Todar Kashkurevich: I am local and my religion is based on that

What for do we need something ethnical and national at all? And if you need to be nationally identical, then in what form do you actualize that?

With these questions an artist and musician Todar Kashkurevich addressed the audience at the end of the lecture “Urbi et Orbi”.

The lecture was dealing with Belarusan yin and yan which are the city and the village. It is no secret that Todar has a liking for the latter. According to Kashkurevich, the city cannot organize some sacral cosmos (if cosmos is a religious category which can be preserved with rites). And in the modern Belarusan village the representatives of the pre-Christian tradition are living. Thus, Todar’s neighbor treats children for evil eye, though officially she is a catholic.

The conflict situation between the village and the city has emerged in Belarus after the war with the mass resettlement of farmers to towns. The conflict is called “village within village”. We have been given a village that lives in the city; and in result of that both cultures have been ruined – urban and rural. In historical dimension Belarus didn’t manage to realize the urban type of culture.

But Belarusan situation is not unique as far as the Eastern Europe is concerned. Something similar (with its peculiarities, of course)is happening to our neighbours – Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Ukraine. For instance, Lithuanians have formed the Great Duchy of Lithuania basing on the country culture. They’ve made high-quality project that is based on the ethnic model. Ethnic style is a brand for Lithuanian designers and artists. This example of Lithuania is notable for the ability of country culture to occupy city and implement high examples of modern culture.

Todar Kashkurevich noted the ignorance of the majority of Belarusans about the ethnic tradition. But actually, it is very refined and there is what to work with for the artists and the stylists.

When you are listening to the ritual songs as a researcher, you are overwhelmed with emotions. The same thing is with the musical culture. You experience bright emotions from it, as every real musician is a bright improviser. That is without saying anything about the traditional costume of Belarusan women. In order to create it, each woman had to be a real artist who knew not only how to embroider, but who had a good comprehension of taste.

“We found ourselves in the catastrophic situation when we have lost our urban tradition. I am worried that our urban culture during the times of the Magdeburg rights has disappeared. That is why I am trying to realize our ethnic culture and to realize our localism”, - said the speaker.

Todar has explained that he and his companions are not the pagans but the followers of the traditional culture: “I am local and my religion is based on that”, - and he reminded that in the Indo-European languages “I” means “I am here”.

Can the country and the urban culture that have mixed in Belarus during the postwar period coexist together peacefully? How one can put them in concordance and create some national style? And in fact, why do we need all that ethnic and national stuff? Why do we need to be nationally identical? In what form should it be realized? – it were these questions that the lecture has finished with.

During the series of questions Todar got insulted with the phrase “crosses on the towels” and suggestion about aristocratism. He answered that he knows aristocratic culture, but he doesn’t know how to realize it. To everyone who got interested he recommended the conventional art school “Guda” where you are taught to “read” ornaments. The “Druvis” magazine published by the ethnic cosmology center “Kryue” will also get appreciation from those who are willing to join the traditional art.