Belarusian Generation Jeans in Prague: Europe must be free of dictatorship (Photo)

For President of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel met with founders of the Free Theatre and took part in shooting for a new documental project. The meeting was organized in the frameworks of Belarusian Day, initiated by the cultural foundation of the former Czech president, Radio Svaboda reports.

Free Theatre’s head Mikalai Khalezin plans to make up a document containing reflexions of intellectuals, artist and politicians on how Europe will become a dictatorship-free continent for the first time. According to him, this way lies through Belarus. The project is based on the well-known definition of a status of the Belarusian ruler and is titled The Last.

Vaclav Havel hopes Belarus’ way towards real democracy won’t be long. However, he thinks it is difficult to forecast the further developments.

“Speaking about Belarus, about the time when it becomes a really democratic state, joins the western civilization, this way seems to be long. This is not necessarily so. We know examples of modern history when all of a sudden the situation changed rapidly. This is a complicated web of influences that can’t be foreseen. Only self-sufficient people like communists or Marxists think they understand everything and know about laws of the world and history and can predict. We can’t predict. So, surprises are possible,” the former president said during the shooting.

Belarusian Day in Prague went on with a discussion “Theatre in Unfreedom” and performance of Mikalai Khalezin’s Generation Jeans in Montmartre literary café.

Radio Svaboda’s journalist Hanna Sous, who watched the performance, the house was appreciative, because the play is based on real facts. These facts and heroes are painfully familiar to every Belarusian and can be easily recognized.

“The atmosphere was very warm. More than 50 people came to watch the Free Theatre to a little Montmartre café designed for such chamber concerts. After the performance they applauded to main and the only actor of Generation Jeans, head of the Free Theatre Mikalai Khalezin. Head of the US diplomatic mission in Belarus Jonathan Moore, Czech ambassador in Belarus Vladimir Ruml, art-director of Prague Archa Theatre Ondřej Hrab, and Jan Ruml, member of the Czech association “Civil Belarus”, representatives of Belarusian association in Czech Republic, journalist were present at the play.

Generation Jeans play had vivid journalistic character. It is based on real facts that, as heroes, can be easily recognized: they are relatives of the disappeared politicians, famous fighter Valer Shchukin, owing to whom normal spoons appeared in the detention facility in Akrestin Street, activists of Charter’97.

The stage decorations, traditional for underground theatre, were simple but expressive - bars, a jar of pickled cucumbers, flag stands – six flags, Lithuanian, British, US, Czech, Polish and Belarusian, will wave during the play.

A man in jeans, symbolizing freedom for him, begins his confession. He started with rejection of Soviet unfreedom and jeans trade on black market in 1970s, and, in the beginning of the 21st century, felt uncomfortable in a detention facility in Akrestin Street, because, according to Mikalai Khalezin, “one can’t wear jeans in jail”.

The English text was shown on the wall via a video projector. Jonathan Moore, head of the US diplomatic mission in Belarus, who watched the performance in a Minsk café for the first time, and then in Prague, said he was proud an American aspect was touched in the play – jeans as a positive thing and a symbol given by the USA to the world.

As Jonathan Moore said, performing this play in Prague is special because shows the destiny of Jan Palach, a guy who set himself on fire protesting against Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia, a monument to whom Jonathan Moore visited on Vaclav square of Prague,” Hanna Sous tells.

The journalist said speeches of members of the Free Theatre during the debates before the performance were very ambitious. They also made a number of political statements.

“The participants of the debates were head of the Free Theatre Mikalai Khalezin, producer Natallya Kalyada, stage director Uladzimir Shcherban from Belarusian side and Ondřej Hrab, art director of Prague Archa Theatre (by the way, latest Vaclav Havel’s play is on stage here), Jan Ruml, member of the Czech association “Civil Belarus” from the Czech side. They told about experience of underground theatres in the Czech Republic, about performances in private apartments years ago and it influence on the modern Czech theatre.

Natallya Kalyada explained why the language of their plays is Russian. According to her, as soon as democracy is established in the country Belarusian language will return. Natallya says they use Russian in order to change the mentality of the people who are not ready for changes yet. Belarusian-speaking people have no need to be explained, they were ready for changing of the regime yet 14 years ago. “Our main audience is Russian-speaking people whose minds should be changed,” Natallya Kalyada says. “If Russian is needed to change the situation in the country, for dictatorship yield to democracy, we will speak Russian to change the situation.”

According to the Free Theatre, they work under difficult and tight conditions in Belarus. Actors of the theatre are fired, they had to perform under veil of birthday parties and weddings. According to Mikalai Khalezin, they have sometimes 2000 people are waiting for their turn to watch a play because there are no enough space in private apartments. Before going to prison, young people watch Free Theatre’s plays at night.

Mikalai Khalezin defined the essence of the Free Theatre: it is the only theatre in Belarus that has no relations with the state, it is the only underground theatre in Europe, and it is the only theatre which actors and audience were arrested together.

By the way, members of the Free Theatre made a number of political statements. For example, they asked the people present to contribute to Alyaksandr Lukashenka not to be invited to the Prague summit next year,” Hanna Sous emphasised.

Portrait of Jan Palach

Uladzimir Shcherban, Mikalai Khalezin and an interpreter

Ondřej Hrab, art director of Prague Archa Theatre

Jan Ruml, member of the association “Civil Belarus”

Belarusian borsch was served before the performance

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