A Lesson of Belorussian
Encyclopedia
A Lesson of Belarusian is a 2006
documentary film by Polish
director Mirosław Dembiński. It follows the activities of several Belarus
ian pro-democracy youth activists in the four weeks running up to the highly controversial presidential re-election
of Alexander Lukashenko
on March 19, 2006. The film has won multiple festival prizes.
, a youth activist with the Belarusian Popular Front, prepares with his friends for the run-up to the 2006 presidential election. Their activities range from handing out newspapers, organising rock concerts, distributing flyers, composing protest songs and interviewing the opposition candidate, Alaksandar Milinkievič
. Aside from the main theme of the elections, it also touches briefly on the incarceration of Franak's father, Vincuk Viačorka
, a professor at the banned Belarusian Humanities Lyceum
, where Franak and many of his friends were students.
Events come to a climax on the night of the election results, March 19. Following the suspicious landslide victory of Lukashenko, opposition activists and supporters take to the streets in protest
, many of them setting up a 'tent city' in October Square in Minsk
. By the night of March 23, riot police are deployed to clear the remaining protesters.
Two days later on March 25, Belarusian Independence Day
riot police clash violently with anti-Lukashenko demonstrators, detaining several, among them Alaksandar Milinkievič. By the end of the film, Franak's father has been released from detention, the battle has temporarily been lost, but the peoples spirit is unquenched. According to Franak, the end is nigh for Lukashenko.
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
documentary film by Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
director Mirosław Dembiński. It follows the activities of several Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
ian pro-democracy youth activists in the four weeks running up to the highly controversial presidential re-election
Belarusian presidential election, 2006
Presidential elections were held in Belarus on 19 March 2006. The result was a victory for incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko, who received 84.4% of the vote. However, western observers deemed the elections rigged...
of Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko has been serving as the President of Belarus since 20 July 1994. Before his career as a politician, Lukashenko worked as director of a state-owned agricultural farm. Under Lukashenko's rule, Belarus has come to be viewed as a state whose conduct is out of line...
on March 19, 2006. The film has won multiple festival prizes.
Plot
In the documentary, 18-year old Franak ViačorkaFranak Viacorka
Frančisak Valancinavič Viačorka is a Belarusian politician, youth leader. International Secretary for a Popular-Democratic Party "Belarusian Movement"...
, a youth activist with the Belarusian Popular Front, prepares with his friends for the run-up to the 2006 presidential election. Their activities range from handing out newspapers, organising rock concerts, distributing flyers, composing protest songs and interviewing the opposition candidate, Alaksandar Milinkievič
Alaksandar Milinkievic
Aliaksandr Uładzimiravič Milinkevič is a Belarusian politician. He was nominated by the leading opposition parties in Belarus to run against incumbent Alexander Lukashenko in the presidential election on 19 March 2006.-Biography:...
. Aside from the main theme of the elections, it also touches briefly on the incarceration of Franak's father, Vincuk Viačorka
Vincuk Viacorka
Vincuk Viačorka is a Belarusian linguist, politician and the former leader of the Belarusian National Front , a Belarusian opposition party.Vincuk Viačorka was born on July 7, 1961 in Brest in the family of a Soviet bureaucrat....
, a professor at the banned Belarusian Humanities Lyceum
Belarusian Humanities Lyceum
Belarusian Humanities Lyceum is a private secondary school, formerly located at 21 Kirau Street in Minsk, Belarus.-History:It was founded on January 15, 1991 as the Yakub Kolas National State Humanities Lyceum, by leading Belarusian intellectuals such as the present Belarusian Language Society...
, where Franak and many of his friends were students.
Events come to a climax on the night of the election results, March 19. Following the suspicious landslide victory of Lukashenko, opposition activists and supporters take to the streets in protest
Jeans Revolution
The Jeans Revolution was a term used by the democratic opposition in Belarus and their supporters in the West to describe their effort and aspirations as regarding democratic changes in Belarus at the presidential elections of 2006...
, many of them setting up a 'tent city' in October Square in Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
. By the night of March 23, riot police are deployed to clear the remaining protesters.
Two days later on March 25, Belarusian Independence Day
Freedom Day (Belarus)
Freedom Day is an unofficial holiday in Belarus, which is celebrated on March 25 to commemorate the creation on that date in 1918 of the Belarusian People's Republic ....
riot police clash violently with anti-Lukashenko demonstrators, detaining several, among them Alaksandar Milinkievič. By the end of the film, Franak's father has been released from detention, the battle has temporarily been lost, but the peoples spirit is unquenched. According to Franak, the end is nigh for Lukashenko.