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Memories About Future

14
Memories About Future
IRYNA KHALIP

In the actual fact, everything has changed in Belarus.

Every year, on one and the same winter day, somebody of my relatives or friends calls me saying: “Besides, it’s December 19 today! Do you remember?...”. I do, of course, I do.

Every year, on one and the same winter day it’s very scary and absolutely wonderful at the same time to browse social networks, as the feed gives kilometers of photos of that very day, and tons of memories. Everyone remembers, apparently. Everyone was there. How many of us exist!

Every year, on one and the same winter day we do our best to pretend it doesn’t hurt anymore, and chat about something insignificant.

Every year, on one and the same winter day yet another bitchy or simply unhappy person, from whom his relatives have been hiding matches since ling ago, suddenly declares himself an analyst and starts analyzing those events under the formula of “it was their fault, they had not prepared properly, they had no chance.” What can we say? Have a nice day, too!

Every year, on one and the same winter day thousands of people, in the streets, at work, in the internet – keep saying bitterly the same old things: “This is so hurtful, five years have passed (then it was six, seven, and now eight), and nothing has changed in the country. Nothing at all! Our years pass away, and the dictatorship, like some Dorian Grey portrait, is getting younger by consuming our lives.” Well, I will never agree with this. Because, nothing has changed, of course. And at the same time, everything has changed.

Yes, the world swallowed all this nightmare without even choking on it. Washed it down with the young Beaujolais - and okay, chewed it. At the time when we counted our losses, our husbands, friends, people we knew studied the difference between a slammer and heavy security barracks on their personal experience, - the executors enjoyed life and drowned new stars in the bathtube gin. Now they even go to Paris, not only to their state-paid dachas. However, now we know we can only count for ourselves, and no one is there to help. No Valentina Tereshkova, no Elon Musk will come flying on a rocket to save us from the dictatorship. This is neither good nor bad. This is a fact we should deal with.

Yes, over these years dozens of revolutions, wars, confrontations have taken place in the world, and many dictatorships have been replaced by protests. And we still have ours. But now we know that it will neverbe, “as in Armenia”, “as in Ukraine”, “as in Tunisia” here. It's time to say something about a special way, but I won't do this. Because no one else knows how it will be and what is the path. What if it happens that all the remaining earthlings from dictatorial countries will say “we wish it would happen here the same way as in Belarus!”? Nothing has happened yet. Everything depends on us. It takes too long, you say? Well, only rabbits are born quickly.

Yes, within these 8 years, the regime has not even tried to hide its disgrace, but takes more shameful and ugly poses, like, see how I can? And this, and this! I can take away your pensions, and call you social parasites, and make the dollar five times more expensive for you, and build labor and detox centers for you, and rot you in the swamps, and you will do nothing to me. Well, let it act this way further on. Maybe it’s our way indeed – to reach the bottom, so that to straighten up one day, as a deathly spring, and swipe away all this nastiness, like dust.

Yes, the state has not changed, maybe only for the worse, but the people have changed indeed. Eight years ago they were not ready to protest under own initiative. They needed leaders. In 2006, those who supported Milinkevich and those who supported Kazulin took on to the square. Eight years ago, I sometimes heard people saying in the streets something like “I will come to protest for Sannikov, but I won’t go anywhere for Statkevich”, or “I will go to a demonstration for Niakniaeu, but I won’t move my finger for Ramanchuk,” or “I am redy even for a storm with Statkevich, but don’t even offer me anything if there’s Rymasheuski.” Thus, coming out to a protest action was associated exclusively with the support for a certain leader. However, already in summer 2011, Belarusians came out to the “silent actions” by themselves. There were no leaders, politicians could do nothing but applaud silently.

The people went to the “parasitic” protests by themselves, even in small towns, where it is impossible to get lost in the crowd and keep anonymity. Brest residents take on to the demonstrations against the construction of the battery plant without any calls. This is the key change, which is impossible to be overestimated. It means that the people are ready to take responsibility and defend something which is important for them. Their territory, families, air, money. This means, tomorrow, or in a month, in a year, they will be able to come out and defend such a conditional abstract thing as their country. This means, everything was not in vain.

And it is so good it happened after all.

Iryna Khalip, specially for Charter97.org

It will be recalled that on September 3 editor-in-chief of Charter-97 Natallia Radzina announced the threat to informational resource cause by drastic reduction in financing and called readers for solidarity. Ways to support the website:

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