The Story of Belarus

Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s regime has deliberately worked on narrowing down the space for any independent civil society by creating a state-controlled public sphere. In this episode we explore the slow development of civil society organizations in Belarus and how despite repressions they have still managed to make an impact on nation building. We also discuss how the tireless and risky work of these activists has played a role in the 2020 protests and social mobilization.

Hosted by: Adam Reichardt

Guest speaker: Natalia Yerashevich, Director of the Secretariat of the European Union’s Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum.

Background readings and data:

“The condition of NGOs and civil society in Belarus”, Veranika Laputska. Institute of Public Affairs / Bertelsmann Stiftung, 2017:
http://aei.pitt.edu/90422/1/PB2017_civil_society_Belarus2.pdf

“Belarus at a Crossroads: Political Regime Transformation and Future Scenarios”, By Andrei Yeliseyeu. The Eurasian States in Transition Research Center, July 2020. https://east-center.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Belarus-at-a-Crossroads-Political-Regime-Transformation-and-Future-Scenarios.pdf

“The changing role of civil society in Belarus”, ForumCiV, September 2020: https://www.forumciv.org/int/latest/changing-role-civil-society-belarus

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This podcast is financed by Solidarity Fund PL within the framework of the Polish development cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland and the grant titled: “In Solidarity with Belarus”. The podcast expresses exclusively the views of the speakers and cannot be identified with the official stance of the Solidarity Fund PL nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

In early spring 2020, mass political mobilization began form in Belarus, caused by economic turmoil and exacerbated by Lukashenka’s inadequate response to the coronavirus epidemic. The coronavirus epidemic began developing in Belarus in early March, exactly when the more active phase pf Lukashenka’s election campaign began to unfold. By June, following the controversies and the regime in downplaying the impact of COVID-19, Belarus was among the 15 most-affected countries with the highest number of identified coronavirus cases per capita. The people responded by self-organization, crowd-funding and coming to the understanding that the state is no longer there to provide for them.

Ahead of the election, the three main opposition candidates were arrested or forced to flee the country. The only true opposition candidate able to legally registered became Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya - who was joined by two other women (Veranika Tsapkala and Maria Kalesnikava). Their campaign over the summer draw huge crowds and giving the already politicized and angry society a new hope for change.

This episode takes us through the year 2020. We start with the spring and the awakening through the election and the protests that broke out and continue until today.

Hosted by: Adam Reichardt

Guest speaker: Olga Dryndova, Belarusian analyst based in Germany, main editor of the Belarus-Analysen publication.

Further Reading:

“Belarusian spring? Politicisation of the wider society”. By Olga Dryndova. New Eastern Europe, 8 July 2020. https://neweasterneurope.eu/2020/07/08/belarusian-spring-politicisation-of-the-wider-society/

“COVID-19 as the Worst Crisis of Lukashenko’s Career”. By Yuri Tsarik / Wilson Center Blog (19 June 2020): https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/covid-19-worst-crisis-lukashenkos-career

“A new united opposition up against a tired president: counting down to the elections in Belarus” By Maxim Rust. New Eastern Europe 5 August 2020. https://neweasterneurope.eu/2020/08/05/a-new-united-opposition-up-against-a-tired-president-counting-down-to-the-elections-in-belarus/#

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This podcast is financed by Solidarity Fund PL within the framework of the Polish development cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland and the grant titled: “In Solidarity with Belarus”. The podcast expresses exclusively the views of the speakers and cannot be identified with the official stance of the Solidarity Fund PL nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

Belarus under Alyaksandr Lukashenka has become notorious for the regime’s imprisonment of opposition actors and especially political challengers. Throughout the years of his rule – but especially starting after 2000 – the topic of political prisoners in Belarus became a very important one, especially for Western countries and their negotiations with the regime.

In this episode, we get to hear the voice of Andrei Sannikov – who ran for president in 2010 against Lukashenka in a falsified election; after Lukashenka declared victory – Sannikov, along with other opposition figures, was beaten and arrested. After his release in 2012, he has left the country and has become a prominent voice in human rights and the situation of the political prisoners in the country. Sannikov also talks about the repressions since the August 2020 election and how they are unprecedented, even for this already brutal regime.

Host: Adam Reichardt

Guest: Andrei Sannikov, human rights activist, former presidential candidate in Belarus (2010) who was detained and tortured as a political prisoner. He was released after 16 months under pressure from the international community.

Further resources:
Viasna (Spring) Human Rights organization: http://spring96.org/en
Silencing Dissent. The plight of political prisoners in Eastern Europe. New Eastern Europe 5/2016. https://neweasterneurope.eu/product/issue-5-2016/

Political prisoners in Belarus, 2020: International Strategic Action Network for Security. https://isans.org/palitviazni/?lang=eng

In the final episode of the “Story of Belarus” the co-hosts of Talk Eastern Europe (Adam Reichardt, Maciek Makulski) discuss reflections on what was learned through the course of the documentary series and discuss what might be next for the country.

We hear voices and input from several experts, some already featured in previous episodes of the documentary.

Hosts: Maciek Makulski, Adam Reichardt

Voices include:
Benjamin Cope, European Humanities University
Victor Martinovich, Writer and cultural figure
Anna Maria Dyner, expert with the Polish Institute of International Affairs
Natalia Yerashevich,

Featuring a clip of one of the protest songs (Maks Korzh - “Vremya”).

Interested in more podcasts about Central and Eastern Europe? Check out Talk Eastern Europe: https://www.spreaker.com/show/talk-eastern-europe

Follow us also at: www.neweasterneurope.eu

We would like to thank all of our listeners for listening to the series! Please leave us a rating and feedback or drop us a line: editors@neweasterneurope.eu

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This podcast is financed by Solidarity Fund PL within the framework of the Polish development cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland and the grant titled: “In Solidarity with Belarus”. The podcast expresses exclusively the views of the speakers and cannot be identified with the official stance of the Solidarity Fund PL nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

The first part of the series will be available after November 23rd 2020!

The country of Belarus has been dominating international news headlines since the forged August 2020 presidential election and the massive protests that broke out since then.

To understand the processes taking place in this country and to give our audience a deeper context and background, Talk Eastern Europe is preparing a special documentary podcast series.
The series is called The Story of Belarus - The nation, its history and a new hope.

In this 10-part podcast documentary we will explore the country’s deep history, its people, their unique identity - forged in the early years of the 20th century and later molded after the fall of the Soviet Union.

We will discuss with experts how it has happened that Alyaksandr Lukashenka has been running the country with a strong hand since being elected in 1994 – in the country’s only free and fair election.

We will look at the rich culture of Belarusians, the role of language in identity, and the relationship with Russia. We will examine the social and economic consequences of Lukashenka’s 26 year rule and highlight the bright spots of this unique society. Lastly, we will discuss the most recent turmoil and hear from Belarusians themselves and their thoughts on the future of their country.
Join us as we discover The Story of Belarus.

The premiere episode of the Story of Belarus poses the questions on the origins of Belarusian statehood and what are the roots of “Belarusianness”. The examples of the two pre-WWII Belarusian states, the heritage of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and contemporary reflections of the past in Belarusian national identity discourse are the main topics of this episode.

Hosted by: Maciek Makulski

Guest Speaker: Nelly Bekus, Associate Research Fellow at the University of Exeter. She works in the project “1989 after 1989, Rethinking the Fall of Socialism from a Global Perspective”. She is the author of a seminal book on Belarusian identity titled: Struggle over Identity. The Official and the Alternative “Belarusianness".

Background readings:

Nelly Bekus, Struggle over Identity. The Official and the Alternative “Belarusianness” (Central European University Press, 2010).

Vadzim Smok, Belarusian Identity: The impact of Lukashenka’s Rule, European Union Foreign Affairs Journal, 2013.

Timothy Snyder, The Reconstruction of Nations: Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, 1569-1999, Yale University Press, 2002.

Miroslav Hroch, Social Preconditions of National Revival in Europe. A Comparative Analysis of the Social Composition of Patriotic Groups among the Smaller European Nations, Columbia University Press, 2000.

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This podcast is financed by Solidarity Fund PL within the framework of the Polish development cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland and the grant titled: “In Solidarity with Belarus”. The podcast expresses exclusively the views of the speakers and cannot be identified with the official stance of the Solidarity Fund PL nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

In this episode, we take a look at two of the most important events which have shaped modern Belarus and the contemporary Belarusian identity: the experience of the Second World War and the fall of the Soviet Union. The level of devastation that Belarus experienced during the war was an important element in shaping Belarus during the Soviet period. In the late 1980s and early 1990s the Belarusian National Front emerged hoping to capitalize on the fall of the Soviet Union, hoping to build a new Belarusian state. Yet, the level of Russification and Sovietization of the society remained strong factors, ultimately helping Lukashenka come to power.

Hosted by: Adam Reichardt

Guest Speaker: David R. Marples, a Canadian historian and Distinguished University Professor at the Department of History & Classics, University of Alberta. He specializes in history and contemporary politics of Belarus

Background Readings:

David R. Marples, Our Glorious Past: Lukashenka's Belarus and the Great Patriotic War, Columbia University Press, Sep 1, 2014.

Brian Bennett, The Last Dictatorship in Europe. Belarus under Lukashenko, Hurst & Company, London, 2011.

David R. Marples, Understanding Ukraine and Belarus: A Memoir. E-International Relations, 2020.

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This podcast is financed by Solidarity Fund PL within the framework of the Polish development cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland and the grant titled: “In Solidarity with Belarus”. The podcast expresses exclusively the views of the speakers and cannot be identified with the official stance of the Solidarity Fund PL nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

Alyaksandr Lukashenka has ruled Belarus for 26 years. How did this little known figure rise to the highest office in the newly independent post-Soviet space? What were his motivations for power and how did he stop the nascent national movements that were trying to create a new Belarus strongly tied to the historical idea of the country? This episode is the first of two-parts dedicated to looking at Lukashenka, the man, his history and his growing authoritarian tendencies.

Hosted by: Adam Reichardt

Guest Speaker: Andrew Wilson, professor of Ukrainian Studies at University College London and senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Background readings:

Andrew Wilson, Belarus: The Last European Dictatorship, Yale University Press, 2011 (updated edition available 2021).

Andrei Kazakevich, “Uncertainty and risk in Lukashenka’s time”, New Eastern Europe 6/2019. https://neweasterneurope.eu/2019/11/13/uncertainty-and-risk-in-lukashenkas-times/

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This podcast is financed by Solidarity Fund PL within the framework of the Polish development cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland and the grant titled: “In Solidarity with Belarus”. The podcast expresses exclusively the views of the speakers and cannot be identified with the official stance of the Solidarity Fund PL nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

This episode deals with the formative period of the Lukashenka system of power. After winning the only free and fair elections in 1994, “the last dictator of Europe’’ started to build his authoritarian regime. His initial ambitions went beyond Belarus itself. His dream was to become a leader of a new federal Russian-Belarusian state. The coming to power of Vladimir Putin frustrated these plans and at the same time started a new period of Belarusian-Russian relations.

Hosted by: Maciek Makulski

Guest Speaker: Anna Dyner, analyst at the Polish Institute of International Affairs within the International Security Program. She’s work focuses on Belarus’s domestic and foreign policy, Russian security policy, and Russia’s role in the post-Soviet space.

Background readings:

Andrew Wilson, Belarus: The Last European Dictatorship, Yale University Press, 2011

Andrzej Poczobut, System Białoruś, Editio, 2013

What’s New with Belarus, New Eastern Europe, Issue 5/2018, September-October 2018, https://neweasterneurope.eu/product/issue-52018-whats-new-belarus/

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This podcast is financed by Solidarity Fund PL within the framework of the Polish development cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland and the grant titled: “In Solidarity with Belarus”. The podcast expresses exclusively the views of the speakers and cannot be identified with the official stance of the Solidarity Fund PL nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

Belarusian culture possesses a long history of prolific authors and creators. However, it is still a bit unknown to a broader public. This episode brings examples of the most outstanding artists and writers of Belarus, remarks on the role of Belarusian language in culture creation and consumption as well as a discussion about the difficult situation of the Belarusian artists due to the repressions from the state authorities during ongoing protests against Lukashenko.

In this episode you will also listen to “Mahutny Bozha” (Магутны Божа), a song that became an anthem of 2020 protests.

Hosted by: Maciek Makulski

Guest speakers:

Tomasz Kamusella, an interdisciplinary historian of modern central and eastern Europe, with a focus on language politics and nationalism who works at the University of St Andrews. He is the author of over 200 research publications.

Viktar Martsinovich, a Belarusian writer, journalist and assistant professor at the European Humanities University in Vilnius. He is the author of several books including: Paranoia (2009), Stsyudzyoni vyrai (2011), Sfagnum (2013), Mova (2016), Revolution (2020).


Background readings:

Tomasz Kamusella, Belarusian culture: Still a terra incognita, https://neweasterneurope.eu/2019/06/05/belarusian-culture-still-a-terra-incognita%ef%bb%bf/

Tomasz Kamusella, Russian: A Monocentric or Pluricentric Language?, Colloquia Humanistica. No. 7, 2018.

Viktar Martsinovich, Belarusian culture: national, European, post-Soviet, New Eastern Europe, Issue 5/2018, September-October 2018.

What If Your Language Were an Illegal Drug? An Interview with Viktor Martinovich, www.culture.pl

https://culture.pl/en/article/what-if-your-language-were-an-illegal-drug-an-interview-with-victor-martinovich

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This podcast is financed by Solidarity Fund PL within the framework of the Polish development cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland and the grant titled: “In Solidarity with Belarus”. The podcast expresses exclusively the views of the speakers and cannot be identified with the official stance of the Solidarity Fund PL nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.