WEBVTT 1 00:00:13.800 --> 00:00:39.159 New Eastern Europe podcasts. The song morged the words translated by andre Jadanovic is 2 00:00:39.200 --> 00:00:44.320 one of the symbols of protests in Belarus. It is performed by artists such 3 00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:49.960 as NaSTA Ya Krasava, but also ordinary people gathering at rallies or at neighborhood 4 00:00:50.039 --> 00:00:56.320 meetings. The words written by Yatak Kachmarski, inspired by a Catalan song at 5 00:00:56.320 --> 00:01:00.920 a time when no one expected the fall of communism in Poland, first accompanied 6 00:01:02.000 --> 00:01:06.640 the election campaign of the Beila Russian opposition in the summer of two thousand and 7 00:01:06.640 --> 00:01:11.840 twenty, after the voting results were falsified by the regime of Alexandro Kashanka. 8 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:30.680 They give Bela Russians the strength to kutin resisting Vashko or post. My name 9 00:01:30.840 --> 00:01:37.640 is NaSTA Nyakrasava. I'm a Belarusian who's been living in Poland for many years. 10 00:01:38.239 --> 00:01:42.359 I'm an eta, musicologist, educator and singer. I sang the walls, 11 00:01:42.519 --> 00:01:48.560 translated by andre Hadanovitch for the first time in twenty eleven, together with 12 00:01:48.599 --> 00:01:55.480 the Belarusian bard dmitri Vaisach, we performed it on the vito A Luroslovski stage 13 00:01:55.680 --> 00:02:00.079 in Warsaw it was a period of strong repression in Belarus when many of my 14 00:02:00.159 --> 00:02:07.400 friends and acquaintances were imprisoned and brutally beaten during protests after another unfair election. 15 00:02:07.639 --> 00:02:14.240 I was upset and I was feeling pained fear. I remember a voice behind 16 00:02:14.280 --> 00:02:17.759 me on the stage. Well. In twenty eighteen, I performed this song 17 00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:23.560 at the Yatzak Kacmarski Festival and I felt then that no matter in what language 18 00:02:23.599 --> 00:02:29.439 the song is performed, everyone who knows the price of freedom understands what it's 19 00:02:29.479 --> 00:02:35.080 all about. And this song also talks about the dangers that can happen after 20 00:02:35.159 --> 00:02:39.719 freedoms regained. In twenty twenty, together with Yatzak Life, we recorded the 21 00:02:39.759 --> 00:02:45.120 Walls in studios and as great video was made thanks to the Pie of Films, 22 00:02:45.199 --> 00:02:51.599 the Batori Foundation and SAR. This video shows frames photos from the Belarusian 23 00:02:51.639 --> 00:02:59.120 Revolution in twenty twenty solidarity in Poland. And I want this song to fly 24 00:02:59.319 --> 00:03:07.159 around the world. It's the Belarus, Belarussians. The cheer of hearts, 25 00:03:07.800 --> 00:03:35.080 yes, tech yeah. How common wolves have become in Belarus seems to surprise 26 00:03:35.319 --> 00:03:38.240 sometimes also, and they had a Novich, the author of the translation of 27 00:03:38.280 --> 00:03:53.400 the song Uhia. The Belarussian Wolves is a song that almost anyone can sing. 28 00:03:53.479 --> 00:03:57.840 Le red. I was in a Christian school for small children, for 29 00:03:57.960 --> 00:04:00.680 children from six to ten years old, and I read children's poems that I 30 00:04:00.719 --> 00:04:04.520 wrote, sang children's songs, and suddenly I've got an order. Seven year 31 00:04:04.520 --> 00:04:23.639 old kids said, could you sing wolves? Babes study. Apart from these 32 00:04:23.680 --> 00:04:27.720 walls, there are a few songs from say a protest solidarity in the sense 33 00:04:27.720 --> 00:04:31.560 of belter Russian solidarity of mutual support a cannon. There is also one song 34 00:04:31.680 --> 00:04:35.879 imported from Russia by Victor Kois, song Pierre Mien, which I also sing 35 00:04:36.000 --> 00:05:08.720 daily in my belter Russian translations. There are several bear Russian songs partly like 36 00:05:08.800 --> 00:05:13.480 the Cannon of the early twentieth century about the style, although it has authors. 37 00:05:13.560 --> 00:05:54.399 The song Koka Linka that everyone can sing musica star wish attacking symbolum aporo, 38 00:05:54.560 --> 00:06:00.199 symbolumchivo. Song. Music has become such a symbol of resistance, a 39 00:06:00.319 --> 00:06:05.240 symbol of opposition, because it seems to me that in this revolution, the 40 00:06:05.399 --> 00:06:11.800 voice of a person, a citizen's voice, a Belarusian's voice, is expressed 41 00:06:11.879 --> 00:06:16.480 precisely in singing. In song by this kind of participation in a culture that 42 00:06:16.720 --> 00:06:21.639 maybe doesn't have a quite direct revolutionary sense, but this sense was given to 43 00:06:21.759 --> 00:06:27.079 folk songs, old hymns and songs of poets who were shot in the nineteen 44 00:06:27.160 --> 00:06:32.720 thirties, and so during this revolution, Belarusians were very eager to participate in 45 00:06:32.759 --> 00:06:38.120 this kind of folk nationwide singing. And it would seem that a song, 46 00:06:38.480 --> 00:06:44.319 just a song, is also a symbol of this Belarusian revolution, because all 47 00:06:44.360 --> 00:06:48.040 they have is voice and dignity, a vote that had been stolen at some 48 00:06:48.240 --> 00:06:54.160 point for a long time, the vote of Belarusians in the nineteen twenty elections 49 00:06:54.360 --> 00:06:58.800 was stolen, and that is why I am now coming out with the initiative 50 00:06:58.839 --> 00:07:05.959 of singing songs to be this voice of opposition. There are many such songs, 51 00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:11.120 if we're talking here about songs that have acquired a new meaning or have 52 00:07:11.240 --> 00:07:16.079 just gained their topicality. One example of folk song, one of these unofficial 53 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:21.920 anthems of the Belarusian Revolution was a song Kupa Lenka, which until now was 54 00:07:23.040 --> 00:07:27.639 commonly known as a folk song, but its lyrics actually have an author It 55 00:07:27.800 --> 00:07:30.959 was created in the twentieth century, in the nineteen twenties based on a folk 56 00:07:31.079 --> 00:07:36.560 song for the performance on Kupala Kupala is a midsummer performance that was staged in 57 00:07:36.639 --> 00:07:42.720 the State Theater now it's the theater named after Yanka Kupala. In the nineteen 58 00:07:42.759 --> 00:07:47.160 twenties, this song was performed over four hundred times. Later, its performance 59 00:07:47.240 --> 00:07:51.680 was forbidden and both authors, that is, the author of the text Mihao 60 00:07:51.959 --> 00:07:58.439 Charot and the author of the music Vadimir Tarowski, were shocked in the nineteen 61 00:07:58.480 --> 00:08:07.160 thirties. And today it turns out that the repressions that affected both a theater 62 00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:11.839 named after Yanka Kupala and all the actors who became fired. This song is 63 00:08:13.000 --> 00:08:16.800 very symbolic because it shows that in fact, history repeats itself and the song 64 00:08:16.920 --> 00:08:24.399 Kupa Lenka unites all Belarusians who knew this song knew it as a lullaby or 65 00:08:24.600 --> 00:08:28.600 a midsummer kind of lyrical folk song. Everyone knows it from school. They 66 00:08:28.680 --> 00:08:33.240 just started singing when they gathered in the squares in the streets of Belarusian cities 67 00:08:33.279 --> 00:08:39.120 and towns. They sing this folk song that sounds very revolutionary today. I 68 00:08:39.279 --> 00:08:43.840 know it's also a symbol that supports Belarusians in this very unequal fight, but 69 00:08:43.919 --> 00:08:50.919 a very just fight. We also know of messages, for example, of 70 00:08:50.039 --> 00:08:56.039 prisoners from a Cristina who, in letters to their relatives write that they have 71 00:08:56.200 --> 00:09:18.759 just heard the girls singing Kubalenka and how it cheered them up. Such an 72 00:09:18.840 --> 00:09:41.159 unofficially religious spiritual him is mau wa poeti grazi with the text by our great 73 00:09:41.240 --> 00:09:46.799 poet of our immigration Natalia Arsenieva, the song Paha with the words of our 74 00:09:46.840 --> 00:09:52.480 classic Maxim Bogdanovic and some others. And to this kind of more or less 75 00:09:52.519 --> 00:09:56.080 one hundred years old. There are songs of Belarusian protests written twenty years ago 76 00:10:00.039 --> 00:10:05.200 retital It's by love one Volski and NRM simple words five six songs can be 77 00:10:05.279 --> 00:10:11.080 sung by a choir from almost every yard, and they order artists musicians who 78 00:10:11.200 --> 00:10:16.440 come and invite them to sing together. Apart from that, everyone who comes 79 00:10:16.480 --> 00:10:18.919 sings what he can, what he wrote himself, what he translated himself. 80 00:10:20.519 --> 00:10:24.480 There is also a trend of songs known from movies, sometimes children movies, 81 00:10:24.919 --> 00:10:28.240 which everyone remembers. From children's animations. People sing in the original or in 82 00:10:28.320 --> 00:10:33.919 the Belarusian translations. In the Belarusian adaptations, they deliberately translate in such a 83 00:10:33.960 --> 00:11:24.480 way that it looks more current for political reasons. A man walking reading poems, 84 00:11:24.559 --> 00:11:28.919 singing songs, painting pictures on the street is prepared that at any moment 85 00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:33.360 a bus with AMON members may appear and this artist, poet, singer will 86 00:11:33.399 --> 00:11:37.000 be arrested, will receive a few days in prison. That is ten thirteen, 87 00:11:37.159 --> 00:11:43.080 fifteen. Now even more and more storms get twenty days. Mainly boys 88 00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:46.480 and men can get beaten with batons, someone can get a punishment sleep on 89 00:11:46.519 --> 00:11:54.960 a concrete floor. So an element of risk. Literally. Yesterday evening, 90 00:11:54.039 --> 00:11:58.840 a few of my friends colleagues musicians playing in the district near the Riga hypermarket. 91 00:12:00.279 --> 00:12:03.759 This is the district known for its fighting traditional already in August, so 92 00:12:03.000 --> 00:12:07.440 maybe more guarded. During her concert, a guitarist, flutist and several other 93 00:12:07.559 --> 00:12:13.480 musicians were attacked by amand several managed to escape, and several people were arrested 94 00:12:13.519 --> 00:12:16.320 and waiting trial. So we take risks, we know what we're getting into, 95 00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:20.440 We accept this danger. We have to overcome it somehow though, overcome 96 00:12:20.519 --> 00:12:24.159 this feeling of fear and come to the people. And people also had to 97 00:12:24.200 --> 00:12:28.759 fight the feeling of fear somehow and get out of their staircases, from their 98 00:12:28.799 --> 00:12:58.200 houses into their backyards to take ten system tens newest system here very forcefully stand 99 00:12:58.240 --> 00:13:03.039 out lines. Let's say that this is this rotten system, this rusty country 100 00:13:03.080 --> 00:13:07.480 should disappear. It will collapse, like in the walls, that these walls 101 00:13:07.519 --> 00:13:11.480 will collapse. And at the same time, various symbols appear in these songs, 102 00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:16.960 symbols that are understood by all the people who suffer this calamity, this 103 00:13:16.120 --> 00:13:22.559 injustice. Namely, these are power structures. These are masked guys and balaclavas 104 00:13:22.879 --> 00:13:28.639 who pull people out on the street, who promote propaganda. And that is 105 00:13:28.679 --> 00:13:33.879 why it is such a strong movement. Seems that instead of fighting with batons 106 00:13:33.000 --> 00:13:39.639 or with stones, it's fighting with words, music, flowers, not to 107 00:13:39.759 --> 00:13:45.840 enormously powerful. Many activities like this arose here an Independent Square, for example, 108 00:13:46.360 --> 00:13:52.440 for many weeks during demonstrations for this nature singing demonstrations, people sang and 109 00:13:52.679 --> 00:13:56.120 danced, and we see emerging the heroes of this revolution, those who appear 110 00:13:56.200 --> 00:14:03.120 and lead this musical movement. People like Tatiana choose an opera singer. She 111 00:14:03.320 --> 00:14:09.120 started these various dances and songs in Independent Square. Free Choir is initiative of 112 00:14:09.360 --> 00:14:16.360 independent musicians who sing in shopping malls, metro stations and neighborhoods. And you 113 00:14:16.600 --> 00:14:26.440 cannot listen to it without experiencing it in this way with without being moved the 114 00:14:26.600 --> 00:14:52.840 keigo. It's a revolution of songs, very singings. Many of people remark 115 00:14:52.960 --> 00:14:58.840 that it was from the singing revolution took on as its banners. But now 116 00:15:00.039 --> 00:15:07.480 of the important protest of the opposite is also namely revolutionary songs entered the arena 117 00:15:07.600 --> 00:15:13.519 folk music. Folk music is now also heard within the notes of revolutionary songs, 118 00:15:16.519 --> 00:15:28.240 cry scream, send you finger. People just shouting cars, signal bart, 119 00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:52.679 even nature. Every person here on the street and the yard, leaving 120 00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:56.879 the house and on the internet is looking for solidarity from famous names. For 121 00:15:56.000 --> 00:16:00.840 some time people were nervous, why is it silent? Let's say the famous 122 00:16:00.919 --> 00:16:06.919 musician Lavon Volsky, And they were overjoyed when he stopped his silence and said 123 00:16:06.960 --> 00:16:10.759 what he thought about it and suggested some new songs. A new symbol of 124 00:16:10.840 --> 00:16:15.120 this kind of moral authority is a team of actors from the Kuppala Theater. 125 00:16:15.720 --> 00:16:18.200 Apart from the fact that they are top class actors directors, they are also 126 00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:22.960 a team of people, artists, intellectuals with a clear position. People are 127 00:16:23.000 --> 00:16:26.320 looking in this direction. They are inspired and for this reason they want to 128 00:16:26.360 --> 00:16:32.519 sport kuppala and do good, beneficial things together with them. There are also 129 00:16:32.679 --> 00:16:37.919 more such examples protesting musicians singing in these spontaneous choirs. Many of these intellectuals, 130 00:16:37.960 --> 00:16:42.559 people of art unfortunately had to leave Belarus for various security reasons. Some 131 00:16:42.720 --> 00:16:47.360 of them are already in Ukraine, someone is in Poland, someone is in 132 00:16:47.440 --> 00:16:52.399 Lithuania. Left to Kmlgherita, for example, the famous opera singer who supported 133 00:16:52.399 --> 00:16:57.720 the protests. Their voices their concerts are solidarity with Belarussians. People are waiting 134 00:16:57.799 --> 00:17:03.440 for their opinions environment that is, the Belarian pen Center as well as the 135 00:17:03.559 --> 00:17:07.559 independent Union of Belarian writers are also not silent, and our words are also 136 00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:34.839 important to the people. Easily or Stuka Swavajawa. When it comes to the 137 00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:38.359 art of words, it is poetry that works the most, and a short 138 00:17:38.519 --> 00:17:45.480 essay column somehow quickly regained the situation. For example, the vir By website 139 00:17:45.559 --> 00:17:49.559 collects poems maybe twelve to fifteen texts, and there were already four such short 140 00:17:49.640 --> 00:17:55.000 pieces. There are poems written by poets with a name that is previously recognized 141 00:17:55.039 --> 00:17:57.880 as poets and someone who previously did not think of himself as a poet, 142 00:17:59.000 --> 00:18:03.240 but something simply hurt him enough to write something, and they should lead Themitri 143 00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:07.720 Striozia come to mind, who write such a poetic chronicle of the fighting in 144 00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:12.079 Bararus. Now almost every day students organize pickets, protests, and lecturers too. 145 00:18:12.400 --> 00:18:17.759 Now such video protests are popular with us. I also recorded one of 146 00:18:17.839 --> 00:18:22.319 these, both as an author artist and as a lecturer. Several such protests 147 00:18:22.359 --> 00:18:26.799 against layoffs appeals to people supporting those who will try to strike in various ways. 148 00:18:26.160 --> 00:18:37.599 At universities too, Lecturers professors at universities are sometimes dismissed at different universities. 149 00:18:37.680 --> 00:18:41.640 At different faculties, the management behave differently. Nobody protests so openly when 150 00:18:41.680 --> 00:18:45.799 it comes to the rectors, but many people will try to support in their 151 00:18:45.839 --> 00:18:48.680 own way. On the one hand, and on the other there are people 152 00:18:48.759 --> 00:19:18.240 who unfortunately follows these nasty orders and fire their students and teachers on the basis 153 00:19:18.319 --> 00:19:22.200 of this white red white flag. People from different district cities, towns, 154 00:19:22.240 --> 00:19:27.599 but also streets and districts in Minsk make their own creative flags. Sometimes witty 155 00:19:27.720 --> 00:19:33.000 with humor. Almost every district already has its white, red and white flag, 156 00:19:33.359 --> 00:19:40.640 but different in details with nuances. The everyday fight on walls with graffiti 157 00:19:40.759 --> 00:19:45.720 or murals is impressive that might they reappear and are destroyed in the morning by 158 00:19:45.759 --> 00:19:49.200 a special order of the authorities. In the evening, these inscriptions, paintings, 159 00:19:49.359 --> 00:19:53.400 murals reappear, and there are even more and more of them. The 160 00:19:53.519 --> 00:19:59.519 figures of these repressed poets, figures of protesting musicians appeared as murals, and 161 00:19:59.640 --> 00:20:03.000 the face mis figure of these two protest DJs, transforming DJs into the so 162 00:20:03.160 --> 00:20:08.400 called Transformation Square, where live concerts take place every evening. At night, 163 00:20:08.559 --> 00:20:21.039 the mural with these two boys is terminated and reappears every day. Cauti, 164 00:20:21.279 --> 00:20:45.759 Ananiassian awakening is not only a singing revolution, but also violence and clinging to 165 00:20:45.960 --> 00:20:51.680 power by President Lukashanka and the people associated with him. These are social and 166 00:20:51.920 --> 00:20:56.599 generational changes, but also a possible political shock on their regional scale. I 167 00:20:56.799 --> 00:21:10.119 invite you to listen to the next podcasts of their New Eastern Europe podcasts produced 168 00:21:10.200 --> 00:21:11.599 by Free Range Productions.