New Eastern Europe podcasts. The song morged the words translated by andre Jadanovic is
one of the symbols of protests in Belarus. It is performed by artists such
as NaSTA Ya Krasava, but also ordinary people gathering at rallies or at neighborhood
meetings. The words written by Yatak Kachmarski, inspired by a Catalan song at
a time when no one expected the fall of communism in Poland, first accompanied
the election campaign of the Beila Russian opposition in the summer of two thousand and
twenty, after the voting results were falsified by the regime of Alexandro Kashanka.
They give Bela Russians the strength to kutin resisting Vashko or post. My name
is NaSTA Nyakrasava. I'm a Belarusian who's been living in Poland for many years.
I'm an eta, musicologist, educator and singer. I sang the walls,
translated by andre Hadanovitch for the first time in twenty eleven, together with
the Belarusian bard dmitri Vaisach, we performed it on the vito A Luroslovski stage
in Warsaw it was a period of strong repression in Belarus when many of my
friends and acquaintances were imprisoned and brutally beaten during protests after another unfair election.
I was upset and I was feeling pained fear. I remember a voice behind
me on the stage. Well. In twenty eighteen, I performed this song
at the Yatzak Kacmarski Festival and I felt then that no matter in what language
the song is performed, everyone who knows the price of freedom understands what it's
all about. And this song also talks about the dangers that can happen after
freedoms regained. In twenty twenty, together with Yatzak Life, we recorded the
Walls in studios and as great video was made thanks to the Pie of Films,
the Batori Foundation and SAR. This video shows frames photos from the Belarusian
Revolution in twenty twenty solidarity in Poland. And I want this song to fly
around the world. It's the Belarus, Belarussians. The cheer of hearts,
yes, tech yeah. How common wolves have become in Belarus seems to surprise
sometimes also, and they had a Novich, the author of the translation of
the song Uhia. The Belarussian Wolves is a song that almost anyone can sing.
Le red. I was in a Christian school for small children, for
children from six to ten years old, and I read children's poems that I
wrote, sang children's songs, and suddenly I've got an order. Seven year
old kids said, could you sing wolves? Babes study. Apart from these
walls, there are a few songs from say a protest solidarity in the sense
of belter Russian solidarity of mutual support a cannon. There is also one song
imported from Russia by Victor Kois, song Pierre Mien, which I also sing
daily in my belter Russian translations. There are several bear Russian songs partly like
the Cannon of the early twentieth century about the style, although it has authors.
The song Koka Linka that everyone can sing musica star wish attacking symbolum aporo,
symbolumchivo. Song. Music has become such a symbol of resistance, a
symbol of opposition, because it seems to me that in this revolution, the
voice of a person, a citizen's voice, a Belarusian's voice, is expressed
precisely in singing. In song by this kind of participation in a culture that
maybe doesn't have a quite direct revolutionary sense, but this sense was given to
folk songs, old hymns and songs of poets who were shot in the nineteen
thirties, and so during this revolution, Belarusians were very eager to participate in
this kind of folk nationwide singing. And it would seem that a song,
just a song, is also a symbol of this Belarusian revolution, because all
they have is voice and dignity, a vote that had been stolen at some
point for a long time, the vote of Belarusians in the nineteen twenty elections
was stolen, and that is why I am now coming out with the initiative
of singing songs to be this voice of opposition. There are many such songs,
if we're talking here about songs that have acquired a new meaning or have
just gained their topicality. One example of folk song, one of these unofficial
anthems of the Belarusian Revolution was a song Kupa Lenka, which until now was
commonly known as a folk song, but its lyrics actually have an author It
was created in the twentieth century, in the nineteen twenties based on a folk
song for the performance on Kupala Kupala is a midsummer performance that was staged in
the State Theater now it's the theater named after Yanka Kupala. In the nineteen
twenties, this song was performed over four hundred times. Later, its performance
was forbidden and both authors, that is, the author of the text Mihao
Charot and the author of the music Vadimir Tarowski, were shocked in the nineteen
thirties. And today it turns out that the repressions that affected both a theater
named after Yanka Kupala and all the actors who became fired. This song is
very symbolic because it shows that in fact, history repeats itself and the song
Kupa Lenka unites all Belarusians who knew this song knew it as a lullaby or
a midsummer kind of lyrical folk song. Everyone knows it from school. They
just started singing when they gathered in the squares in the streets of Belarusian cities
and towns. They sing this folk song that sounds very revolutionary today. I
know it's also a symbol that supports Belarusians in this very unequal fight, but
a very just fight. We also know of messages, for example, of
prisoners from a Cristina who, in letters to their relatives write that they have
just heard the girls singing Kubalenka and how it cheered them up. Such an
unofficially religious spiritual him is mau wa poeti grazi with the text by our great
poet of our immigration Natalia Arsenieva, the song Paha with the words of our
classic Maxim Bogdanovic and some others. And to this kind of more or less
one hundred years old. There are songs of Belarusian protests written twenty years ago
retital It's by love one Volski and NRM simple words five six songs can be
sung by a choir from almost every yard, and they order artists musicians who
come and invite them to sing together. Apart from that, everyone who comes
sings what he can, what he wrote himself, what he translated himself.
There is also a trend of songs known from movies, sometimes children movies,
which everyone remembers. From children's animations. People sing in the original or in
the Belarusian translations. In the Belarusian adaptations, they deliberately translate in such a
way that it looks more current for political reasons. A man walking reading poems,
singing songs, painting pictures on the street is prepared that at any moment
a bus with AMON members may appear and this artist, poet, singer will
be arrested, will receive a few days in prison. That is ten thirteen,
fifteen. Now even more and more storms get twenty days. Mainly boys
and men can get beaten with batons, someone can get a punishment sleep on
a concrete floor. So an element of risk. Literally. Yesterday evening,
a few of my friends colleagues musicians playing in the district near the Riga hypermarket.
This is the district known for its fighting traditional already in August, so
maybe more guarded. During her concert, a guitarist, flutist and several other
musicians were attacked by amand several managed to escape, and several people were arrested
and waiting trial. So we take risks, we know what we're getting into,
We accept this danger. We have to overcome it somehow though, overcome
this feeling of fear and come to the people. And people also had to
fight the feeling of fear somehow and get out of their staircases, from their
houses into their backyards to take ten system tens newest system here very forcefully stand
out lines. Let's say that this is this rotten system, this rusty country
should disappear. It will collapse, like in the walls, that these walls
will collapse. And at the same time, various symbols appear in these songs,
symbols that are understood by all the people who suffer this calamity, this
injustice. Namely, these are power structures. These are masked guys and balaclavas
who pull people out on the street, who promote propaganda. And that is
why it is such a strong movement. Seems that instead of fighting with batons
or with stones, it's fighting with words, music, flowers, not to
enormously powerful. Many activities like this arose here an Independent Square, for example,
for many weeks during demonstrations for this nature singing demonstrations, people sang and
danced, and we see emerging the heroes of this revolution, those who appear
and lead this musical movement. People like Tatiana choose an opera singer. She
started these various dances and songs in Independent Square. Free Choir is initiative of
independent musicians who sing in shopping malls, metro stations and neighborhoods. And you
cannot listen to it without experiencing it in this way with without being moved the
keigo. It's a revolution of songs, very singings. Many of people remark
that it was from the singing revolution took on as its banners. But now
of the important protest of the opposite is also namely revolutionary songs entered the arena
folk music. Folk music is now also heard within the notes of revolutionary songs,
cry scream, send you finger. People just shouting cars, signal bart,
even nature. Every person here on the street and the yard, leaving
the house and on the internet is looking for solidarity from famous names. For
some time people were nervous, why is it silent? Let's say the famous
musician Lavon Volsky, And they were overjoyed when he stopped his silence and said
what he thought about it and suggested some new songs. A new symbol of
this kind of moral authority is a team of actors from the Kuppala Theater.
Apart from the fact that they are top class actors directors, they are also
a team of people, artists, intellectuals with a clear position. People are
looking in this direction. They are inspired and for this reason they want to
sport kuppala and do good, beneficial things together with them. There are also
more such examples protesting musicians singing in these spontaneous choirs. Many of these intellectuals,
people of art unfortunately had to leave Belarus for various security reasons. Some
of them are already in Ukraine, someone is in Poland, someone is in
Lithuania. Left to Kmlgherita, for example, the famous opera singer who supported
the protests. Their voices their concerts are solidarity with Belarussians. People are waiting
for their opinions environment that is, the Belarian pen Center as well as the
independent Union of Belarian writers are also not silent, and our words are also
important to the people. Easily or Stuka Swavajawa. When it comes to the
art of words, it is poetry that works the most, and a short
essay column somehow quickly regained the situation. For example, the vir By website
collects poems maybe twelve to fifteen texts, and there were already four such short
pieces. There are poems written by poets with a name that is previously recognized
as poets and someone who previously did not think of himself as a poet,
but something simply hurt him enough to write something, and they should lead Themitri
Striozia come to mind, who write such a poetic chronicle of the fighting in
Bararus. Now almost every day students organize pickets, protests, and lecturers too.
Now such video protests are popular with us. I also recorded one of
these, both as an author artist and as a lecturer. Several such protests
against layoffs appeals to people supporting those who will try to strike in various ways.
At universities too, Lecturers professors at universities are sometimes dismissed at different universities.
At different faculties, the management behave differently. Nobody protests so openly when
it comes to the rectors, but many people will try to support in their
own way. On the one hand, and on the other there are people
who unfortunately follows these nasty orders and fire their students and teachers on the basis
of this white red white flag. People from different district cities, towns,
but also streets and districts in Minsk make their own creative flags. Sometimes witty
with humor. Almost every district already has its white, red and white flag,
but different in details with nuances. The everyday fight on walls with graffiti
or murals is impressive that might they reappear and are destroyed in the morning by
a special order of the authorities. In the evening, these inscriptions, paintings,
murals reappear, and there are even more and more of them. The
figures of these repressed poets, figures of protesting musicians appeared as murals, and
the face mis figure of these two protest DJs, transforming DJs into the so
called Transformation Square, where live concerts take place every evening. At night,
the mural with these two boys is terminated and reappears every day. Cauti,
Ananiassian awakening is not only a singing revolution, but also violence and clinging to
power by President Lukashanka and the people associated with him. These are social and
generational changes, but also a possible political shock on their regional scale. I
invite you to listen to the next podcasts of their New Eastern Europe podcasts produced
by Free Range Productions.