Belarus (IPA: /'b?l?ru?s/) (Belarusian
and Russian: ????????, transliteration: Byelarus’, Turkish:
Beyaz Rusya (namely, White Russia)) listen (help·info) is
a landlocked country in Eastern Europe,[1] that borders Russia to
the north and east, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and
Lithuania and Latvia to the north. Its capital is Minsk; other major
cities include Brest, Grodno, Gomel, Mogilev, Vitebsk and Bobruisk.
A third of the country is forested, and agriculture and manufacturing
are its strongest economic sectors.
Until the 20th century, the Belarusians lacked the opportunity
to form their national policy, as the lands of modern-day Belarus
belonged to several countries, including the Duchy of Polatsk, the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and
the Russian Empire. After the short-lived Belarusian People's Republic
(1918–19), Belarus became a constituent republic of the Soviet
Union, the Byelorussian SSR.
The final unification of Belarusian lands within its modern borders
took place in 1939, when the ethnically Belarusian lands that were
part of interwar Poland were annexed by the USSR and attached to
the Soviet Belarus. The territory and its nation were devastated
in World War II, during which Belarus lost about a quarter of its
population and more than half of its economic resources;[2] the
republic recovered in the post-war years and became one of the founding
members of the United Nations. The parliament of the republic declared
the sovereignty of Belarus on July 27, 1990, and following the collapse
of the Soviet Union, Belarus declared independence on August 25,
1991. Alexander Lukashenko has been the country's president since
1994. During his presidency, Lukashenko has implemented Soviet-era
policies, such as state ownership of the economy, despite objections
from Western governments. Since 1996, Belarus is negotiating with
Russia to unify into a single state called the Union of Russia and
Belarus.
Most of Belarus's population of 9.85 million reside in the urban
areas surrounding Minsk and other oblast (regional) capitals.[3]
More than 80% of the population are native Belarusians, with sizable
minorities of Russians, Ukrainians and Poles. Since a referendum
in 1995, the country has had two official languages: Belarusian
and Russian. The Constitution of Belarus does not declare an official
religion, although the primary religion in the country is Russian
Orthodox.
Etymology
The name Belarus derives from the term White Russia, which first
appeared in German and Latin medieval literature. The Latin term
for the area was Russia Alba. Historically, the country was referred
to in English as White Russia. It is also claimed by some people
that the correct translation is White Ruthenia (White Rus phonetically),
which either describes the area of Eastern Europe populated by Slavic
people or the states that occupied the area.[4] The first known
use of White Russia to refer to Belarus was in the late-16th century
by Englishman Sir Jerome Horsey.[5] During the 17th century, Russian
tsars used White Rus', asserting that they were trying to recapture
their heritage from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.[5]
Belarus was named Belorussia (Russian: ??????????) in the days
of Imperial Russia, and the Russian tsar was usually styled Czar
of All the Russias—Great, Little, and White. Belorussia was
the only Russian language name of the country (its names in other
languages such as English being based on the Russian form) until
1991, when the Supreme Soviet of the Belorussian Soviet Socialist
Republic decreed by law that the new independent republic should
be called Belarus (????????) in Russian and in all other language
transcriptions of its name. The change was made to reflect adequately
the Belarusian language form of the name.[6] Accordingly, the name
Belorussia was replaced by Belarus in English, and, to some extent,
in Russian (although the traditional name still persists in that
language as well); likewise, the adjective Belorussian or Byelorussian
was replaced by Belarusian in English (though Russian has not developed
a new adjective). Some Belarusians object to the name Belorussia
as an unwelcome reminder of the days under Russian and Soviet rule.[7]
However, most residents of the country do not mind it being called
Byelorussiya in Russian (which is, actually, the most widely spoken
language there) – it is evidenced by the fact that several
popular newspapers published locally still retain the traditional
name of the country in Russian in their names (e.g. Komsomolskaya
Pravda v Byelorussii, which is the localised publication of a popular
Russian tabloid, and Sovetskaya Byelorussiya). Officially, the full
name of the country is Republic of Belarus (?????????? ????????,
?????????? ????????, Respublika Byelarus').[8] listen (help·info)
History
The Mir Castle near Minsk, built in the 15th century
Map of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland in
the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, 1619The area of modern-day Belarus
was first settled by Slavic tribes in the 6th century. They gradually
came into contact with the Varangians, a band of warriors consisting
of Scandinavians and Slavs from the Baltics.[9] Though defeated
and briefly exiled by the local population, the Varangians were
later asked to return[9] and helped to form a polity—commonly
referred to as the Kievan Rus'—in exchange for tribute. The
Kievan Rus' state began in about 862 at the present-day city of
Novgorod.[10]
Upon the death of Kievan Rus' ruler, Prince Yaroslav the Wise,
the state split into independent principalities.[11] These Ruthenian
principalities were badly affected by a Mongol invasion in the 13th
century, and many were later incorporated into the Grand Duchy of
Lithuania.[12] Of all the principalities held by the Duchy, nine
were settled by ancestors of the Belarusian people.[13] During this
time, the Duchy was involved in several military campaigns, including
fighting on the side of Poland against the Teutonic Knights at the
Battle of Grunwald in 1410. The joint victory allowed the Duchy
to control the northwestern border lands of Eastern Europe.[14]
On February 2, 1386, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom
of Poland were joined in a personal union through a marriage of
their rulers.[15] This union set in motion the developments that
eventually resulted in the formation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth,
created in 1569. The Russians, led by Tsar Ivan the III, began military
conquests in 1486 in an attempt to gain the Kievan Rus' lands, specifically
Belarus and Ukraine.[16] The union between Poland and Lithuania
ended in 1795, and the commonwealth was partitioned by Imperial
Russia, Prussia, and Austria, dividing Belarus.[17] Belarusian territories
were acquired by the Russian Empire during the reign of Catherine
II[18] and held until their occupation by Germany during World War
I.[19]
Map of the Russian Empire, 1762–1801During the negotiations
of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, Belarus first declared independence
on 25 March 1918, forming the Belarusian People's Republic. The
Germans supported the BPR, which lasted for about 10 months.[20]
Soon after the Germans were defeated, the BPR fell under the influence
of the Bolsheviks and the Red Army and became the Byelorussian Soviet
Socialist Republic in 1919.[20] After Russian occupation of eastern
and northern Lithuania, it was merged into the Lithuanian-Byelorussian
Soviet Socialist Republic. Byelorussian lands were then split between
Poland and the Soviets after the Polish-Soviet War ended in 1921,
and the recreated Byelorussian SSR became a founding member of the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1922.[20]
In September 1939, as a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact,
the Soviet Union invaded Poland and annexed its eastern lands, including
most of Polish-held Byelorussian land.[21] Nazi Germany invaded
the Soviet Union in 1941. Byelorussia was the hardest hit Soviet
Republic in the war and remained in Nazi hands until 1944. During
that time, Germany destroyed 209 out of 290 cities in the republic,
85% of the republic's industry, and more than one million buildings,
while causing human losses estimated between two and three million
(about a quarter to one-third of the total population).[2] The Jewish
population of Byelorussia was devastated during The Holocaust and
never recovered.[22] The population of Belarus did not regain its
pre-war level until 1971.[22] After the war ended, Byelorussia was
among the 51 founding signatories of the United Nations Charter
in 1945 and began rebuilding the Soviet Republic. During this time,
the Byelorussian SSR became a major center of manufacturing in the
western region of the USSR, increasing jobs and bringing an influx
of ethnic Russians into the republic.[23] The borders of Byelorussian
SSR and Poland were redrawn to a point known as the Curzon Line.[21]
Map of the Byelorussian SSR, 1940Joseph Stalin implemented a policy
of Sovietization to isolate the Byelorussian SSR from Western influences.[22]
This policy involved sending Russians from various parts of the
Soviet Union and placing them in key positions in the Byelorussian
SSR government. The official use of the Belarusian language and
other cultural aspects were limited by Moscow. After Stalin died
in 1953, successor Nikita Khrushchev continued this program, stating,
"The sooner we all start speaking Russian, the faster we shall
build communism".[22] When Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev
began pushing through his reform plan, the Belarusian people delivered
a petition to him in December 1986 explaining the loss of their
culture. Earlier that year, Byelorussian SSR was exposed to nuclear
fallout from the explosion at the Chernobyl power plant in neighboring
Ukrainian SSR.[24] In June 1988 at the city of Kurapaty, archaeologist
Zianon Pazniak, the leader of Christian Conservative Party of the
BPF, discovered mass graves which contained about 250,000 bodies
of victims executed in 1941.[24] Some nationalists contend that
this discovery is proof that the Soviet government was trying to
erase the Belarusian people, causing Belarusian nationalists to
seek independence.[25]
A banner displayed by Belarusian students near Warsaw University
showing support for Belarusian independenceTwo years later, in March
1990, elections for seats in the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian
SSR took place. Though the pro-independence Belarusian Popular Front
took only 10% of the seats, the populace was content with the selection
of the delegates.[26] Belarus declared itself sovereign on July
27, 1990, by issuing the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the
Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic. With the support of the Communist
Party, the country's name was changed to the Republic of Belarus
on August 25, 1991.[26] Stanislav Shushkevich, the Chairman of the
Supreme Soviet of Belarus, met with Boris Yeltsin of Russia and
Leonid Kravchuk of Ukraine on December 8, 1991, in Belavezhskaya
Pushcha to formally declare the dissolution of the Soviet Union
and the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States.[26]
A national constitution was adopted in March 1994, in which the
office of prime minister was replaced by that of president.
Two-round elections for the presidency (24 June 1994 and 10 July
1994)[27] resulted in the politically unknown Alexander Lukashenko
winning more than 45 % of the vote in the first round and 80 %[26]
in the second round, beating Vyacheslav Kebich who got 14 %. Lukashenko
remains in office, having been reelected in 2001 and in 2006.
Politics
Victory Square, MinskBelarus is a presidential republic, governed
by a president and the National Assembly. The National Assembly
is a bicameral parliament comprising the 110-member House of Representatives
(the lower house) and the 64-member Council of the Republic (the
upper house). The House of Representatives has the power to appoint
the prime minister, make constitutional amendments, call for a vote
of confidence on the prime minister, and make suggestions on foreign
and domestic policy. The Council of the Republic has the power to
select various government officials, conduct an impeachment trial
of the president, and accept or reject the bills passed by the House
of Representatives. Each chamber has the ability to veto any law
passed by local officials if it is contrary to the Constitution
of Belarus.[28] Since 1994, Alexander Lukashenko has been the president
of Belarus. The government includes a Council of Ministers, headed
by the prime minister. The members of this council need not be members
of the legislature and are appointed by the president. The judiciary
comprises the Supreme Court and specialized courts such as the Constitutional
Court, which deals with specific issues related to constitutional
and business law. The judges of national courts are appointed by
the president and confirmed by the Council of the Republic. For
criminal cases, the highest court of appeal is the Supreme Court.
The Belarusian Constitution forbids the use of special extra-judicial
courts.[28]
House of Government in Minsk, with a statue to Vladimir Lenin in
the foregroundAs of 2007, 98 of the 110 members the House of Representatives
are not affiliated with any political party and the remaining twelve
members, eight belong to the Communist Party of Belarus, three to
the Agrarian Party of Belarus, and one to the Liberal Democratic
Party of Belarus, making it the national legislature with the highest
proportion of non-partisans in the world. However, neither the pro-Lukashenko
parties, such as the Belarusian Socialist Sporting Party and the
Republican Party of Labor and Justice, nor the People's Coalition
5 Plus opposition parties, such as the Belarusian People's Front
and the United Civil Party of Belarus, won any seats in the 2004
elections. Organizations such as the Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) declared the election "un-free"
because of the opposition parties' poor results and media bias in
favor of the government.[29] In the country's 2006 presidential
election, Lukashenko was opposed by Alexander Milinkevich, a candidate
representing a coalition of opposition parties, and by Alaksandar
Kazulin of the Social Democrats. Kazulin was detained and beaten
by police during protests surrounding the All Belarusian People's
Assembly. Lukashenko won the election with 80% of the vote, but
the OSCE and other organizations called the election unfair.[30]
Lukashenko has described himself as having an "authoritarian
ruling style".[31] Western countries have described Belarus
under Lukashenko as a dictatorship; the government has accused the
same Western powers of trying to oust Lukashenko.[32] The Council
of Europe has barred Belarus from membership since 1997 for undemocratic
voting and election irregularities in the November 1996 constitutional
referendum and parliament by-elections.[33] The Belarusian government
is also criticized for human rights violations and its actions against
non-governmental organizations, independent journalists, national
minorities, and opposition politicians.[34][35] Belarus is the only
nation in Europe that retains the death penalty for certain crimes
during times of peace and war.[36] In testimony to the U.S. Senate
Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice labeled Belarus, among six nations, as part of
the "outposts of tyranny".[37] In response, the Belarusian
government called the assessment "quite far from reality".[38]
Foreign relations and military
President Alexander Lukashenko in Cuba, 2006Belarus and Russia have
been close trading partners and diplomatic allies since the breakup
of the Soviet Union. Belarus is dependent on Russia for imports
of raw materials and for its export market.[39] The Union of Russia
and Belarus, a supranational confederation, was established in a
1996–99 series of treaties that called for monetary union,
equal rights, single citizenship, and a common foreign and defense
policy.[39] Although the future of the Union was in doubt because
of Belarus' repeated delays of monetary union, the lack of a referendum
date for the draft constitution, and a 2006–07 dispute about
petroleum trade.[39] On December 11, 2007, reports emerged that
a framework for the new state was discussed between both countries.[40]
Belarus was a founder member of the Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS); however, recently other CIS members have questioned
the effectiveness of the organization.[41] Belarus has trade agreements
with several European Union member states (despite other member
states' travel ban on Lukashenko and top officials),[42] as well
as with its neighbors Lithuania, Poland and Latvia.[43]
Bilateral relations with the United States are strained because
of the United States State Department's support for various pro-democracy
NGOs and because the Belarusian government made it harder for US-based
organizations to operate within the country.[44] The 2004 US Belarus
Democracy Act continued this trend, authorizing funding for pro-democracy
Belarusian NGOs and forbidding loans to the Belarusian government
except for humanitarian purposes.[45] Despite this, the two nations
cooperate on intellectual property protection, prevention of human
trafficking and technology crime, and disaster relief.[46]
Belarus has increased cooperation with China, strengthened by the
visit of President Lukashenko to China in October 2005.[47] Belarus
has strong ties with Syria,[48] which President Lukashenko considers
a key partner in the Middle East.[49] In addition to the CIS, Belarus
has membership in the Eurasian Economic Community and the Collective
Security Treaty Organization.[43] Belarus has been a member of the
international Non-Aligned Movement since 1998[50] and a member of
the United Nations since its founding in 1945.[51]
The Armed Forces of Belarus has three branches: the Army, the Air
Force, and the Ministry of Defense joint staff. Colonel-General
Leonid Maltsev heads the Ministry of Defense,[52] and Alexander
Lukashenko (as president) serves as Commander-in-Chief.[53] The
Armed Forces was formed in 1992 using parts of the former Soviet
Armed Forces on the new republic's territory. The transformation
of the ex-Soviet forces into the Armed Forces of Belarus, which
was completed in 1997, reduced the number of its soldiers by 30,000
and restructured its leadership and military formations.[54] Most
of Belarus's service members are conscripts, who serve for 12 months
if they have higher education or 18 months if they do not.[55] However,
demographic decreases in the Belarusians of conscription age have
increased the importance of contract soldiers, who numbered 12,000
as of 2001.[56] In 2005, about 1.4% of Belarus's gross domestic
product was devoted to military expenditures.[57] Belarus has not
expressed a desire to join NATO but has participated in the Individual
Partnership Program since 1997.[58]
Provinces and districts
Provinces of BelarusBelarus is divided into six voblasts, or provinces,
which are named after the cities that serve as their administrative
centers.[59] Each voblast has a provincial legislative authority,
called an oblsovet, which is elected by the voblast's residents,
and a provincial executive authority called a voblast administration,
whose leader is appointed by the president.[60] Voblasts are further
subdivided into raions (commonly translated as districts or regions).[59]
As with voblasts, each raion has its own legislative authority (raisovet,
or raion council) elected by its residents, and an executive authority
(raion administration) appointed by higher executive powers. As
of 2002, there are six voblasts, 118 raions, 102 towns and 108 urbanized
settlements.[61] Minsk is given a special status, due to the city
serving as the national capital. Minsk City is ran by an executive
committee and granted a charter of self-rule by the national government.[62]
Vaskowskae reservoirBelarus is landlocked, relatively flat, and
contains large tracts of marshy land.[63] According to a 1994 estimate
by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, 34% of
Belarus is covered by forests.[64] Many streams and 11,000 lakes
are found in Belarus.[63] Three major rivers run through the country:
the Neman, the Pripyat, and the Dnepr. The Neman and the Pripyat
flow eastward to the Dnepr; the Dnepr flows southward towards the
Black Sea.[64] Belarus's highest point is Dzyarzhynskaya Hara (Dzyarzhynsk
Hill) at 345 metres (1,130 ft), and its lowest point is on the Neman
River at 90 metres (300 ft).[63] The average elevation of Belarus
is 525 feet (160 m) above sea level.[65] The climate ranges from
harsh winters, with average January temperatures at -6 °C (21.2
°F), to cool and moist summers with the average temperature
of 18 °C (64 °F).[66] Belarus experiences an average rainfall
of 550 to 700 millimeters (21.7 to 27.5 inches).[66] The country
experiences a yearly transition from a continental climate to a
maritime climate.[63]
Horses grazing in Minsk ProvinceBelarus's natural resources include
peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite,
dolomite (limestone), marl, chalk, sand, gravel, and clay.[63] About
70% of the radiation from neighboring Ukraine's 1986 Chernobyl nuclear
disaster entered Belarusian territory, and as of 2005 about a fifth
of Belarusian land (principally farmland and forests in the southeastern
provinces) continues to be affected by radiation fallout.[67] The
United Nations and other agencies have aimed to reduce the level
of radiation in affected areas, especially through the use of cesium
binders and rapeseed cultivation, which are meant to decrease soil
levels of cesium-137.[68][69]
Belarus is bordered by Latvia on the north, Lithuania on the northwest,
Poland on the west, Russia on the north and east and Ukraine on
the south. Treaties in 1995 and 1996 demarcated Belarus's borders
with Latvia and Lithuania, but Belarus failed to ratify a 1997 treaty
establishing the Belarus-Ukraine border.[70] Belarus and Lithuania
ratified final border demarcation documents in February 2007.[71]
Economy
A Belarusian-made tractor being used to farmMost of the Belarusian
economy remains state-controlled, as in Soviet times.[39] Thus,
51.2% of Belarusians are employed by state-controlled companies,
47.4% are employed by private Belarusian companies (of which 5.7%
are partially foreign-owned), and 1.4% are employed by foreign companies.[72]
The country relies on imports such as oil from Russia[73][74] Important
agricultural products include potatoes and cattle byproducts, such
as meat.[75] As of 1994, the biggest exports of Belarus were heavy
machinery, agricultural products, and energy products.[76]
Belarusian GDP growth since 1995 and estimate for 2007Historically
important branches of industry include textiles and wood processing.[77]
As of the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union, Belarus was one
of the world's most industrially developed states by percentage
of gross domestic product (GDP) as well as the richest CIS state.[78]
Economically, Belarus involved itself in the CIS, Eurasian Economic
Community, and Union with Russia. During the 1990s, however, industrial
production plunged because of decreases in imported inputs, in investment,
and in demand for exports from traditional trading partners.[79]
It took until 1996 for the gross domestic product to rise;[80] this
coincided with the government putting more emphasis on using the
GDP for social welfare and state subsidies.[80] The GDP for 2006
was US$83.1 billion in purchasing power parity (PPP) dollars (estimate),
or about $8,100 per capita.[75] In 2005, the gross domestic product
increased by about 9.9%, with the inflation rate averaging about
9.5%.[75]
Belarus's largest trading partner is Russia, accounting for nearly
half of total trade in 2006.[81] As of 2006, the European Union
was Belarus's next largest trading partner, with which nearly a
third of trade was conducted.[82][81] Because of its failure to
protect labor rights, however, Belarus lost its E.U. Generalized
System of Preferences status on June 21, 2007, which raised tariff
rates to their prior most-favored nation levels.[82] Belarus has
applied to become a member of the World Trade Organization since
1993.[83]
The labor force consists of more than four million people, among
whom women hold slightly more jobs than men.[84] In 2005, nearly
a quarter of the population was employed in industrial factories.[84]
Employment is also high in agriculture, manufacturing sales, trading
goods, and education. The unemployment rate, according to Belarusian
government statistics, was about 1.5% in 2005.[84] The number of
unemployed persons totaled 679,000 of whom about two-thirds are
women.[84] The rate of unemployment has been decreasing since 2003,
and the overall rate has been lower since statistics were first
compiled in 1995.[84]
Obverse of the 500 Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR), the national currencyThe
currency of Belarus is the Belarusian ruble (BYR). The currency
was introduced in May 1992, replacing the Soviet ruble. The ruble
was reintroduced with new values in 2000 and has been in use ever
since.[85] As part of the Union of Russia and Belarus, both states
have discussed using a single currency along the same lines as the
Euro. This has led to the proposal that the Belarusian ruble be
discontinued in favor of the Russian ruble (RUB), starting as early
as 1 January 2008. As of August 2007, the National Bank of Belarus
is no longer pegging the Belarusian ruble to the Russian ruble.[86]
The banking system of Belarus is composed of 30 state-owned banks
and one privatized bank.[87]
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Belarus
Ethnic Belarusians constitute 81.2% of Belarus's total population.[88]
The next largest ethnic groups are Russians (11.4%), Poles (3.9%),
and Ukrainians (2.4%).[88] Belarus's two official languages are
Belarusian and Russian,[89] spoken at home by 36.7% and 62.8% of
Belarusians, respectively.[90] Minorities also speak Polish, Ukrainian
and Eastern Yiddish.[91]
Belarus has a population density of about 50 people per square
kilometre (127 per sq mi); 71.7% of its total population is concentrated
in urban areas.[88] Minsk, the nation's capital and largest city,
is home to 1,741,400 of Belarus's 9,724,700 residents.[88] Homel,
with 481,000 people, is the second largest city and serves as the
capital of the Homel Oblast. Other large cities are Mogilev (365,100),
Vitebsk (342,400), Hrodna (314,800) and Brest (298,300).[92]
Like many other European countries, Belarus has a negative population
growth rate and a negative natural growth rate. In 2007, Belarus's
population declined by 0.41% and its fertility rate was 1.22,[88]
well below the replacement rate. Its net migration rate is +0.38
per 1,000, indicating that Belarus experiences slightly more immigration
than emigration.[88] Its population is also aging. As of 2007, 69.7%
of Belarus's population is aged 14 to 64; 16% is under 14, and 14.6%
is 65 or older; the median age 37.[88] In 2050, however, it is estimated
that Belarusians' median age will be 51.[93] There are about 0.88
males per female in Belarus.[88] The average life expectancy is
68.7 years (63.0 years for males and 74.9 years for females).[88]
Over 99% of Belarusians are literate.[88][94]
Cathedral of Saint Sophia in PolotskBelarus has historically been
a Russian Orthodox country, with minorities practicing Catholicism,
Judaism, and other religions. Belarusians converted to the Russian
Orthodox Church after Belarus was annexed by Russia after the partitions
of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Belarus's Roman Catholic
minority, which makes up perhaps 10% of the country's population
and is concentrated in the western part of the country, especially
around Hrodna, is made up of a mixture of Belarusians and the country's
Polish and Lithuanian minorities. About 1% belong to the Belarusian
Greek Catholic Church.[95] Belarus was a major center of European
Jewry, with a 10% Jewish population. The population of Jews were
reduced by war, starvation, and the Holocaust to a tiny minority
of about 1% or less. Emigration from Belarus is a cause for the
shrinking number of Jewish residents.[96] According to Article 16
of the Constitution, Belarus has no official religion. While the
freedom of worship is granted in the same article, religious organizations
that are deemed harmful to the government or social order of the
country can be prohibited.[97]
Culture
Belarusian literature began with 11th- to 13th century religious
writing; the 12th century poetry of Cyril of Turaw is representative.[98]
By the 16th century, Polotsk resident Francysk Skaryna translated
the Bible into Belarusian. It was published in Prague and Vilnius
between 1517 and 1525, making it the first book printed in Belarus
or anywhere in Eastern Europe.[99] The modern period of Belarusian
literature began in the late-19th century; one important writer
was Yanka Kupala. Many notable Belarusian writers of the time, such
as Uladzimir Žylka, Kazimir Svayak, Yakub Kolas, Zmitrok Biadula
and Maksim Haretski, wrote for a Belarusian language paper called
Nasha Niva, published in Vilnius. After Belarus was incorporated
into the Soviet Union, the Soviet government took control of the
Republic's cultural affairs. The free development of literature
occurred only in Polish-held territory until Soviet occupation in
1939.[99] Several poets and authors went into exile after the Nazi
occupation of Belarus, not to return until the 1960s.[99] The last
major revival of Belarusian literature occurred in the 1960s with
novels published by Vasil Bykau and Uladzimir Karatkievic.
Babka, a traditional Belarusian potato dishThe first major musical
composition by a Belarusian was the opera Faust by Antoni Radziwill.
In the 17th century, Polish composer Stanislaw Moniuszko composed
operas and chamber music pieces while living in Minsk. During his
stay, he worked with Belarusian poet Vincent Dunin-Marcinkevich
and created the opera Sielanka (Peasant Woman). At the end of the
19th century, major Belarusian cities formed their own opera and
ballet companies. The ballet Nightingale by M. Kroshner was composed
during the Soviet era and became the first Belarusian ballet showcased
at the National Academic Bolshoi Ballet Theatre in Minsk.[100] After
the Great Patriotic War, music focused on the hardships of the Belarusian
people or on those who took up arms in defense of the homeland.
During this period, A. Bogatyryov, creator of the opera In Polesye
Virgin Forest, served as the "tutor" of Belarusian composers.[101]
The National Academic Theatre of Ballet, in Minsk, was awarded the
Benois de la Dance Prize in 1996 as the top ballet company in the
world.[101] Although rock music has risen in popularity in recent
years, the Belarusian government has suppressed the development
of popular music through various legal and economic mechanisms.[102]
Since 2004, Belarus has been sending artists to the Eurovision Song
Contest.[103]
The Belarusian government sponsors annual cultural festivals such
as the Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk, which showcases Belarusian
performers, artists, writers, musicians, and actors. Several state
holidays, such as Independence Day and Victory Day, draw big crowds
and often include displays such as fireworks and military parades,
especially in Vitebsk and Minsk.[104] The government's Ministry
of Culture finances events promoting Belarusian arts and culture
both inside and outside the country.
Children in traditional dressThe traditional Belarusian dress originates
from the Kievan Rus' period. Because of the cool climate, clothes,
usually composed of flax or wool, were designed to keep the body
warm. They were decorated with ornate patterns influenced by the
neighboring cultures: Poles, Lithuanians, Latvians, Russians, and
other European nations. Each region of Belarus has developed specific
design patterns.[105] An ornamental pattern used on some early dresses
is currently used to decorate the hoist of the Belarusian national
flag, adopted in a disputed referendum in 1995.[106]
Belarusian cuisine consists mainly of vegetables, meat (especially
pork), and breads. Foods are usually either slowly cooked or stewed.
A typical Belarusian eats a very light breakfast and two hearty
meals, with dinner being the largest meal of the day. Wheat and
rye breads are consumed in Belarus, but rye is more plentiful because
conditions are too harsh for growing wheat. To show hospitality,
a host presents an offering of bread and salt when greeting a guest
or visitor.[107] Popular drinks in Belarus include Russian wheat
vodka and kvass, a soft drink made from malted brown bread or rye
flour. Kvass may also be combined with sliced vegetables to create
a cold soup called okroshka.[108]
Belarus has four World Heritage Sites: the Mir Castle Complex,
the Niasvizh Castle, the Belovezhskaya Pushcha (shared with Poland),
and the Struve Geodetic Arc (shared with nine other countries).[109]
Broadcasting center of state-run TV in MinskThe largest media holding
group in Belarus is the state-owned National State Teleradiocompany.
It operates several television stations and radio stations that
broadcast content domestically and internationally, either through
frequency signals or the Internet.[110] The Television Broadcasting
Network is one of the major independent television stations in Belarus,
mostly showing regional programming. Several newspapers, printed
either in Belarusian or Russian, provide general information or
special interest content, such as business, politics or sports.
In 1998, there were fewer than 100 total radio stations in Belarus:
28 AM, 37 FM and 11 shortwave stations.[111]
Private TV company in Zhodino records a talk-show in a local night
club, 2002All media companies are regulated by the Law On Press
and Other Mass Media, passed on January 13, 1995.[112] This grants
the freedom of press; however, Article 5 states that slander cannot
be made against the president of Belarus or other officials outlined
in the national constitution.[112] The Belarusian Government has
since been criticized for acting against media outlets. Newspapers
such as Nasa Niva and the Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta have been
targeted for closure by the authorities after they published reports
critical of President Lukashenko or other government officials.[113][114]
The OSCE and Freedom House have commented regarding the loss of
press freedom in Belarus. In 2005, Freedom House gave Belarus the
score of 6.75 (not free) when it came to dealing with press freedom.
Another issue for the Belarusian press is the unresolved disappearance
of several journalists.[115]
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