alexievich<\/b> at the Mroj-Hall theatre. Taking the stage will be individuals whose own lives have become symbols of resilience: former political prisoners Natallia Dulina<\/b> and Volha Takarchuk<\/b>, activist Volha Pavuk<\/b>, as well as professional actors. Monologues from the book by Sviatlana Alexievich will be performed in Belarusian, creating a connecting thread between the tragedy of the past and the trials of the present.
\n<\/i><\/p>\n

When: April 26, 18:00. Where: Mroj-Hall (Gedimino pr. 28).<\/i><\/p>\n

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Event poster.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tbilisi: A Reflective Performance Based on \u201cChernobyl Prayer\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

Director Nika Chikvaidze<\/b> presents her interpretation of the renowned work by Sviatlana Alexievich<\/b>. The production reflects on how a single moment can turn everyday life into an exclusion zone. The Griboedov Theatre promises audiences a deep immersion into the \u201cChernobyl world\u201d through powerful acting and visual symbolism. The performance becomes an important point on the map of remembrance, connecting Belarusian and Georgian experiences of the catastrophe.<\/p>\n

When: April 26, 20:00. Where: A. S. Griboedov Theatre (Rustaveli Ave., 2).<\/em><\/p>\n

Music: From Archaic to Contemporary Rhythms<\/b><\/h2>\n

Zurich: Concert \u201cSongs of Disappeared Villages\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

Musician and ethnographer Siarzhuk Douhushau<\/b> will bring a unique programme to Switzerland. These are songs collected during expeditions to resettled villages in the Homiel region. Archaic songs that could have disappeared along with contaminated land will gain new life.<\/p>\n

When: April 26, 17:30. Where: Josefstrasse 102.<\/i><\/p>\n

Warsaw: Charity Rave Event<\/b><\/p>\n

The Belarus Outside Sound System collective is organising an event for those who reflect on memory through electronic culture and solidarity. The entire line-up consists of live electronic performances: Belarusian musicians will work exclusively with hardware instruments \u2014 synthesizers and modular systems \u2014 without using computers, creating a soundscape \u201chere and now\u201d.<\/p>\n

The musical programme promises to be both meditative and intense: from drone ambient to experimental techno. Among the participants: I\/DEX, Pocket Rave, kaini, SYNTRIG and mufer.<\/strong><\/p>\n

All proceeds will go to support political prisoners.<\/p>\n

When: April 24, 23:30. Where: Klub Mechanik (ul. Narbutta 87).<\/i><\/p>\n

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Event poster.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Visual Art and Cinema<\/h2>\n

Exhibition by Ksisha Angelava<\/b> \u201cShow Me Your Wound\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

The artist works with the theme of collective trauma. Through 40 artworks, the project explores the existential horror of an \u201cinvisible enemy\u201d \u2014 radiation and the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster.<\/p>\n

\u201cI created the exhibition \u2018Show Me Your Wound\u2019 based on personal and family history, archival materials and my experience of working in contaminated areas. These are first-person narratives of people who remember the explosion, the silence of concealment and the need to evacuate from something \u2018invisible\u2019. Chernobyl is a catastrophe that reshaped our understanding of safety, because there is no hiding from the unknown\u201d<\/em>, the author says.<\/p>\n

Where: Strasbourg<\/strong> (until April 26), Vilnius<\/strong> (opening on May 3 at the Belarusian Community Centre).<\/i><\/p>\n

Screening of the Feature Film \u201cAurora\u201d<\/b><\/h2>\n

This is a poignant story of a 12-year-old girl from Prypiat who dreams of ballet but finds herself at the epicentre of a nuclear catastrophe. The film, which was nominated by Ukraine for the Academy Awards, tells the story of Aurora\u2019s encounter with a world-famous ballet star in a clinic in the United States. It is a story about how even in the face of death, hope and art help people remain human. The film is directed by Oksana Bayrak<\/b>.<\/p>\n

The film will be screened in Vilnius<\/b>, Klaip\u0117da<\/b>, Tallinn<\/b> and Batumi<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Thermonuclear Stand-up<\/b><\/h2>\n

For those ready to talk about difficult topics through the lens of irony, the \u201cThermonuclear Stand-up\u201d<\/b> will take place in Vilnius. This format offers a way to reflect on fears, stereotypes and our \u201cnuclear\u201d reality without excessive pathos, but with deep meaning.<\/p>\n

When: April 27, 20:00. Where: Line Up (Gele\u017einkelio g. 6).<\/i><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The full programme of events can be viewed here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It is also worth noting that organisers have prepared a useful health checklist<\/b>, which will help monitor one\u2019s condition taking into account the long-term effects of radiation.<\/p>\n

It can be downloaded here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Subscribe to Reform.news cultural updates on Telegram<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This year marks 40 years since the disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the largest man-made catastrophe in history, which affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of Belarusians for decades to come. To mark the date, environmental organisations \u201cZialionaya Setka\u201d, \u201cEcodom\u201d and the Alliance \u201cGreen Belarus\u201d have joined forces in a joint initiative […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":535695,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sharing_image":{"poster":"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/69e9902c8c9be.jpg","width":1200,"height":630,"template":"691142dd","mode":"auto"},"_sharing_image_fieldset":{"dTVKfmI95PYT":"40 Days of Remembrance: A Guide to Cultural Events Marking the Chernobyl Anniversary"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[142375,142339,142338],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-535696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-main","category-news"],"wps_subtitle":"","permalink_manager":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535696","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=535696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535696\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/535695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=535696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=535696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=535696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}