29 March 2024, Friday, 1:01
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To Be Called People

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To Be Called People
Natallia Radzina

I can't get the dilemma: either a festive demonstration or a concert in a park.

I watched online broadcasting of the meeting of the organizing committee on celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Belarusian People's Republic. I could not get the dilemma: either a festive demonstration or a concert in a park. It's some kind of "Stockholm syndrome" to think what would be better for the authorities.

Just think over - it's 100 years of independence of our state. Yes, we still have failed in our attempts to gain freedom. Yes, we still have failed to choose our authorities. But the world map has on its surface Belarus, an independent state. And we are the element of this independence, we defend it even being beaten by batons of current authorities. In due course time, freedom will be ours. And how many people are jealous of us!

Speaking frankly, I have imagined talks on the celebration of the 100th anniversary in a different way. I thought it would be about invitations of world leaders to Belarus. I would like to see Angela Merkel in Minsk not for poor meetings of "the Minsk group", but for participation in the festive procession. It would be great to see Emmanuel Macron, Donald Trump, Andrzej Duda, Dalia Grybauskaitė, Theresa May, Petro Poroshenko, Federica Mogherini and many others.

And stars with Belarusian ancestors could take part in the celebration: Harrison Ford, Michael Douglas, Scarlett Johansson.

If Belarusian musicians can't take part, we will invite Paul Landers with Rammstein or the king of the surf guitar Dick Dale, or Norwegian Rybak. Let them recall their roots.

Ask the French to bring Chagall not in March, but even later.

To organize exhibitions of Lyonik Tarasevich, Aliaksandr Rodzin, Barys Zaborau and Uladzimir Tsesler accompanied by Andrei Makarevich.

Every city may organize the holiday even better than that in the capital. There are enough of geniuses on the Belarusian land.

Google and Facebook could visually note our anniversary.

I thought it would be the only appropriate option to celebrate such an event.

I may say it's fiction, and there is no money. We offer the authorities to join us in this celebration. This great date deserves it. And there will be money then.

In 2018 many countries of Eastern Europe - Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Czechia, Slovakia, Georgia, Ukraine, Estonia - celebrate the 100th anniversary of independence. It will be a large-scale, bright, decent event. The whole world witnesses it. And it lasts for several days.

If we had had such a scenario, we would have had no issues about restrictions and fences.

And still it's not too late.

However, I know for sure, if the opposition takes a stand now and keeps insisting on a large-scale demonstration and a festive concert in the centre of Minsk, the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Belarusian People's Republic will be a great one.

Our ancestors who risked their lives 100 years ago and found strength and courage to proclaim independence of our country will be proud of us.

To be called people.

Natallia Radzina, editor-in-chief of Charter97.org

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