Day of Belarusan Culture in Brussels

“Days of the Eastern Partnership” took place in Brussels on 27-28 of November, covering culture sphere, work with this sphere and the challenge culture faces in the Eastern Partnership countries.

 It was organized by the House of Eastern Poland in Brussels, by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland and by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.

Belarusan independent culture was ranked high within the scope of the event: a special round-table “Culture that has no borders” was devoted to the relations between European Union and Belarus. “Days of the Eastern Partnership” included analytical part and the part open to discussion, as well as the concerts.

At the round-table well-known Belarusan philosophers and cultural figures Valiantsin Akudovich, Ales Antsipenka, Viktar Asluk, Zmicier Vaiciushkevich, Artur Klinau and Volha Dashuk talked about Belarus and Belarusan independent culture. They singled out features typical for the contemporary Belarusan society and culture, such as post-Soviet style, post-colonialism, post-peasantry, separation of the society on the basis of value and geopolitical orientations, problems of the incompleteness of national development.

Apparently, a lot was said about the ruling authorities. The official politics of Belarus creates two cultures instead of the single national one. Persecution of some cultural figures by the authorities extrudes them in the sphere of the “independent culture” that is in the opposition to the “official” one. The representatives of the former blame the authorities for the conservation of the old forms and practices and see their role in the modernization of the society.

According to the independent cultural workers, changes in the society open the door to political changes in the country. If there are changes for the better in the society, then the efforts of the politicians will be successful as well. That is why they continue and develop their activity, despite the difficulties and obstacles from the side of the authorities. And one can meet these very difficulties and obstacles in all their variety: first of all, financial ones, the ban to perform in Belarus (the notorious “black lists”), as well as the extremely low level of development and hindrances to broadening of the infrastructure for public cultural life.

European Union as one of the largest financial investors of the development of culture and democracy considers the problems with a rather pragmatic view. One can have different attitudes towards the European approach, but in the process of project financing logical, predictable links between efforts and results are necessary, especially in the context of the reforms in the structure of the foreign aid of the European Union aiming at the increase of its efficiency.

The participants of the event also discussed the Cultural Program of the Eastern Partnership. The Cultural Program was initiated in the end of 2011 and is targeted at support of the cultural significance in the stabile regional development. Now it is time to make intermediate conclusions and think of the future of this program.

The discussions show that several problematic moments can be registered. The question lies in whether the cultural figures, whatever bright authors they may be, could come to terms with the conditions and demands of the European finances system. European Union has lots of questions: whether it is useful to take young Belarusans abroad? How to extend the influence of the independent Belarusan culture inside the country? How to improve organization skills of the cultural figures?

The main concern, however, lies in the connections with the development of culture and democratization. The attitude towards democratization through culture as towards the natural process that happens per se (and it is the way Belarusan cultural figures fancy) doesn’t look adequate anymore. Belarusan government has obvious politics in respect to culture in Belarus. Belarusan independent culture, which realizes its role in the democratization of Belarus, needs the comprehension of the forms of its influence on society and their operationalization in the form of national cultural programs and action programs.