How are presidential contenders going to revive Belarusian language and cul
Nyaklyaeu will stake on aesthetics, Rymasheuski will pay bonuses to Belarusian-speaking employees, Kastusyou will recall the Law "On Languages", and Statkevich
Presidential contenders have told Euroradio which methods they are going
to use in order to revive Belarusian language and culture, and under
which state symbols they are going to rule the country.
The poet Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu
said that although his heart was in pain for native language and
culture he was not going to revive them by orders and decrees, or any
other violent means. The leader of the "Tell the Truth" campaign
confessed that he would ask people to recall who they were and where
their roots were, from day to day.
Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu: “President
Nyaklyaeu will ask Belarusians over and over again - not order, or
force, or make them do something - ask, to stop for a while, to look
back to the history. There is such a practice, we've seen it - a request
to the flock declared from the ambo is intercepted as it should by the
flock”.
That means, if a President will speak Belarusian,
will take care of Belarusian culture, the officials will follow him. Not
only the officials of the educational and cultural sphere, but those of
sports, health care, and trade, states Nyaklyaeu. The poet is not
going to leave the red-green flag as a state symbol as well. However, he
said he would not change anything by force.
Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu: “We'll
count on the beauty. We'll just hang together the flag which had been
created by time, by history - the simple and genious white-red-white
flag, and the one made by modern armorists. These red and green colours -
they just do not match! We can approve and abolish different laws, but
the laws of aesthetics, the laws of beauty, according to which the Lord
had created everything - we cannot abolish them. And these laws are
going to win in the end”.
Economist Jaraslau Ramanchuk in his revival mood counts on promotion and advertising of Belarusian language, culture and national symbols.
Jaraslau Ramanchuk: “The
first thing we should do is to elaborate a state program of promotion
of the Belarusian language and culture, so that people knew the
Belarusian language is not an artificial one, but the language of a
great State. That we have a multi-century history which is something to
be proud of. If we have such a program, then in 3-4 years the question
of state language and symbols will be solved by consensus. The new
authority should not be violent, like "everything will be this way
because I said so". However, our historical symbols will surely be
legalized. And we will be proud of the white-red-white flag and
"Pahonia" coat-of-arms".
As for the presidential contender of Christian Democrats Vital Rymasheuski, he decided to solve the issue of national revival with the help of money.
Vital Rymasheuski: “The
people who would want to give lectures in institutes, talk to customers
in shops, at their working places, at schools, in the Belarusian
language, will receive financial support from the specially created
funds for development of the Belarusian culture. A considerable bonus to
their salaries. I am convinced that the number of people willing to
speak Belarusian at work will rapidly increase in this case!”.
As for the issue of getting back the national symbols, Vital Rymasheuski sees no compromise.
The Vice-Chairman of the BPF party Ryhor Kastusyou suggests starting the cultural revival from strict following the Law "On Languages", dated the beginning of the 90s. Special attention was given to Belarusian language in this Law.
Ryhor Kastusyou: “No one has ever abolished this Law, it still exists. They just neglected it. If the Belarusian language exists in Belarus in appropriate conditions, other languages of national minorities will exist together with it. There will be opportunities to study Polish, Lithuanian, Ukrainian. If Belarusian is the state language, children can also study Russian - everyone would choose the language to his or her own wish. In any case, we should provide such opportunities”.
However, the most original way to promote cultural revival to the people has been suggested by Mikalaj Statkevich. The only thing that should be done is adding just one article to the electoral legislation.
Mikalaj Statkevich: “A candidate for the position of the President of the Republic of Belarus should know the Belarusian language perfectly! And everything will settle step by step. Then we can make such an amendment for candidates for deputies of the Parliament as well. And everything will start from it. As if we start doing that from beneath, using violence, the reaction could be something we would never expect..! I think every mother wants to see her child a President or a Minister, not less!”
He added, they would then give their children to Belarusian schools. As for state symbols, Statkevich suggests just telling people that it is real pride for a country to have ancient national symbols. The more ancient the symbols are, the more prestige they give to a country. If we manage to explain that to the people, there will be no problem with getting the white-red-white flag and "Pahonia" coat-of-arms back.
Photo: svaboda.org
