Animator Speaks About Freedom March, Puppet Show Held At Valadarka

Andrei Trezubau - about the fight against monsters.

Andrei Trezubau is an animator with 30 years of experience at the head of the "Buttons" group. In January last year, the man was detained and later sentenced to three years of "serving the sentence at the place of residence" under the "people's" article.

However, the political prisoner was able to leave Belarus and now conducts performances for the children of Belarusian emigrants in Poland.

He shared in an interview with "Belsat" about his 100 days in detention.

"All my life I've lived in a certain bubble, the work leaves its mark upon you: children-parents. And there I learnt that people are very different," says Andrei. "After Akrestsina I was brought to Valadarka, brought out to the courtyard - for the first time in many days I could feel the fresh air, watch the snow.

At that moment it hit me, I realised that we should make a puppet show here, and it would be terribly cool: Valadarka is something frightening and scary, and we would dispel it all. It's the only method of dealing with monsters".

The actor wrote a script for the future performance in the cell of the pre-trial detention centre in Volodarsky street, his cellmates were helping him with this. The characters were drawn on sheets of paper. The play was presented to its audience under the name of "Castle", because the pre-trial detention centre in Minsk is located in the building of Pishchalau Castle.

"I had a premonition that I would have an opportunity to stage this play at large. I set a goal, and for a month and a half I was collecting bricks in the Valadarka courtyard. All in all I managed to collect about one kilo and three hundred bricks. I won't say how, but I managed to take them out, as well as the materials for the performance".

"The Castle" is not the only play that Trezubau managed to stage in detention. He also managed to implement the idea of a light performance, as there were two lamps in the cell.

"Lots of bunk beds, between which we stretched a sheet. I don't think there has ever been such an auditorium in Valadarka. My fellow cellmates were lying three people per bunk and watching a children's puppet show, being participants in it at the same time, as it was interactive".

The animator also said that they organised in Valadarka a kind of march for Freedom Day.

"One of my good acquaintances, who had also been to Valadarka, handed me a small, white-red-white flag drawn on a piece of paper with "Valadarka" written on it. He told me that on March 25, the Freedom March had taken place right in Valadarka.

There is a long corridor between the exercise yards and the cells, such a straight line for 70-odd steps. And that's where the column marched, holding this little flag. Recently I made a print of this little flag as a full-fledged flag and marched with it in Warsaw".

He admits that he feels quite comfortable in Poland.

"They told me where to go and what documents to submit. Solidarity is a great thing, so I will repeat: I love you, Belarusians".

The "Buttons" and Andrei Trezubau perform shows for children in Warsaw. In the nearest future there will be a family festival on May 15 and a party for Children's Day on June 1.