In the final episode of the “Story of Belarus” the co-hosts of Talk Eastern Europe (Adam Reichardt, Maciek Makulski) discuss reflections on what was learned through the course of the documentary series and discuss what might be next for the country. We hear voices and input from several experts, some already featured in previous episodes of the documentary. Hosts: Maciek Makulski, Adam Reichardt Voices include: Benjamin Cope, European Humanities University Victor Martinovich, Writer and cultural figure Anna Maria Dyner, expert with the Polish Institute of International Affairs Natalia Yeras ..read more

Belarus under Alyaksandr Lukashenka has become notorious for the regime’s imprisonment of opposition actors and especially political challengers. Throughout the years of his rule – but especially starting after 2000 – the topic of political prisoners in Belarus became a very important one, especially for Western countries and their negotiations with the regime. In this episode, we get to hear the voice of Andrei Sannikov – who ran for president in 2010 against Lukashenka in a falsified election; after Lukashenka declared victory – Sannikov, along with other opposition figures, was beaten and ..read more

In early spring 2020, mass political mobilization began form in Belarus, caused by economic turmoil and exacerbated by Lukashenka’s inadequate response to the coronavirus epidemic. The coronavirus epidemic began developing in Belarus in early March, exactly when the more active phase pf Lukashenka’s election campaign began to unfold. By June, following the controversies and the regime in downplaying the impact of COVID-19, Belarus was among the 15 most-affected countries with the highest number of identified coronavirus cases per capita. The people responded by self-organization, crowd-funding ..read more

Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s regime has deliberately worked on narrowing down the space for any independent civil society by creating a state-controlled public sphere. In this episode we explore the slow development of civil society organizations in Belarus and how despite repressions they have still managed to make an impact on nation building. We also discuss how the tireless and risky work of these activists has played a role in the 2020 protests and social mobilization. Hosted by: Adam Reichardt Guest speaker: Natalia Yerashevich, Director of the Secretariat of the European Union’s Eastern Pa ..read more

This episode explores why and how the Belarusian IT community engaged in the 2020 protests. It provides also the basic characteristics of this community as a social group as well as discusses the significance of the IT sector for the Belarusian economy. Hosted by: Maciek Makulski Guest speaker: Aliaksandr Papko, journalist at Belsat TV, Belarusian language independent television channel. Background readings and source of data: Open letter of Belarusian IT sector: 2500+ CEO, инвесторов, разработчиков призывают остановить насилие. Открытое письмо | dev.by https://www.n-ix.com/software-devel ..read more

Belarusian culture possesses a long history of prolific authors and creators. However, it is still a bit unknown to a broader public. This episode brings examples of the most outstanding artists and writers of Belarus, remarks on the role of Belarusian language in culture creation and consumption as well as a discussion about the difficult situation of the Belarusian artists due to the repressions from the state authorities during ongoing protests against Lukashenko. In this episode you will also listen to “Mahutny Bozha” (Магутны Божа), a song that became an anthem of 2020 protests. Hosted ..read more

This episode deals with the formative period of the Lukashenka system of power. After winning the only free and fair elections in 1994, “the last dictator of Europe’’ started to build his authoritarian regime. His initial ambitions went beyond Belarus itself. His dream was to become a leader of a new federal Russian-Belarusian state. The coming to power of Vladimir Putin frustrated these plans and at the same time started a new period of Belarusian-Russian relations. Hosted by: Maciek Makulski Guest Speaker: Anna Dyner, analyst at the Polish Institute of International Affairs within the Inte ..read more

Alyaksandr Lukashenka has ruled Belarus for 26 years. How did this little known figure rise to the highest office in the newly independent post-Soviet space? What were his motivations for power and how did he stop the nascent national movements that were trying to create a new Belarus strongly tied to the historical idea of the country? This episode is the first of two-parts dedicated to looking at Lukashenka, the man, his history and his growing authoritarian tendencies. Hosted by: Adam Reichardt Guest Speaker: Andrew Wilson, professor of Ukrainian Studies at University College London and s ..read more

In this episode, we take a look at two of the most important events which have shaped modern Belarus and the contemporary Belarusian identity: the experience of the Second World War and the fall of the Soviet Union. The level of devastation that Belarus experienced during the war was an important element in shaping Belarus during the Soviet period. In the late 1980s and early 1990s the Belarusian National Front emerged hoping to capitalize on the fall of the Soviet Union, hoping to build a new Belarusian state. Yet, the level of Russification and Sovietization of the society remained strong fa ..read more

The premiere episode of the Story of Belarus poses the questions on the origins of Belarusian statehood and what are the roots of “Belarusianness”. The examples of the two pre-WWII Belarusian states, the heritage of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and contemporary reflections of the past in Belarusian national identity discourse are the main topics of this episode. Hosted by: Maciek Makulski Guest Speaker: Nelly Bekus, Associate Research Fellow at the University of Exeter. She works in the project “1989 after 1989, Rethinking the Fall of Socialism from a Global Perspective”. She is the author ..read more