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Fifth Congress of Worlds BelarusiansThe fifth congress of world’s Belarusians was held on July 18-19, 2009 in Minsk. Over 200 delegates from 17 countries attended.Organizers encountered enormous difficulties preparing for the Congress. The leadership of the World Association of Belarusians, BATSKAUSHCHYNA (Fatherland), unsuccessfully applied to 22 sites in Minsk. Most of them justified their refusal by “sudden necessary” repairs. Once BATSKAUSHCHYNA attempted to stage the Congress abroad, in neighboring Lithuania or Ukraine, Belarusian authorities managed to find two possible venues in Minsk. Eventually the event was held in the International Education Center in Minsk. Surprisingly, the delegates and guests had the opportunity to meet representatives of the government: Minister of Culture Paval Latushka, head of the Religious and Ethnic Affairs Committee Leanid Huliaka, and officials from the ministries of Education and Economics. Most of these officials addressed the Congress in good Belarusian. In their long and often tedious speeches, they tried to reassure the public that the government is doing its best to preserve and develop the Belarusian culture and language. However, they had trouble convincing most delegates, who came deeply concerned about the fate and current deplorable state of Belarusian culture and language in the nominally Belarusian state. At the same time, Deputy Minister of Economics Andrei Tur appealed to businessmen from the Belarusian diaspora to actively engage in investing in Belarus’ economy, as well as to help export Belarusian goods to their countries of residence. Many delegates voiced their unhappiness with the lack of interest and support on the part of their mother country Belarus. For instance, Mr. Aleh Rudakou, delegate from the Baykal region of Russian Siberia, pointed out that the 50,000 strong Belarusian ethnic diaspora in that region is being completely neglected, in contrast with less numerous Polish and Lithuanian ethnic groups, whose interests are protected and promoted by local consulates of their countries. Many were concerned about the absence of a Law on Belarusian Diaspora, similar to those adopted by other countries. For instance, introducing a “card of the Belarusian” (like the existing “card of the Pole”) would make members of Belarusian diasporas feel that their homeland cares, and would help to slow their assimilation. The delegate from Lithuania informed the Congress that in the Vilnia (Vilnius) region, which has a large Belarusian-speaking Catholic population, lack of interest by the nominally Belarusian state and simultaneous strong interest and support by Poland is resulting in cultural Polonization of that population.* In the end, the Congress elected the new leadership of BATSKAUSHCHYNA. Ms. Alena Makouskaya, previously the chairperson of BATSKAUSHCHYNA’s Council, was unanimously elected the new leader of the organization – with two delegates abstaining. Ms. Nina Shydlouskaya, Ms. Makouskaya’s former assistant, was elected to the chair of BATSKAUSHCHYNA’s Council. *NOTE: The Polish state has historically attempted to divide Belarusians by religion, referring to Belarusian Catholics simply as Poles. This explains Poland’s strong interest in this region; today there are over 100 active Polish schools in this part of Lithuania. For a detailed analysis of this issue, refer to the article National Minority Policies in Lithuania, in the section BELARUSICA This article appeared in Belarusian Review, Vol. 21, No. 3 --------------------------------------------- Copyright 2009 Belarusian Review All rights reserved. belarusianreview@hotmailcom . By our own correspondent
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