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BELARUS: Rays of Lightswas the title of an exhibition of photographs by the American photographer John Kunstadter, held on November 17, 2008 in the United Nations Secretariat Building in New York City.We bring you excerpts from Mr. Kunstadter’s remarks at the opening of the exhibition: ”My photographic journey through Belarus continues to inspire and impel me in three ways. First, to record the Belarusan Book of Hours. That is, the cycle of the Belarusan year and the new birth of faith as they are infused by the specific Belarusan light, the specific Belarusan smell of earth and the specific Belarusan sense of place. Second, to chronicle the depth, resilience, and — again — specificity, and at the same time inherent Europeanness, of Belarusan Culture, of Belarusanness. I have witnessed innumerable times how the heart of the Belarusan nation beats in every child, even the smallest child; how the national language sings out in every gesture, in every smile; how Belarusans quietly but firmly live the words of the great Belarusan poet Maksim Bahdanovich. ”Thus the modest but devoted bee knows how to make honey even from bitter flowers.” I would feel most fortunate if these melodies, these rhytms, this devotion were reflected in at least some of the photos in this exhibition. Third, to help me understand even more clearly how the fate of our nation is linked to that of the Belarusan nation. We would not be Americans were it not for the crucial help, at Saratoga and elsewhere, of Tadeusz Kosciuszko. We have always honored Kosciuszko as a Pole but he was a son of Belarusan soil. In a larger sense, I would recall that the dignity of our nation lies in the fact that we are a nation of the common man. And anyone who grew up as I did in Chicagoland, or in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, or any number of other American towns and cities across the heartland , knows how the Belarusan common man, and others living under the injustice of empire in the same region — Poles, Lithuanians, Ukrainians, and many other — have made the arduous journey to America; how they have built our nation; how they have played an integral part in determining who we are, and why. So in looking at the portraits in this exhibition we are also looking in good measure at ourselves.” This article appeared in Belarusian Review, Vol. 20, No. 4 --------------------------------------------- Copyright 2008 Belarusian Review All rights reserved. belarusianreview@hotmailcom
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Belarusian Culture
Belarusians Abroad
Contents
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Thoughts and Observations
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