I was born a Belarusian...

Solemn events dedicated to the 264th anniversary of Tadeusz Kosciuszko’s birthday were held in his family estate involving the Belarusian opposition leaders.

The estate, where Tadeusz Kosciuszko was born, is situated in the village of Merachoushchyna (the Ivatsevichy district, the Brest region). Opposition leaders, foreign diplomats, cultural figures, historians, public representatives, journalists, local inhabitants and Belarusians from all over Belarus came to pay tribute to the memory of the great Belarusian.

The local authorities were scared by the visit of the opposition leaders. The traffic police detained a bus with democratic activists near Merachoushchyna. People had to go to Kosciuszko’s estate on foot. The fear was so great that only people from special lists were permitted to enter the estate as officials of the Brest region executive committee and the Ivatsevichy district executive committee were present at the event. Officers of militia and secret services in mufti were guarding the entrance to the museum.

While the officials were marking the event in the museum, an impromptu meeting was held at the memorial sign in honour of Tadeusz Kosciuszko. Leader of the civil campaign European Belarus Andrei Sannikov, historian and writer Uladzimir Arlou, head of the BPF party Alyaksei Yanukevich made speeches. Singer-songwriter Zmitser Bartosik performed his best songs.

Historian Uladzimir Arlou said it was a disgraceful situation when monuments to Tadeusz Kosciuszko are not erected in Belarus, streets are not called in his honour, but instead, Russian general Alexander Suvorov, who drowned Kosciuszko Uprising in blood, is being glorified in the country. Belarusian Tadeusz Kosciuszko is an honorary citizen of France, national hero of the United States and Poland, but he hasn’t officially been recognized national hero of Belarus so far.

“We, the Belarusians, are a European nation. Our towns were granted the Magdeburg rights, our students studied in western universities, we had the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation, our ancestors were the second in the world after the Americans to adopt the Constitution. Tadeusz Kosciuszko is the person, whose fate demonstrates that we are Europeans.

It is disgrace for the current authorities that dozens of streets still have the name of punisher Suvorov. It is written down here, on this stone, that he is the great son of the Belarusian land. This is a euphemism. In real fact Kosciuszko is a national hero that was recognized by the Belarusian society long ago. The time will come when Kosciuszko will officially be recognized a national hero. The fact that we gather here every year demonstrates we are coming back to Europe, to European ideals, Kosciuszko’s insurgents struggled for,” Uladzimir Arlou said.

BPF party activist Ales Mekh, the organizer of the celebration, said he had had many troubles with the local authorities during preparation of the event.

“I have always been surprised by a position of the Belarusian authorities: they do not want to know our real history. Our task today is to attract public attention to this problem and show that our country has the history it can be proud of. The example of Kosciuszko shows us freedom is the dearest thing a person can have and it’s worth struggling for. We make every effort to mark the 265th anniversary of this birthday in free Belarus,” the politician assured.

Andrei Sannikov, the leader of European Belarus, thinks Belarusian Tadeusz Kosciuszko made significant contribution to struggle for freedom and democracy in the world.

“I am happy head of the organizing committee Alyaksandr Mekh invited me to the event. I’ve been long intended to visit this place, but I didn’t have an occasion. However, I laid flowers to the monument to Kosciuszko in Washington, visited his museum in Swiss Solothurn twice. Tadeusz Kosciuszko made significant contribution to struggle for freedom and democracy in the world. This is one of the greatest sons of the Belarusian land who make us be proud of our history, our motherland, our people. I agree with many American politicians and diplomats who have noted due to Kosciuszko, Belarus’s contribution to freedom and independence of the United States is far more than US’s assistance in development of freedom and democracy in Belarus,” Andrei Sannikov said.

US Charge d'Affaires in Belarus Michael Scanlan

Writer Uladzimir Arlou

European Belarus leader Andrei Sannikov

Zmitser Bartosik singing his best songs

Officers of militia and secret services watching and taking video of the events

Uladzimir Arlou and Zmitser Bartosik telling about national heroes of Belarus after the solemn events

Notice of charter97.org: Tadeusz Kosciuszko was born in Belarus in 1747, graduated from the Corps of Cadets in Warsaw, Paris Military Academy, spent seven years struggling for independence of the United States. He and Thomas Jefferson, the author of the US Declaration of Independence, were friends. He got American highest awards, the rank of general, could have stayed in the US and made a career there. He returned home in 1784 and in 1794, led the uprising against the Russian Empire, which had annexed the territory of Belarus after a partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. From 40,000 to 50,000 Belarusians took part in the uprising. They were nobles, students, peasants. A month after announcement of the beginning of the uprising, the insurgents managed to take Vilnius, Hrodna, Brest, Ashmyany, Braslau, Vaukavysk, Lida, Slonim, Pinsk, Navahrudak. However, the uprising was bound to be defeated because the Russian regular army headed by Alexander Suvorov was suppressing it. Later, Napoleon offered him the rank of general in his army, but Kosciusko denied the proposal. Tadeusz Kosciuszko always emphasized he was a Belarusian: “I was born a Belarusian... the fate of my native land is still veiled by the future...”