Review of Belarusian Culture: Intro (September-October '22)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: INTRO (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER '22)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: INTRO (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER '22)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: INTRO (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER '22)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: INTRO (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER '22)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: INTRO (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER '22)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: INTRO (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER '22)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: INTRO (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER '22)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: INTRO (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER '22)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: INTRO (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER '22)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: INTRO (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER '22)
The overall situation: administrative ecstasy versus “new Europe”
The overall situation: administrative ecstasy versus “new Europe”
The review of the situatuon with Belarusian culture at a short - quarterly - distance doesn't let us define global tendencies and significant trends. But we can surely mark major features of a new cultural order.

Its most important marker is the continuation of forming two opposite motion vectors: westernization (gradual joining the European cultural space) and Russification (bureaucratic and enforcement agencies pressure on the creative class). It's not just the traffic in different directions. It is the existence based on different maps of meanings.

The more time passes, the more it is obvious how naive were the hopes from the previous era to have a harmonious "union" of the official culture industry and the independent creative force. They seem to be not just different methods of work and views of culture and its levels but completely incompatible life forms. Each of them treats the opposite as imminent danger.

Recently state culture has ultimately turned into the authoritarian repressive branch of enforcement agencies. In fact the power vertical of bureaucratic and ideological pressure on figures of culture is being formed, and its main goal seems to be the elimination of "wrong" ideas and disloyal employees. The inertial uniformity becomes the main feature of the acceptable cultural product, and accountability now is the indisputable seal of quality.

Most of the events that happen in the Belarusian cultural space exist in the ritual and declarative format of a fascinating game without purpose and meaning. And it makes the question of the artistic value and national consciousness if not missing, then not significant. The official culture successfully turns into the imitation project of the colonial administration.

The consistent and persevering disposal of "risky" subjects and "inconvenient" people creates the most comfortable public environment possible, on the one hand. On the other hand, it stimulates the revival on the new level of the classical "catacomb culture" of the Soviet period: secret theatre, private film showings, home readings, online cinema festivals and Internet music releases. The game of senses and heavy metaphors together with encrypted messages. The creators and the public get out of sight of the authorities and dive into the mysterious world of conspiracy culture.

The total destruction of the cultural ecosystem of the nominal "stabilization" era determines the fate of creative projects and communities. And if we are really at the brink of “the era of silence” from concerned and confused heroes of the past (there are almost no new works from "the generals of rock"), the collapse of former opportunities and arrangements encourages the new wave of creative search. It seems inevitable that a fresh generation of creative youngsters will arise, and they will lack high-quality education, a legal opportunity to express themselves, relevant cultural experience, a developed value system and articulate self-identification. Their intuitive Belarusianity has little chance in the home country but gradually creates the critical mass of those who disagree with the existing state of affairs. Spontaneous Belarusians are back in trend - even if their low-quality rhymes look quite pathetic.

Regarding the cultural events and initiatives beyond the borders of the country, it should be said that, by and large, they create not "new Belarus" but "new Europe". Our unique local experience and inimitable energy multiplied by actual foreign technologies and European management are forming a whole new area of opportunity - in comparison with the provincial slowness of the country with our origin. After two years of the cultural shock the time of texts and events steadily comes.

These days personal cultural self-determination (regardless of the address and registration) becomes a private adventure and experimental censorship-free exploration of a patchwork cultural area. New authors get into the non-obvious zone. Which gives the unfinished project of new Belarusian culture the distinctive smell of risk and unpredictability. Courage is our second nature.

Emptiness is a challenge and an offer.