The poet Julia Cimafiejeva and the prose writer Alhierd Bacharevič are a literary couple from Minsk who have long been committed to a European development path for their Belarusian homeland. Shortly before the presidential elections in August last year, Cimafiejeva deliberately wrote the poem "My European Poem" about oppression and fear in Belarus in English, the language of human rights organizations as it is called, instead of Belarusian or Russian. She and Bacharevič, whose latest novel “The Dogs of Europe” anticipated a dystopian future for his country as a province in the Russian Empire, took part in the protests until autumn, but then accepted an invitation to Graz, where they live today. Her diary and his essays on the events that have now appeared were partly made while emigrating.

Kerstin Holm

Editor in the features section.

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Cimafiejeva's notes are a reminder of the hopeful mood before the elections, despite jailed candidates and forbidden gatherings. The female trio Tichanowskaja / Kolesnikowa / Zepkalo was celebrated by crowds like pop stars, to vote people dressed in festive clothes, as if to protect themselves through beauty. But the "cosmonauts" - armored policemen from the Omon special unit - appeared like sinister aliens even before the vote and arrested preferably younger male passers-by at random. Nevertheless, after the outrage over the obvious election fraud last August, the initiative initially lay with the peaceful demonstrators, who brought the “art of the regime” onto the streets with photo series of bodies disfigured by hematomas and encouraged each other by singing together.

In October the poet attended a conspiratorial performance by the troops of the Kupala Theater, which had given their notice almost completely and were now playing in black sweatshirts - in order to have prison clothing on in case they were arrested. Shortly before they left, Cimafiejeva's brother was arrested, who fortunately was not beaten and got away with a fine. The poet feels all the more guilty about the security of her Austrian exile from her compatriots. In solidarity with the political prisoners, she shaves her head, as did Belarusian students before. And she writes letters to Belarusian prisoners whom she does not know and without knowing whether her mail will even reach the addressees.

Bacharevič writes of the "Cyrillic", that is, probably East Slavic fascism of the 21st century, in which the authorities use methods of oppression against their own people that they have read about German and European fascism in school books. For a good salary and secure social benefits, armed men hunt down unarmed compatriots. The Belarusian regime turns the tables rhetorically and describes those who accuse it of this as the actual fascists, according to the principle of the child-like return coach. Brave babushkas willingly repeat the slogans. Bacharevič knows from his own childhood and his own sadomasochistic fantasies that enjoying unrestricted, amoral exercise of power, which is intoxicating and awakens the bestial in people,constitutes the essence of fascism.

For his claim to power, President Lukashenko coined the slogan that his beloved - Belarus - should not be given up. But since he has no development plans for the "beloved", but only wants to maintain his power, he tries to force her to outgrow his oppressive regime. A state propagandist, the hate journalist Andrei Mukowostschik, calls, in the style of the National Socialist press, to publicly hang oppositionists, which has taken on a terribly literal meaning with the apparent murder of the exile Vitali Schischow in Kiev.

Bacharevič notes that, as a result of its catastrophic history, Belarusian society is shaped by an ultra-pacifism that he calls philistine because sooner or later it comes to terms with any injustice.

The regime seems to be counting on him.

If this works out, the sad fiction of the novel about the “dogs of Europe” will also come true, believes Bacharevič.

The exile confesses that he does not intend to live in such a province of the Russian Empire, which will then also reveal its language.

Julia Cimafiejeva: "Minsk".

Diary.

Translated from the English by Andreas Rostek.

Edition.fotoTAPETA, Berlin 2021. 123 S., br., 13, - €.

Alhierd Bacharevič: "You have already lost". Repression and revolt in Belarus.

Edition.fotoTAPETA, Berlin 2021. 91 p., Br. € 9.50.