Svetlana Aleksievich: Power Doesn’t Meet Challenges Of Time

Street protests and protection of Kurapaty have demonstrated that society is ripe for change.

The Nobel Prize for Literature in 2015, Svetlana Aleksievich commented on the confrontation in Kurapaty, which is going on for two weeks already, to nn.by

“Authorities are increasingly losing confidence of people. For us, Belarusians, to betray Kurapaty is like to lose the history, our past. We should not allow this to happen. I am very happy that so many young people are in Kurapaty. We have gained a new political generation, it finally has begun to speak.

I can imagine the position of the power, it is built on the cult of force. They don’t want to give in to people, because it will be perceived as a manifestation of weakness. It has become obvious that the government and the people are separated, these are different things.

I think that, like in the case with the "decree on social parasites”, the authorities are trying to find some ways of retreat. Maybe even the power is not united. That is good news for us, that there are intelligent people there. However, they are not free yet, they are under pressure.

I see Dashkevich as a representative of a new political generation. He is one of those people who will shape our future. Undoubtedly. Dashkevich, Seviarynets… No matter how sad people of my generation may feel, but it’s the young who will determine the agenda. They have other methods of confrontation, they have taken into account our mistakes.

It’s wrong to question if “they” can defend Kurapaty. We should say: if “we” can. If such happened in Warsaw, the entire Warsaw would already be in Kurapaty, if it happened in Vilnius, the entire Vilnius would be in Kurapaty. Of course, there are more people there today, than before, but it is only youth. I would like to awaken the society. This is the case when it’s a shame to be silent.

I was very happy to see the photos from the protests against decree №3. It was nice to see that the protests bring new faces on top, new people. It was a joy. The authorities lack the understanding that they shouldn’t put themselves across the time and the society. Our power does not meet the challenges of the time. While the society is ripe for it."