Raising civil society awareness in Belarus

University of Tartu Johan Skytte Political Studies and The Centre for Eurasian and Russian Studies (CEURUS) in cooperation with Belarusian Student Support Association and Honest University, is pleased to announce a call for students and civil activists to participate in a series of online workshops on the topic of “Raising civil society awareness in Belarus”. The organisation of the workshops is supported by the 2020 – 2023 Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid to Eastern Partnership countries programme of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The series of workshops is composed of seven webinars spanning from April to November 2021. Each webinar will last 90 minutes. The language of the webinars is predominantly Russian, while knowledge of English will be an asset for certain political and technical terminology. Registration is free of charge, there is no limit to participants. In particular, the participation of Belarusian civic activists and students who aim to uphold democratic rights and civil freedoms but have suffered from political repression due to their activities, is encouraged.

Webinars in 2021

30 November event summary
New Facets of Political Mobilization in Belarus

Discussion moderator - Fidan Vali, Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies, University of Tartu

Nikolai Khalezin, founder of the Belarusian Free Theater, playwright and journalist. Topic: “Theater in exile. The art of resisting dictatorship”
Egor Kvartalny, musician and showman of the Nagual and WAGON BUFFET bands. Topic: "Music and Protests. The Current State of the Industry"
Maxim Osipau, artist. Topic: “Art in a crisis. Reaction or Reflection ".

19 October event summary
New Facets of Political Mobilization in Belarus

Discussion moderator - Andrey Makarychev, Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies, University of Tartu

• Giedrius Česnakas, director of Political Science Studies at the Military Academy of Lithuania
• Frederiks Ozols, journalist in Latvijas Avīze and lecturer at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Daugavpils, Latvia
• Filip Rudnik, journalist in Kultura Liberalna, Poland
• Pavel Slunkin, policy analyst, visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations

19 September event summary
COVID-19 Crisis in Belarus: Social and Political Lessons

Discussion moderator - Alexandra Yatsyk, Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies, University of Tartu; and Free Russia Foundation

• Andrei Yeliseyeu, (Research Director of the Eurasian States in Transition - EAST Research Center): How (not) to fight the spread of COVID-19: the case of Belarus
• Gennady Korshunov, (European Humanities University): COVID-19 as a trigger of Belarusian protests
• Vadim Mojeiko, (Analyst at the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies – BISS): Belarusian political mobilization during and after the pandemic

15 June event summary
Post-Protest Belarus and European Politics: Trends in 2021

Discussion moderator - Andrey Makarychev (Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies, University of Tartu)

• Volodymyr Dubovyk, (Odessa I. I. Mechnikov National University): Comparing the Ukrainian Euromaidan and Belarusian protests
• Vladimir Sazonov, (University of Tartu, Estonian Academy of Security Sciences): Foreign policy of Belarus and Baltic security
• Ryhor Nizhnikau, (Finnish Institute of International Affairs): Belarus and the EU – view from Northern Europe

11 May event summary
Workshop on political mobilisation and protest art

Discussion moderator - Andrey Makarychev (Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies, University of Tartu)

• Aliaxey Talstou, artist and performer (Minsk)
• Yauhen Attsetski, photographer and civil journalist (Minsk)
• Diana Ignatkova, (Student Assembly of Art, Minsk)
• Michael Cole, junior researcher (Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies, University of Tartu)
• Vasil Navumau, policy expert (OSW, Center for Eastern Studies)
• Olga Matveieva, associate professor (Dnipropetrovsk Institute for Public Administration of NAPA)
• Sami Siva, professional photographer (Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies, University of Tartu)

13 April event summary
Online panel discussion on the special Belarus’ issue of political journal “New Perspectives” (SAGE Volume 29 Issue 1, March 2021).

Discussion moderator - Andrey Makarychev (University of Tartu).

• Aliaksei Kazharski (Charles University in Prague): Belarus’ new political nation and anti-authoritarian protests as identity-building
• Tatsiana Kulakevich (University of South Florida): National awakening in Belarus - elite ideology to 'nation' practice
• Elizaveta Gaufman (University of Groningen): The gendered iconography of the Belarus protest
• Piotr Rudkouski (Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies): Russia’s cultural leverage in Belarus
  

The main objective of the workshops is to create a communication platform for political activists and representatives of Belarusian civil society to allow an exchange of experiences, discussion of the most pressing issues in relations between the Belarusian state and society, and study of the political experience of other countries. The topics that will be covered are but are not limited to: political mobilisation and development of civil society; protest art and the female face of the Belarusian protests; information resilience and hygiene, studying the experience of other countries and the historical significance of replacing an autocratic regime with a democratic one.

Upon successful completion of the webinars, 12 active participants will be selected who will be invited to spend a week in Estonia in the spring of 2022, during which they will have the chance to visit local state institutions and NGOs. NB! While participation in webinars is open regardless of nationality only participants who hold Belarusian citizenship will be eligible for the visit to Estonia. Furthermore, the visit will only take place if the virological situation so allows.

For additional information and inquiries please contact Jaak Erik Laja at jaak.erik.laja@ut.ee