Pavel Seviarynets: We See Signs That Belarus Is Maturing

A tectonic shift is taking place among the people.

Radio Svaboda asked famous people in the Belarusian public space to answer the question: what made you happy / made you smile in 2021?

Leader of the Belarusian opposition, political prisoner Pavel Seviarynets, who yesterday celebrated his 45th anniversary in the Shklou penal colony, answered the question of Radio Svaboda.

- The first thing that pleased me in 2021 was how much better Belarusians began to relate to the Belarusian language. At the beginning of the year, half of my letters came to me in Russian, half in Belarusian. In March, 70% of letters were in Belarusian, and at the end of the year - 80%. There is a maturation of Belarusianity.

Secondly, I rejoiced over the awakening of faith. God created Belarus - a country of light in order to shine through it to the whole world. A country with a unique Christian character, rich in evangelical history, the land of the restoration of Israel.

Therefore, it is a place of God's special love. When Belarusians begin to feel that God loves them more than they love themselves, then a tectonic shift takes place among the people.

The intersection of Belarusian and Christian is our system of coordinates as a people. I think in 2021 we see signs of Belarus maturing. Jesus Christ was born in the darkest and coldest time of the year, in a barn. And the star that shows the way begins to shine when it is scary, when darkness surrounds. I see this over Belarus now.

In the letters, I asked people questions about the stars shining on the Christmas trees in their cities (whether it was the red five-pointed star, or the eight-pointed Bethlehem star). Most people answered it was the Star of Bethlehem.