Public discussion “Were There Dissidents in Belarus?” May 15

https://palityka.org/2015/05/publichnaja-dyskusija-ci-byli-u-bjelarusi-dysidenty-15-maja/afisha_nov-2/Dissidence is a form of non-acceptance in an authoritarian state, from the Latin “dissidere” — “to be separated,” “to disagree,” “to think differently.”

The dissident movement was one of the features of political life in the USSR.

But were there dissidents in the BSSR?

Did a Belarusian dissident movement exist in Soviet times?

Was the movement of the Belarusian intelligentsia a dissident movement, given that it had a predominantly national character and was anti-communist because of the policy of Russification pursued by the communist authorities?

These questions remain open to debate, and this is why a public discussion within the Conference is planned, with the participation of scholars and participants in the public movement of the 1980s and early 1990s.

The discussion will take place on May 15 at 18:30 (Ў Gallery, 37a Nezavisimosti Ave.).

Participants in the discussion:
Raman Yakauleuski – political commentator
Aleh Dziarnovich – historian
As part of the discussion, excerpts from the documentary film “Dissident” about Mikhail Kukabaka will be shown. Kukabaka is a Belarusian dissident who spent 17 years in prisons, camps, and closed psychiatric hospitals for his convictions.

In 2014, Mikhail Kukabaka came to Belarus at the invitation of the Viasna Human Rights Centre.

The journey to his homeland forms the basis of the documentary film “Dissident.”

The film reveals the specific features of Mikhail Kukabaka’s fate and character: how one person can stand up to the totalitarian system of the USSR, how not to break under the unbearable conditions of Soviet prisons, how to overcome fear, preserve dignity, and not lose one’s convictions.

The film was first shown on October 30, 2014, on the Day of Victims of Political Repression in Babruisk, the hometown of the Belarusian dissident Mikhail Kukabaka.