Culture as a guarantee of state security:“CHOICE-Belarus: Heritage and modernity” presented in Minsk

photo by the author

Belarus is a country of cultural catastrophes. For many years people in power have been inventing a new Belarus each time. What is Belarus in reality and what place our heritage has in modernity?

Association of Local Democracy Agencies ALDA (France) together with International Consortium “EuroBelarus” (Lithuania), Centre for Cultural Management (Lviv, Ukraine), ICOM National Committee (Chisinau, Moldova), Millennium Foundation for Education and Research (Erevan, Armenia), and Public Association “Centre for Social Innovations” (Minsk, Belarus) have announced the start of partnership program "CHOICE” and call for participation. Thus, our country has become a part of one global international project.

It is important for its aim, which is to rethink cultural heritage in order to develop Belarusan identity, as well as dedicate time for self-development and to increase professional capacity of participants. In the long run the authors of the idea aim at the possibility of forming cultural policy in the country and raise to the level when a civil society organization or initiative could be a consultant for the state.

“EuroBelarus” Information Service came to the presentation to find out what worries the potential participants of the project most and talked to the coordinators of the project.

- One of the aims in this project is to introduce cultural heritage in the modern life of the society. What does it mean?

- Different embroidered t-shirts that are in fashion now, popularization of national ornamental pattern is one of the ways to introduce cultural heritage into modern life, though quite vulgar, - says the head of the “EuroBelarus” office in Vilnius Tatsiana Pashevalava. – However, when we are talking about architectural heritage, what variants do we have but for making it a museum displays? It is very easy to preserve some object and make a museum from it; but how can we make this place lively and relevant today? Or, for example, how can we create the feeling of connection to this object from the people that live today?

It applies to the both material and intangible culture. For example, song tradition: we can preserve it in the form of “song field”, like the Baltic States do, by reviving the traditional model of songs, but we can also translate it to contemporary tunes. We can work with it in different ways; the main thing is to create connection, so that people treat it as something that belongs to them and think of the ways to use it in some different way than mere preservation of traditionalist approach. Our future is not about coming back to the past, but in rethinking it and taking the most valuable things that will build our future.

- With this trend started by “Budz’ma!” campaign and foreign motivations, i.e. fashion on embroidered t-shirts – we would like to step a little bit further. Ornament is a visual code, it’s obvious; whereas we would like to motivate people for a deeper understanding of what we have, - explains Katsiaryna Ramanchyk, the program manager of “EuroBelarus” cultural direction. – Now we are facing the problem of identity: at least three decades don’t understand the situation between the West and the East. National language is a language of minority; while this is also a question of self-identification – and we have very problematic background there. That’s why heritage is the material we would like to use for transforming this background. Today external situation and Ukraine’s example confirms the thesis that cultural sphere is a possible guarantee of national security. This is something we can mark our distinction with and uniqueness of Belarusans in the world.

- The project tis international; what are its peculiarities for Belarus?

- It is a problem of identity, - says Katsiaryna Ramanchyk. – And we will also be touching upon the problem of establishment of cultural policy and influence society has on the cultural process. Indeed, problematic moments in Belarus, Ukraine, Armenia, and Moldova are very close; that’s why such “team” was formed. But each country has its specifics.

- The project tells about innovations. But sometimes a mere conservation of a historical building is unavailable for us. How topical is the elaboration of some innovative approaches for our country?

- Different spheres can use innovation; the term is quite broad. We do not support decorations and covers; we are for support of working with the central problem. But technologies can be used; it depends on the fantasy of applicants. Our cultural sphere has quite conservative forms. We would like to extend and diversify them with combination of different formats, activities, so that people share their competences so that to enrich the cultural sphere. Creation of online-platforms is innovation, too, if we consider modern realms of cultural institutions, not global context. And it is also very important that the work of an applicant extends not only to Minsk, but also to other regions of the country.

During the presentation the authors told about the period of program’s realization, how one can become a participant of this program, what stages it includes, and after that answered the questions of the audience. The first question concerned the sum of grant that can be given for realization of the project.

- In general it is five thousand euros, - answered Tatsiana Pashevalava. – Projects – both individual and partner – can get from 5 to 60 thousand euros. We can also help in search for partners if someone needs it.

In this connection the audience asked how the participation of a partner in a project should be described and whether a partner can be a European organization. During the first stage it is enough to name the partner; if it represents the country that the program doesn’t extend to, such partner can take part in the program, but cannot get funding.

In general, funding was one of the most discussed topics. That is related to the conditions of participation: at least 10 per cent from the general cost of project should be paid in by the organizations-applicants.

Apart from that, potential applicants were interested, whether they can cooperate with the state institutions when working on the project. It is only welcomed, just as any rapprochement of different organizations and initiatives for participation in the program.

The project “CHOICE-Belarus: Heritage and modernity” invites to apply NGOs of local and/or national level, working in the field of local development, protection and rehabilitation of culture heritage, organizations, groups, associations of professionals and intellectuals, as well as cultural figures interested in the possibilities of preserving the cultural landscape and its diversity and ensuring a stable use of the cultural heritage resources for the development of towns and communities.