Sixth webinar of the series of online workshops

Sixth webinar of the series of online workshops “New Facets of Political Mobilization in Belarus”

Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies at University of Tartu and The Centre for Eurasian and Russian Studies (CEURUS), in cooperation with Belarusian Student Support Association and Honest University successfully held the last sixth webinar in the series of “New Facets of Political Mobilization in Belarus” on 30 November via Zoom. The webinar focused on art and political activism in Belarus

The team of panelists consisted of the following people: Nikolai Khalezin, founder of the Belarusian Free Theater, playwright and journalist; Egor Kvartalny, musician and showman; Maxim Osipau, artist and designer.

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

• Egor Kvartalny spoke about Belarusian musicians and their political activism before and during the 2020 protests, as well as the current state of art. He has categorized Belarusian musicians as a whole based on their political stances, loyalty to the current government and described challenges occurring due to nonconformity.
• Nikolai Khalezin discussed massive layoffs in the Belarusian theaters as a sign of protest. He compared state-controlled and independent theatres in Belarus and touched upon challenges of relocating theatres beyond the Belarusian borders.
• Maxim Osipau discussed his works as a reflection on events happening in Belarus, and touched upon inspiration, communication, support and therapy as main functions of the Belarusian protest art, pointing out central topics covered by the Belarusian artists in their works.

The webinar sparked a lively discussion among participants, and concluded on a positive note regarding future cooperation.

For additional information and inquiries please contact Fidan Vali, fidan.vali [ät] ut.ee

Under initiative supported by the 2020 – 2023 Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid to Eastern Partnership countries programme of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs