{"id":3282,"date":"2026-07-09T19:11:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T19:11:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/belarus\/3282\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T19:11:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T19:11:11","slug":"the-blogs-a-resonant-gleam-of-creative-expression-in-belarus-jared-m-feldschreiber","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/belarus\/3282\/","title":{"rendered":"The Blogs: A Resonant Gleam of Creative Expression in Belarus | Jared M. Feldschreiber"},"content":{"rendered":"

Press freedom remains a cherished right for all democracies, whether they are nascent or fully fledged ones. In Draconian societies, like modern-day Belarus, it still has not been achieved, and in many instances, systematically thwarted by cruel and autocratic paranoia. The regime of Alexander Lukashenska<\/a>, a strongman since 1994, has taken its cues\u2014and increased dependence\u2014from Vladimir Putin\u2019s Russia<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

Hanna Liubakova, a Belarusian journalist, researcher, and non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council, who had been forced to flee her country for raising concerns about Lukashenka\u2019s strongman grip on his government, routinely speaks out at international conferences and forums on the essential need for uniform press freedom.\n<\/p>\n

In its annual World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranked Russia and Belarus 172nd and 165th place, respectively, out of a total of 180 countries and territories analyzed by the organization. 48 journalists and media workers remain detained in Russia and 21 in Belarus, as reported by TVPWorld<\/a>. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is important to speak about transnational repression because, first of all, authoritarian regimes are growing,\u201d said Liubakova in April. \u201cThere are more and more people who are facing this threat\u2014the threat of transnational repression\u2014in the democratic world. So, that is why there would be more pressure on democratic countries, because more people are coming and also because of authoritarianism being on the rise and threatening democracies.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\t\tHanna Liubakova, an intrepid journalist and non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, speaks at a panel discussion. (Photo used with permission by MSC\/Kuhlmann).<\/p>\n

Transnational repression occurs when foreign governments reach across national borders to \u201csilence, threaten, or harass dissidents, journalists, and diaspora members,\u201d as defined by Freedom House<\/a>. \u201cPerpetrators use tactics ranging from digital surveillance and family intimidation to physical violence, unlawful deportations, and assassinations.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cBelarus is now a node in a wider authoritarian supply chain,\u201d Liubakova tells me. \u201cBelarusian defense firms are incorporating Chinese components into optics used by Russian tanks, as Chinese and Belarusian troops held joint drills near NATO\u2019s borders in July 2024.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Months before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Lukashenka regime launched what many political observers deemed as \u201chybrid warfare\u201d against Poland and two Baltic States, Lithuania and Latvia<\/a>. At the time, Belarus opened its borders, allowing over 4,000 migrants from Iraq, Syria, and Yemen to seek entry into these countries.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cFor many years, Lukashenka\u2019s dictatorial regime and independent media existed parallel to each other. We were allowed to work, but at the same time, we were always pressured,\u201d Mikhail Arshynski<\/a>, a camera operator and producer who spent three years working with Belsat TV, tells me.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the state media were spreading lies and propaganda, we gave people a piece of freedom and truth,\u201d continues Arshynski. \u201cMany Belarusians watched us, in hopes of making it a part of the European fabric. The overwhelming part of the population took to the streets in 2020 against Lukashenka\u2019s dictatorial regime, and after that, a series of events reversed the democratic process in our country. Media control over Belarus was seized by Putin through his puppet, Lukashenka.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Arshynski worked with Daria Chultsova<\/a>, a journalist who later was arrested with Katsyaryna\u00a0Andreyeva<\/a> for their coverage of the demonstrations in Minsk in the fall of 2020. They were convicted and accused by authorities of controlling the riots.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cDaria and I met before she worked in the media. Together we produced many video reports and [documented] people\u2019s problems,\u201d adds Arshynski.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

On Nov. 15, 2020, Andreyeva and Chultsova were detained for reporting on the police\u2019s brutal dispersal of the Raman Bandarenka memorial action at Minsk\u2019s \u201cChange Square.\u201d Bandarenka, a young opposition supporter, had been beaten to death by officers in civilian clothes less than a week earlier.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\tKatsyaryna Andreyeva, a Belsat TV broadcaster, was detained in Nov. 2020 while she was reporting live on protests in Minsk. She served over five years in prison, sentenced twice on bogus charges of \u201corganizing and preparing of actions that grossly violate public order,\u201d and later, \u201ctreason.\u201d She was released in March 2026. (Photo provided by WikiCommons).<\/p>\n

Andreyeva and Chultsova were charged with \u201corganizing and preparing actions that seriously violated public order,\u201d and were arrested with harsh sentences. Andreyeva was arrested after secretly live-streaming the government\u2019s brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters following rigged elections for Belsat TV.\u00a0 In Sept. 2022, Chultsova was released after serving a full two-year sentence in a women\u2019s penal colony in Homiel. Andreyeva, meanwhile, was sentenced a second time on treason charges, and served over five years.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Aliaksandra Vaitsekhovich<\/a>, a brilliant actress from Minsk with a seasoned theatrical background, portrays Lena \u2013 based on the trials and tribulations Andreyeva had experienced \u2013 in Mara Tamkovich<\/a>\u2018s debut feature, Under the Grey Sky. The film searingly depicts a jailed female reporter and her husband\u2019s unyielding commitment to set her free. It is beset by the harsh climate of modern-day Belarus.\n<\/p>\n

Tamkovich\u2019s film \u201cgives voice to those reduced to silence and denounces the atrocities committed by the Lukashenka regime,\u201d writes Leila Tavi, editor of E-go Times<\/a>. \u201cTamkovich\u2019s perspective offers an intimate view of the courage and resilience of the Belarusian people, highlighting the importance of freedom of information and the fight against censorship.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Vaitsekhovic\u2019s role of Lena is that of an intrepid journalist who is intercepted by a police drone while covering the demonstrations that grow increasingly violent. Alongside her camera operator, she is detained and then, arrested. Her husband, Ilya, played by Valentin Novopolskiy, seeks her release for the duration of the picture. The film chronicles their deep-seated love and ultimate quest for liberation. Tamkovich\u2019s film is the follow-up to her short,\u00a0Na Zywo [Live], <\/a>which premiered at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia in 2022.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\tAliaksandra Vaitsekhovich brings levels of unbridled sincerity & pathos to her roles on stage & in film. (Photo provided by A. Vaitsekhovich).<\/p>\n

\u201cI read the real letters of my heroine, Kacia, that she wrote to her husband. I also lost weight during filming. All the time, I had to try and understand who she was,\u201d Vaitsekhovic explains to me. \u201cI was very lucky with our team, partners and for Mara, as she\u2019s a very deep person and a competent director. It is to her merit that she managed to assemble such a warm team. She is so very balanced that I never once heard her raise her voice. She confidently steered the ship.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Vaitsekhovich is also a successful theater coach and teacher living in Wroc\u0142aw, Poland. In Minsk, she played varied roles on stage, including star turns in \u201cFiddler on the Roof\u201d and \u201cNext to Normal.\u201d She also played in Belarusian movies. Upon settling in Wroc\u0142aw, Vaitsekhovich also opened up a film school, Nook, with two other partners.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\tAliaksandra Vaitsekhovich sings \u201cThe Fools Who Dream\u201d from the musical, \u201cLa La Land\u201d in Minsk, Belarus. (Photo provided by A. Vaitsekhovich).<\/p>\n

\u201cI looked at Kacia\u2019s photos, and I wrote her letters. I [needed to] understand what she was like, but, we weren\u2019t making a documentary,\u201d continues Vaitsekhovich. \u201cFor this role, I always reminded myself that in order to understand this, I must act, and let it pass through within me. I have had dramatic roles before, and I love them all. But I think that I\u2019ve been waiting for this kind of role for my whole life.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Vaitsekhovich chose early on that she had two options as a professional: either be an actress or be a journalist. Her rebellious streak has served her well with acting, especially in playing Lena.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\t\tAliaksandra Vaitsekhovich, a Belarusian native living in Wroc\u0142aw, Poland is a multi-dimensional actress, theatre coach and entrepreneur. She stars in Mara Tamkovich\u2019s award-winning \u2018Under the Grey Sky\u2019 in the lead role as Lena. (Photo provided by A. Vaitsekhovich).<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s ironic that I played a journalist,\u201d Vaitsekhovich confides to me. \u201cI\u2019ve always been a fighter for the truth.\u201d During her time in school, Vaitsekhovich, \u201chad often expressed my opinion against some inadequate system where I received a reprimand from the teachers. I set the course in a certain direction, which is not always favorable for the system. In the theater, I also rebelled and spoke out openly as I was not afraid of anyone. I was not going to remain silent. But I know the price of not being silent. Although I was lucky and fate protected me. I soon understood clearly that I would not get away with it. I understood the consequences [of the dangers of the Lukashenka regime] and chose my family.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\tMara Tamkovich\u2019s debut award-winning feature film Under the Grey Sky\u00a0depicts the story of a married couple living under great duress in Belarus. (Photo by Igor Kuna\/Scriptfiesta).<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Na zywo (Live)<\/a>, I largely worked on the basic record of events that introduced the basis for the plot, which had been two journalists streaming from an apartment and getting arrested,\u201d Under the Grey Sky\u2018s writer and director, Mara Tamkovich <\/a>tells me. \u201cAs far as the characters, tensions, dramatic structure, these were all from my imagination. I did not know any of them at the time and wanted to focus on telling a compelling, intense, plot-driven short story. With Under the Grey Sky, I dug deeper, and this film is driven by characters, but not events. It is their way of dealing with what happened,\u201d she adds.\n<\/p>\n

Red is a potent metaphorical symbol within the film. As a viewer, it is impossible to ignore Lena\u2019s beaming red sweater, and not think about seeing it in allegorical terms.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cRed, as a color that we have chosen for the protagonist in the film, had several layers,\u201d reveals Tamkovich. \u201cIt\u2019s within the visual power of the color, which usually represents passion, fight and energy. It is also a good and meaningful contrast to the repressed and powerless sha4des of bluish grey of the surrounding reality. It\u2019s also the color that, for me, connected with Kacia, who serves as the inspiration to the protagonist. The red sweater appeared in Na Zywo\u00a0but in\u00a0Under the Grey Sky, it also became a color reserved for Lena and her space,\u201d she says.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI am proud to say that the film\u2019s journey has overcome our expectations \u2014 and I am extremely grateful to everyone who made it happen,\u201d adds Tamkovich. \u201cWe had a great world premiere at Tribeca Festival and at the Torino Film Festival. [There, it won] the Scuola Holden Special Mention, and at the Gdynia Polish Film Festival, it won the Best Debut feature. We have been nominated at Camerimage in Toru\u0144, so huge praise to our director of photography, Krzysztof Trela. All of this recognition means the world to me and the whole team. With each and every award we get, I dedicate it to Kacia and her husband, Ihar Ilyash. It\u2019s about them and their story.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

On May 7, a newly freed <\/a>Katsyaryna<\/a> Andreyeva<\/a> joined Belarus\u2019s opposition figure, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, for a special screening of Under the Grey Sky at the Kino Elektronik in Warsaw.\u00a0\u201cAt first, it seemed to me that I wouldn\u2019t be able to attend; that I would cry a lot. Because of that, I wouldn\u2019t be able to hold back my emotions,\u201d she said. Andreyeva underscored that journalists still languish in Belarusian jails, and that their freedom remains the imperative goal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Press freedom remains a cherished right for all democracies, whether they are nascent or fully fledged ones. In…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3283,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[32,414,994],"class_list":["post-3282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-belarus","tag-film","tag-journalism"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/belarus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/belarus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/belarus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/belarus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/belarus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3282"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/belarus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3282\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/belarus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/belarus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/belarus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/belarus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}