Belarus Society
Ourselves – Alone
‘Why are Belarusians allowing Russian rockets to be fired at Ukraine from their territory?’ asked a British friend. ‘If Belarusians don’t want Russians on their
Menu
Belarus is a European country with a European heritage. Writers, musicians, philosophers and religious thinkers from this region had been part of European mainstream culture since the middle ages.
‘Why are Belarusians allowing Russian rockets to be fired at Ukraine from their territory?’ asked a British friend. ‘If Belarusians don’t want Russians on their
Putin’s drive to realise ambitions of Russia’s global power is now risking the destruction of Russia’s infrastructure. It is the inevitable consequence of his inability
In August 1980, in the Lenin Shipyards in Gdansk, Poland, 17,000 striking workers shook the authority of the Polish Communist party. The strikers convinced the
Belarusian is one of the two official languages of Belarus, but it is classed as an endangered language. That’s because the other language is Russian
When Lukashenko’s came to power in 1994, he announced a referendum which took place a year later. In it, amongst other things, there was the
One of the most significant milestones in the forging of Belarus’ national identity, the Slutsk Uprising, began on 27th November 1920 when the Belarusian insurgents
Having marked essays in a number of countries and written by people from many nationalities, it is interesting to note the relationship between essay construction,
I pass the fence every day and things keep changing. In the morning, the fence is covered with white-red-white ribbons. The next day the ribbons
As the Protests in Belarus disappear from the world’s media and the conflict itself sets in to an oft violent stalemate, both sides are squaring
It’s a tough one for President Putin. On the one hand there’s a certain schadenfreude in seeing a person he intensively dislikes being in such
Ihar has a passion for Belarusian history. He has written 28 books and numerous articles. He has been interviewed by Belarusian and foreign media, though
Have you heard of the Battle of Britain – 80 years this month? Have you heard of the Battle of Britain which started 80 years
The Emperor’s New Clothes A Fairy Story The Emperor ordered yet more new clothes from his courtiers and this was announced in the press. The
The video Olga speaks about her life in her home country of Belarus on the pre war borderlands of Poland and the Soviet
Nearly Gone, but not Forgotten One of my early realisations in coming to Belarus was that, given how significant the Jewish imprint on the region
The Protests – What’s Different? In recent weeks, elements of society have been expressing their discontent which has been sparked by the government’s response to
Virus? What Virus? While the rest of Europe has been in various stages of lockdown, Belarus is behaving differently. The old normal Observing the streets
The Fear of Failure Some years ago I was sitting with some American friends of Eastern European origin, looking back to our childhood. Somebody
Of Bikes and Men There has been a curious invasion in Minsk. I would like to say ‘of bicycles’, but it’s rather ‘of bicycle lanes’.
The Minsk Metro The Minsk Metro has its own etiquette in a mini version of Belarusian society. First of all, you can never quite shake
Europe’s Last Stereotype? Clichés about Belarus form a large part – perhaps the only part – of foreigners’ views of the country. It’s not surprising