What is important to understand about "Dazhynki"

Republican fest of "Dazhynki"

As December inevitably makes New Year coming, so September does with national fest of "Dazhynki". Again, the media will inflate from both sides two opposite media images of the event.

 Official images are reflecting how to reach new heights in urban development and taking care of a peasant. Independent media are writing about the event as yet about another manifestation of the thrash and amusing "agricultural glamour". There will be much bombast, a lot of jokes and Photoshop contest images, but once again we will not hear some very important thing.

The current "Dazhynki" will be the sixteenth. Time has come not just to sum up the experience – it is easy even writing theses. And it is also very important to note the vicious practice of "holiday" improvement of public services and places, as far as thus it is possible doing nothing (or almost nothing) for years, not investing money in the city, in its infrastructure, and then remaking everything in a year. in The point that everything is done in a rough-and-ready fashion, in violation of certain rules, sometimes in spite of the general plan, irrationally, as a mad rush didn’t actually let to reflect - all this is sidelined. Herewith, any reasonable person understands though that methodical and judicious investment of money is much more efficient. Yet, they all understand it, but do nothing with it? Moreover, holding republican, regional fests of "Dazhynki", as well as Days of Belarusan Written Language suggests that this practice of "festive" repairs has been very well entrenched and is being cultivated. The answer to the question of why it has happened so may be more complicated than it seems. Firstly, it can be that at some point, a gradual systematic development of the city began to malfunction, turned out to be ineffective. Cities, structured according to this practice, have fallen into decay, which the "Dazhynki" is supposedly considered to save from. Secondly, it apparently seems that there is a clear bureaucratic lobby, based on which the "festivity" has objective and subjective superiority to reasonable planning. Transferring the cities’ development to efficient planning is a big methodological problem that requires a serious interdisciplinary scientific research, within the powers if only of a conglomerate of researchers, with the assistance of the National Audit Office’ analysts, etc.

The very sequence of selecting cities for the next republican "Dazhynki" indicates that the fest concept will soon have to be significantly redesigned, because so far the process was at an ever-increasing rate. It means that each region has tended to put forward the largest possible city for "Dazhynki" to hold in. In Minsk region there have been Niasviž and Maladzečna, in Vitebsk region - Polatsk and Orša, in Mahileu region - Horki and Babruisk having 200.000 inhabitants, in Hrodna region - Vaŭkavysk and Lida... The current conflict between Homel and Rahačou to host the next "Dazhynki" indicates that the rates are rising. Meanwhile, the number of big regional centers is at an end. There are still provincial cities, but it already looks wildly. Now let’s think: how is it possible to draw, say, in Navapolatsk, current 595 billion Belarusan rubles taking into account that the Ice Palace is already there? If only to build an international airport? But one ought to take care of the appropriate costs. Therefore, the "Dazhynki" framework will be modified.

A few words about a sore point, monuments. This summer, the "Flying University" research group decided to focus on the development of the issue of heritage preservation and transformation of urban identity while the cities’ preparation to the "Dazhynki". With the efforts of enthusiasts a study of facts has been done, several expeditions in the post-Dazhynki cities have taken place. The main issue was whether it was possible to screw into, to build into a peculiar Dazhynki standard (Ice Palace, embankment, amphitheater, pedestrian zone and kilotons of paving tile) the respect for the architectural heritage, as well, so as to update and where necessary - to renew, to restore the monuments? Conclusions are disappointing. Local administrations, builders do not see the heritage, don’t perceive it as such, almost do not notice it, unless it is ruins in the city center, that have come for years into the eyes, as it was in Orša. And still, sometimes it’s easier to demolish these monuments. During the expedition, we talked not to officials, but to activists, local journalists, historians, that is to people with the active position, being very well entrenched in the city's daily life. So what? In 80% of cases these people also do not see the heritage. "Everything was destroyed by the war" - one and the same response we have received in Kobryn, Maladzečna and even in Babruisk, that is in cities with preserved complex historical city developments (we were particularly impressed by endless rows of pre-revolutionary Jewish houses in Babruisk).

The problem as always is multifaceted. There is lack of highly qualified human personnel, specialists in heritage conservation, who would promote the idea of cautious handling of the monuments in the city's life, would convince decision-makers that the defined and updated historical center makes a significant contribution to improving the quality of life, of local patriotism and eventually affects economic level of the city. So the whole Europe lives - from there the idea of an extreme value of the heritage is broadcasted to us, the value of the old. In Belarus, this idea has been grasped if only by regional centers, and even then, yet there is left much to be desired. In regional centers the value of the new, fresh, cleaned clearly dominates. Architects who design transformations and who should in theory care about the correct handling of heritage, have actually no special skills, often come from other cities, do not know the specifics of the local semantic space. Research managers of objects on the list, do not show adherence to principles, while often living in Minsk. And what can I say, the local history is not perceived by residents as something native. Rather, it is an abstract text from a clever book, which is not related in people’s minds to a native street and a row of two-story stone buildings in it. To a question "Who would deserve erecting a monument in the city?" more often answers are "Oh, a lot of whom! Such as this ... as it is written somewhere ...” And in the , there is Gulliver (Orša), business traveller (Lida), boatswain (Kobryn), etc. True, there are people who still name truly outstanding personages. By the way, never called national heroes – Kastus Kalinouski, Vasil Bykau, Janka Kupala - although it is hard to imagine that they are not known.

To sum up, I want to say that the fest "Dazhynki" in today's reality becomes a checkout for the city. Not only for officials, but also for the civil society (if to believe in its existence). "Dazhynki" is a chance, the "golden rain", which comes once in 100 years for the implementation of the boldest projects, the most secret dreams of own city. "Dazhynki" is a kind of "window of opportunities" for a variety of groups who are ready to promote their interests. But they don’t have the skill of goal setting, so they can indefinitely run on an old song about the fact that “if I had some money, opportunities, etc., then I would have done it in unbelievable extent, but alas!... “ And as the money comes, then it is almost the only one who use it are ice palaces’ builders and tile manufacturers. And I would like more! In the meantime, I propose making research studies on existing phenomena, seriously analyzing and developing the methodology of achievements - at least 50 regional centers, we still have in stock!