Uladzimir Matskevich: Alexievich’s voice is an alternative to all what is official

Belarusization of consciousness comes together with de-Sovietization – Belarusan substitutes Soviet.

Belarusan regime is becoming increasingly unoccupied: people start living their own lives, while the regime plays the role of a makeweight to the Belarusan society.

How did Belarus spend the old year and what we are to wait in the coming year? Philosopher and methodologist Uladzimir Matskevich in the interview with the “EuroBelarus” Information Service sums up the results of 2015 and shares his forecasts in the socio-political life of Belarus for 2016.

New Year is a quite casual calendar day, whereas the astronomical New Year starts when winter is changing for summer. During this time the whole Christian world is celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ that was marked with the ascension of Bethlehem star.

I think that the old year of 2015 or the forthcoming year is marked with the ascension of a new bright star. And now, towards the end of 2015, apart from the surname of one person that has been mentioned with and without any good reason many times, one new star appeared – Sviatlana Alexievich. I think that the emergence of a new star is the main event of the old year.

It is neither political nor economic event, but a cultural event that is very important for the civil society development. Unlike the biased politicians or ideologically blinkered political movements, Sviatlana Alexievich speaks from a position of an ordinary citizen with firm moral orientations and realistic worldview. She doesn’t declare utopian views, but has a realistic view on things. It is very important that this appraisal in Belarus is voiced by the person, who is familiar to the majority of people in Belarus. Alexievich’s voice is an alternative to all what is official.

- How will the appearance of a new star on the Belarusan horizon influence the minds and society in general?

- It has already. The news about the Nobel Prize Award caused a wave of different opinions and talks in the Belarusan society. People were voicing their doubts as to whether Sviatlana Alexievich is a Belarusan writer; people voiced their disagreement with the appraisal of the Soviet past, the sovereignty, the appraisal of figures; people doubted whether her works are literary ones, not journalistic. All the doubts, accusations, and claims are poured out in the public space in the first days after the Nobel Prize Award.

We should note how the mode of discussion has been changing: discussion of Alexievich’s figure, her works has been going on, and even if it hasn’t promoted the achievement of common view and consensus, it has at least promoted the reconciliation of different contradicting positions, which is very good.

With the course of time the Nobel Prize Award will cease to be the main event, but the discussions will remain; if the tendency towards equalization of extreme positions continues, it will be useful for disillusioning and bigger responsibility and bigger realness of the public opinion.

- Will the tendency towards disillusioning remain next year?

- Inertia will be gradually coming to naught. However, upon achieving balanced approach in public opinion the Belarusan society will notice other bright opinions, phenomena, events in public life and in the civil society, it will notice those agents and the figures in the civil society that are working in Sviatlana Alexievich’s style, i.e. observing the balance, systematically, without putting on a false front. It is until now that all sort of extremes, radical approaches were flashing by at the public consciousness screen, whereas the balanced position wasn’t in the focus of anyone’s attention. Perhaps, thanks to the reevaluation of values this civil society layer will become more visible.

And then we’ll find out that the Belarusan society is undergoing the processes of society’s de-Sovietization, even if not very visible yet. Belarusization is going on: more and more people think of themselves as of citizens of a sovereign independent Belarus, start thinking for themselves, and stop looking back at Moscow, Brussels, but perceive themselves as self-reliant people. 

Please, note – Belarusans have started showing bigger interest in literature and started travelling round Belarus more – not because Egyptian, Greek, Turkish, and Thai resorts have become unavailable for them but because they developed an interest to the history of Belarus, its architectural legacy, and natural resources. All kinds of informative excursions are becoming popular; volunteer groups appear to join the cleanup of obstructions and restoration. It’s a good sign.

Language courses “Mova nanova” (“Belarusian “Language anew” – EuroBelarus) and “Mova ci Kava” (Belarusian “Language or coffee” – EuroBelarus) have become popular; people have started reading much more Belarusan literature (and popularity of Victar Martsinovich only helped that); people read not only the winners of Jerzy Giedroyc Award, but also those, who were nominated. The interest is awakening and it cannot be ignored. Apart from de-Sovietization Belarusization of consciousness is also happening.

Of course, many people could find something that changes the Soviet-like to be insufficiently Belarusan or authentic. However, new Belarusans won’t resemble those, who were romantic. A nation is growing almost naturally; artists, writers, philosophers, and public figures stimulate it, however, its formation cannot be controlled.

Europeanization of Belarus is also going on: we see that the influence of Belarus’ public figures and structures on European processes, especially in the Eastern Partnership, is becoming bigger. We have kept the National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, even though with big problems, and it remains a powerful force in all the countries of the Eastern Partnership; we are trendsetters in certain spheres. National Platform’s agents acquire bigger and bigger authority in Europe and in the Eastern Partnership: let’s just recall such names as Andrei Yahorau and Ulad Vialichka. There are positive trends, though not so fast and bright as we would like to. I think all that will shape the events of 2016 and the following years.

- What side have Belarusan authorities showed in the old year? Obviously, the authorities have switched from political repressions to economic ones.

- I see nothing positive in what Belarusan authorities are doing. I cannot say that the release of political prisoners is its achievement: it is a forced measure, since keeping political prisoners in prisons lost its pragmatic meaning. The regime achieved what it wanted to achieve by repressions in 2010; there is no sense to continue repressions. Thus, nothing has changed in the regime; it’s merely trying to get out of this situation without changing anything.

- So the regime will continue trying to survive all by itself in 2016, while the society will be living its own life, isn’t it?

- I would add more: the regime can’t get anywhere from the need of changes. Changes will be happening even if the regime resists – nothing can be done with that. Slowly, through all sort of complications, with the rhetoric that has nothing to do with the real changes within the society, and with the help of people that are independent from the regime – public actors, businessmen, and responsible Belarusians. The regime is becoming increasingly unoccupied: people start living their own lives, while the regime plays the role of a makeweight to the Belarusan society.