Belarus (magazine #11 2020) by BELARUS Magazine

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No. 11 (1046), 2020 Беларусь. Belarus

belarus Politics. Economy. Culture

ISSN 2415-394X

Modernity based on tradition Belarusian State Academy of Arts celebrated its 75th anniversary

Newspaper from Belarus

Голас Радзімы edition of the “Голас Радзімы” is available at www.zviazda.by

The newspaper for fellow countrymen: well-known and well-read 1

ГАЗЕТА З БЕЛАРУСІ

ГОЛАС РАДЗІМЫ

Голас Радзімы пятніца, 13 лістапада, 2020

ВЫДАЕЦЦА З КРАСАВІКА 1955 ГОДА ●

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І і, я льны ываю ень ып ка р м тн агнагісага лні, я. к аьлпі ялдьзі шаюКірыы ж шля ну шы т ыят ел зя ін нікуна нарэальнайартсустрэчы! од онгя!Увы ую ац х тчэн а го рннемаезна ы віт каш не , але я н мер хайБк ста хб чы М ка ў як выц на й дзя утны орык агок арус мля—дко у той м агліс атмяацмівтайшсэсцажв я н лі чы віў ат ЧамувырашылімыправесціБеларус ту ола ван м нябыўвы й значаныпе в і явіў дзец бел езал ках ела лее ата Лу р п ой а ы зв ь гдеом ш,, е ад зба нав ржца,які нуса р і св грааймож ды рылы уска а цэнт сцвя аюм месц сап а збе ыла ці бродзап, рма аБро гйодатжаыўў спіс,кпа й асам П і, м арус ежн зусім рус ўся куюартнядзелюўСібіры?Пачалосяўсё ікунааббраў ж ых дга самкятасць ч р ф рд апА к най ухолўансаоў. рэз ы ыя ая ўн! хаеозм ацма хырш аеш а, і раў і ж нТеуў елтаы эы ар большую коль , с л ж б ы я ьпа ім л ц го ц л іў е у і а ш д р р Т ў ч ідэ — р Ба ё і бнымжаэкспертамвы еліўВя рм аю зступ ы ан раэў уч е,ш ааег ішмы сцсі.ці ецукр . Я тры н чаі, м на Му ан зыыч нт. на кнац дзяр шчэ л н магу саявнс кімаўс лі, ых раў рысТгора арус ага так аван ць: атта йба вд ЗМ озсвіушпамскніхкератодпыам ➔ род ыя жа і ст Статкевіч, мастПац а ры к ер п у е ваз м П ксі кіраўндік аёя а та цкім вакі ійн н я н та а закслуж ар слаў Ст !”,— ўж зем рўавпіч ьш е яч кі,с ураў м: с айзя ыцця цэнт я бе мбы м чым тноіча нльтауй начлотрзомсярныелітоўсвэеліг— он й ар ез н рнбы нааЯ Лыш са р цеыяў л крі,усвкяа ле ныпя алампы,атшгда — ў г ка жанага калектыва Белаэрру . 2 за о сскіі:вяБе ці лса тгыамлі . Цэ р ку лару ў П ы с ры а н в . . 7 ы ніц да спа лы льт с ель пратпа”, йзе найму дн генду даузёш ўрарто вааряыго тоолеа охйкна ацзійак: сзезн з дзяржансамблянаирход ыкці“Свя ур ы гаа ар бр ы— п уры еакя ялкі цВк рш іро ктаам лу ш ур Л а п пт Бял к т д а іс ь а а аўнры.об ве чан эр ц яФран п р д л,авя мын, і таамд анме тіобў клрьы г л уладальнікмеедна цыскаСка ел ,С капры д ццыін дыыз ў…С анда кі.а➔ ку ай дзе ошн зала аТ яко па с Ту энц н ыМ рны ыл аг с чау коія ё с ож і я іх ассццяў Анлайн-прэ філь а тацыя а Я , ззен рма не там яебу тое, срвааўбкал,яннаяТгуар алП аўс ій— арц князьё цц ці Б тро йн од уки” рг п одкі, ды як звыч тэйш дзеп срзэбВ ал–о4д0пэўснылавяаў. П кі. зат інТ “Новаиясірбір беларускай ры а Лскі зем пр зям А во у іру я цэнтр дк ы М выж ан,н с йрда Фё пер ія бо айны ым рабі ун2а0ейы зе о еля і х нгод” тор тры: ы наад куль е а он дбныл ася на другі такс рнік шу льш яс , на таер,аз мкан,ауярспкаара пад и кап 20 і Ис яту а н та ік т го л “ у я й я с с а а а а ю е то ма ы Беларусы Новасібірска св епіс , а , жы н ўне ь, насказаць ятн кога дзілі гр ю аз зн нід ркаф тане пе,рка сдвзя гердзень.Так,намужо20!Мож ач Ма ков архі усам цкія скага о да арус а крыабень буку, ойдзе зе н агііз каннея, жуц ае.І тры Ур лі ед р е ў шт ел ст жы чык вы ную еьссук а чо цс ьун калі тал , пр яты ела сян іто Б ы ,ш у. раз панл усктр рна вет аро На йно е: св ыў б аЯ а Л жалі, ная кія — рніга ь ЫК цін тор І, в раон кіаЛ Б ак га у.П яс амі, Во ніка ні б Войн яств азва ачас оўс і Ча вал , ЯР аст фяедо мусю елар аюц каме ра а м іч ц н вы джан ічы а Кн но р таг ы літ мл сна гады й у ым у н АЦ пр нав ны СімцКьрзз а ж, а са сі кі а. 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contents

Беларусь. Belarus

Belta

Social and political magazine № 11 (1046), November, 2020 Published since 1930 Founders: Zviazda Publishing House editorial-and-publishing establishment Editor-in-Chief: Viktor Kharkov Executive Secretary: Valentina Zhdanovich Editorial office address: 220013 Minsk, Belarus, 10a Bogdan Khmelnitsky Street Tel.: +375 (17) 287-19-19, +375 (17) 292-66-92 Тel./fax: +375 (17) 287-15-26. www.zviazda.by E-mail: belarus.mag@mail.ru

Moment remarkable in many respects Diplomacy is a responsible business

The Ambassadors of the six states and the Apostolic Nuncio presented their credentials to the President of Belarus

The first stage of Minsk Metro line 3 has been put into operation

Stakes are placed on professionals

Roads of Belarus will be estimated by stars An independent institute of road safety auditors will be established in Belarus. And all roads in the country, including the main ones, will be examined under the International Road Assessment Programme (IRAP). This is a certain system which will define both the safest roads and those where quality needs improving. In the next decade, the country will also have a national programme for the development of electric transport, which is currently undergoing various approvals

Metro in the capital city gets bigger with new stations

Registration Certificate No. 8 issued on 16.07.2018, by the Information Ministry of the Republic of Belarus Design and Layout by Tatiana Storozhenko olga razinkevich Proof-reader Alisa Gungor

Беларусь. Belarus is published in Belarusian, English and Chinese. The magazine is distributed to 50 countries worldwide. Final responsibility for factual accuracy and interpretation lies with publication authors. Should any article of Беларусь. Belarus be used, reference to the magazine is obligatory.

Era that ends

The editorial office does not bear responsibility for contents of advertisements.

Experts believe that the implementation of the Belarusian integrated service and settlement system (BISSS), i. e. a complex of information systems and resources for the identification of consumers using identification cards (ID-cards) for the provision of electronic services, including administrative procedures, will help to completely change the situation in the field of electronic services

Signed for printing on 18.11.2020 Offset printing. Coated paper. Format 60х84 1⁄8. Conventional printed sheets 6,51 Accounting published sheets 0,00 Total circulation — 1671

copies (805 — in English)

Belta

Subscription index — 74977

Electric power

future

Order Republican unitary enterprise "BudMedyyaPrayekt" Licence No. 02330/71 on 23.01.2014 220123 Minsk, Belarus, 13/61 V. Khoruzhey Street

беларусь. belarus 2020

Vladimir Korotkevich and the whole world

How life will change

The launch of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant opens up new horizons for the application of electric energy. And it’s not just about reducing the ecological burden and saving on natural gas imports — energy from the BelNPP will allow us to take a fresh look at many activities

The most striking examples of harm to one’s own health are smoking, alcohol abuse and overeating, as well as neglecting one’s own body and ignoring medical advice. How we prematurely get those diseases that are typical of an advanced age, why a girl’s carefree attitude towards her health affects not only her, but also the next generation, how we are affected by heredity — Dr. Gumen told us about these and many other things

Anti-cancer, hepatitis, multiple sclerosis and COVID‑19 Domestic pharmaceutical companies produce a wide range of drugs, including antitumor drugs, for the treatment of the cardiovascular system and the gastrointestinal tract, as well as for patients with not the most common but very serious diseases, such as multiple sclerosis. At the same time, manufacturers are convinced that Belarusian analogues are no worse than foreign originals, especially since the quality requirements are very stringent

Viktor Liskovich: I have something to compare with... The Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Council of the Republic on Education, Science, Culture and Social Development told the interviwer about his family dynasty, life universities and plans for the future

Steam is not afraid of Moroz Different people have opposite attitudes to steam bathing. There are fans of “light steam” who are convinced that a steam room and broom will be useful at any age and in any state of health. But many people dislike steam bathing and never take it

No words. Just emotions…

Neurologist Gurbanidzhad Gumen Gushang: “Do not press the selfdestruct button”

In the rhythm of pilates How not to rupture oneself while strengthening one’s health? We are looking for the answer on… the bed, but an unusual one

A view on art in the context of time

Modernity based on tradition

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yan khvedchin

“Wintering in Antarctica is a special case”

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context

Views on events and trends Alexander Lukashenko gave an interview to political observers from Belarus and abroad

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Representatives of leading mass media from Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Moldova came to Minsk. The meeting at the Independence Palace lasted for over four hours. During this time, the President of Belarus answered urgent and topical questions. At the beginning of the conversation, Alexander Lukashenko stressed the importance of such a dialogue: — Traditionally, such meetings are a very important channel of communication with a multimillion audience. It is an opportunity to outline the positions on issues that concern people, to reflect on them and, of course, get a certain feedback as well as to reach those who, for various reasons, have not fully understood the essence of the current moment. He went on to say: — Including our foreign friends, who sometimes do not quite correctly assess the situation in Belarus and its place in the international community. According to Alexander Lukashenko, the world today is living in conditions of serious upheavals that require deep analysis: — We are watching live the breakage of the usual way of life, plunging of the planet into a systemic crisis. Many mass media call the coronavirus the main reason for this. I have already said, and I will repeat, that this is just an excuse, a cover with the help of which the global players are once again trying to divide the world in their own way. It is clear that they also have plans in the post-Soviet space, including Belarus. Ironically, this is a weighty argument which confirms

The National Library hosts the exhibition “Font: litera in primo”

It is timed to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the Belarusian State Academy of Arts. Vsevolod Sventakhovsky, Associate Professor, member of the Belarusian Union of Artists, Dean of the Faculty of Decorative and Applied Arts of BSAA, explained that the development of fonts had been conducted by students of two departments for more than one year. The exposition presents the results of a large-scale project on digitization and reconstruction of fonts of the editions published one hundred years ago and kept in the funds of the National Library. The first insert type manuscripts of the 11th‑13th centuries had their own features.

that the Belarusian state has taken place, has political weight and serious economic potential. The President also stressed: — Over a quarter of a century Belarus has built an effective model of the social state system which allows defending national interests. Belarus has become a member of the club of space and nuclear powers. On the basis of high technologies, it is creating a new economy. Alexander Lukashenko also specified the cornerstone of our foreign policy: — We have never created problems to our neighbours. Not only to our neighbours, but also to distant countries where our friends live, i. e. Kazakhstan, China and so on. Let alone Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia. These are our neighbours, we did not choose them. They are not chosen. By Alexander Pimenov

Then Belarusian cursive writing was formed, which differed from that of our Western or Eastern neighbours. The fonts for printed books were created on the basis of an ancient manuscript tradition. Francisk Skorina made a real font revolution: his font was easy to read compared to the ones that had existed before. The 20th century was decisive for Belarus. The modern Belarusian language was being formed with its normalization, textbooks were being created and their graphic design was under way. The Jewish font culture deserves special mention — in the 1920s the founders experimented a lot, creating avant-garde, very bright fonts for newspapers, magazines and books. Modern Belarus has a unique school of fonts, in which masters of graphic arts rely on ancient traditions, and, of course, on the editing version of Francisk Skorina. Elena Dedyulya

Nuances of writing

Alexander Lukashenko with journalists

By Elena Dedyulya

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Moment remarkable in many respects

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event

November 7 can be considered a symbolic opening of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant Choice was well timed

But the Russian one was decided upon. As, Alexander Lukashenko emphasized, for that period of time it was the most modern and safest project. And economically attractive — in terms of the price and quality.

Prospect of interesting options What will the country gain from commissioning of the BelNPP? According to the Minister of Energy Viktor Karankevich, its start will allow to substitute about 4.5 belta

On this day the permission was granted for the electric power ascension up to 400 MW in the first power unit of the nuclear power plant. The President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko who participated in a ceremony called BelNPP “a new step to the future, to ensuring energy security of the state” (the first power unit alone will produce about 20 percent of the total need of the country for electricity, the same amount will be provided by the sec-

ond unit which is being built now) and also “an impulse for attraction to the country of the most advanced technologies”. And not only in power engineering. But also in the development of electric transport, creation of new electro-intensive industries, innovative directions in science and education. But the decision on the construction of the NPP was not an easy one. And when the project was being chosen, the proposals of all world leaders in this sphere were studied, different options — American, Chinese, French, Korean were reconsidered…

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event billion cubic meters of natural gas a year. Currency load of the budget will decrease by more than 500 million US dollars. Emissions of greenhouse gases will decrease by more than 7 million tons a year. Start of the nuclear power plant will offer new opportunities for the national economy and will make it possible to develop other spheres, for example, production of the electric transport. Among the priority directions is connection to the electric power of housing stock — for heating and hot water supply. Farms will become attractive to citizens. Earlier development of individual housing construction in rural areas was hampered by lack of communications and difficulty with heating. But with the commission of the NPP and establishment of a special tariff for heating, this process will be intensified. By the way, there are a lot of perspective options. And all of them are tempting for the IT country. According to the Director of Rosatom state corporation Alexey Likhachev, it is expedient to build power-consuming industries near the Belarusian nuclear power plant, e. g. data-processing centers, the IT enterprises, the enterprises of petro-chemistry, metallurgy, the aluminum industry. Well, as a new chapter of the Belarusian history has been opened, the President is thinking of its new entries. Perhaps one more NPP? By the way, this issue was discussed by the Head of State with Alexey Likhachev. He wanted to know where it would be more expedient to build: extra power here or a new station in some other part of the country? — On this site it will be definitely cheaper, — was the answer. The question is not idle. The construction of the present NPP only involved nearly seven billion US dollars of investments into national economy. It is a good incentive for its development. The boost which will give an impetus to many material sectors. So far it is future. And here comes the present. Alexander Lukashenko gave such an example: thanks to close interaction with the Russian State Corporation “Rosatom”, the native school of nuclear scientists appeared in the country. For the launch of the first power unit, the staff of the nuclear power plant has already been formed, trained and qualified. The forma-

tion of a team for the launch of the second power unit will be soon completed. In total, by the way, over two and a half thousand people will work at the BelNPP.  And one more plus. The district center Ostrovets turned into a modern and comfortable city. New apartment houses and all necessary social infrastructure have been built. More than one billion rubles is spent on these purposes. Ostrovets should become an example of further development of district centers for the country. By the way, the population of Ostrovets has grown by seven percent, and the district is on top in the region in terms of the wage level.

Security — first of all Nuclear power plants are built around the world. And as for the BelNPP, the Head of State focused attention on security. The country which suffered from the accident on the Chernobyl NPP most, cannot not have a careless attitude to this issue. — As I always said, we would build this station because we didn’t do it without control, — Alexander Lukashenko said. — We are surrounded with these power units, and older units. We have a perfect unit, the most modern. What are we to be afraid of? IAEA controlled us constantly, we did not mind it. Therefore the President of Belarus once again appealed to the leadership of Lithuania and Poland to stop confrontational rhetoric and to return to dialogue: — Let’s live in peace and friendship. Let’s work together. Our peoples once used to live in a common state, they lived quite calmly and have lived so up to now. But, out of the blue, they got into our garden. Well, if you understood that you were mistaken, leave our garden, let’s work together: you in your garden, we in ours. Let’s make

electric power, sell it, exchange it. Let’s live calmly! We are neighbors, and neighbors are not chosen.

If to arrive at generalizations And this is how in his conversation with the workers and builders of NPP, Alexander Lukashenko assessed the situation in the country: — There is an alternation of generations, whether we want it or not. I understand it more than anybody else. As reasonable people, let us pass this period of alternation of generations smoothly. Because it is simple to break everything, and then it will be very difficult to restore it or, perhaps, it will never be possible. Therefore, let’s not break. Among noticeable achievements the President called the creation of biotechnology corporation, the developed IT sector and modern agricultural production. — If Europe’s gross domestic product falls by 20 percent today, we now, in hard times, are doing our best not to drop by one percent. And we can manage, we need a little more money for this. But if we fall, it is only about one percent. And we are saved by agriculture. It has worked most effectively today. Those products which we make are delivered worldwide — the Head of State noted. Alexander Lukashenko summarized: — Our generation is not ashamed, while leaving policy, economy, to transfer and show to you, a new younger generation, what we have created. But most important is that we give to our children, grandchildren a sovereign, independent country. For the first time in centuries-old history we have a state with all its attributes. By Oleg Bogomazov

Competently Mikhail Chudakov, IAEA Deputy Director General: — Let me thank Belarus, the country leaders for strong and active collaboration with IAEA, for the invitation of our numerous missions and international checks, voluntary checks. Since the establishment of the project, seven international missions have been conducted. Unlike in any other country-beginner. We are grateful to Belarus for the fact that all recommendations of the international experts are accepted as mandatory.

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relations

Diplomacy is a responsible business The Ambassadors of the six states and the Apostolic Nuncio presented their credentials to the President of Belarus.

To make the world a better place Presentation of credentials is not just a formal procedure. The title of this document already clearly shows its meaning: please believe everything that the ambassador will say and do on behalf of his country’s leadership. This time such a request was made by Apostolic Nuncio Ante Jozic, Ambassador of Venezuela Franklin Ramirez Araque, Ambassador of Iran Saeed Yari, Ambassador of DPRK Ju Jong Bong, Ambassador of Syria Mohammad Aloumrani, Ambassador of Turkey Mustafa Ozcan and Ambassador of Japan Hiroki Tokunaga. Addressing the diplomats, the President of Belarus said that the start of their missions fell on a difficult and responsible period. Mankind is facing a second wave of coronavirus, which has had a negative impact on the world economy, among other things. International conflicts have escalated. New threats have appeared in the information space. Focusing on this, the President said: — This is why the time has come to move from idle talk and loud political declarations to real action. It is very important for us to take an unbiased look at the situation and preserve all the achievements of international cooperation. The Head of the Belarusian State is convinced that only coordinated actions of all countries, display of humanism and solidarity, strengthening of the atmosphere of mutual trust can neutralize these threats and create a solid foundation for resolutions of problems. Belarus is always ready for such interaction. — Despite all the difficulties associated with the proliferation of the coronavirus, our country remains open to the world. No distance and no borders can prevent the development of trusting, mutually beneficial relations with our partners, — Alexander Lukashenko stressed.

Distance is not a barrier For almost every ambassador, working in our country is a completely new page in the biography. And the Head of State is confident that everyone will discover their own Belarus: a cordial,

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hospitable, enterprising and responsible Belarus, with a rich historical heritage, ready for a dialogue with various cultures. — I can assure you that everyone will feel at home in our country and will never be disappointed, — the President emphasized. Yes, today our country is going through a difficult period. This year’s kaleidoscope of events has become an exam not only for the current government, but for the entire Belarusian society. However, Alexander Lukashenko has no doubts that we will pass this exam with dignity and overcome all the difficulties: — As the Head of State, I responsibly declare that we are capable of effectively countering external challenges and threats, ensuring domestic political stability, preventing civil split and arbitrariness of some radical elements. At the same time our country is ready to cooperate with all foreign partners, to discuss any issues, including exchange of views on the situation in Belarus. — But only on condition of safeguarding the interests of the parties and non-interference in internal affairs, — the President stressed. Addressing the diplomats, Alexander Lukashenko noted that they represented the countries located on different continents. But we all have in common the desire to make the world safer, the economy more sustainable, and the lives of ordinary people better. In this regard, there was another message from the President of Belarus: — I am convinced that you will not be just benevolent and unbiased observers of the processes, but will provide all possible assistance in forming equal, mutually beneficial relations with Belarus. It is in your power to bring closer and mutually enrich our cultures, to help expand humanitarian cooperation and interpersonal contacts

Literally The President paid special attention to relations between Belarus and the countries that the ambassadors represent. Alexander Lukashenko addressed each of them one by one and said the following.

relations To the Apostolic Nuncio

— Belarus and the Vatican have special relations. On the international arena, we have consistently promoted such important initiatives as combating human trafficking, combating violence against children, and protecting traditional family values. Interfaith peace issues occupy a special place on our bilateral agenda. We look forward to a consolidating, constructive role of the Catholic Church in Belarusian society. I confirm our interest in further deepening interaction with the Holy See.

To the Ambassador of Turkey — Turkey is an important ally for us, which was the first country to recognize Belarus’ independence. During my visit to Ankara last year, President Erdogan and I outlined a number of steps which are aimed at strengthening trade and humanitarian ties, expanding contacts between citizens of our countries. Minsk and Ankara agree that an effective economic dialogue is the key to success and progress. Therefore, it is important that the agreements we have reached are not left on paper, but will be implemented in the near future.

To the Ambassador of Iran — Iran is one of Belarus’ important economic and political partners in the Middle East. We have great potential, which, no doubt, has not been fully developed. We welcome the suspension of some restrictions on Iran by the UN. We hope for further constructive steps aimed at stabilizing the military and political situation in the Middle East. We are grateful to your country for the support of Belarus at multilateral venues (we will also reciprocate) and are ready to continue our interaction with Iran in international organizations.

To the Ambassador of Syria — Strong ties of trust and sincere friendship have been established between Minsk and Damascus. Belarus actively supports sovereignty, territorial integrity and stands for non-interference in the internal affairs of Syria. I am convinced that the efforts of the Syrian leadership aimed at resolving the domestic political situation as soon as possible, restoring the economy and social sphere will help intensify interaction between our countries.

To the Ambassador of Venezuela — In Latin America, we have gained considerable experience in bilateral relations with Venezuela. We will continue to provide all possible support to your country. I very much hope that the new ambassador will contribute in every possible way to intensifying mutually beneficial cooperation in trade and humanitarian spheres.

To the Ambassador of DPRK — Belarus counts on strengthening its relations with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The level of relations with Korea is unduly low… We need to work more actively in this direction. We are closely following the development of the situation on the Korean peninsula, we support all efforts to ensure peace

and resolve the existing contradictions in the whole region. We are interested in continuing constructive contacts in international organisations. We ask the new head of the diplomatic mission to pay attention to such areas of cooperation as drug and food production, professional training and staff development.

To the Ambassador of Japan — Cooperation with Japan has significant reserves — in trade, industrial cooperation, investment cooperation, science and technology. We value your scientific and humanitarian assistance in Chernobyl recovery very much. For our part, we are ready to continue to help your country after the accident at Fukushima and continue to help Japanese children to recover in Belarus. I am confident that the forthcoming Summer Olympics and the Paralympic Games in Tokyo in 2021 will not only be a bright celebration of sporting achievements, but will also contribute to uniting peoples.

After the official ceremony, the President talked to the ambassadors in an informal atmosphere. He discussed with them the possibility of contacts at the highest level. And through Apostolic Nuncio Ante Jozic (a man who, by the way, speaks nine languages!) conveyed his best wishes to Pope Francis: — I respect him infinitely. I met his predecessors, but this is the best Pope. And these are the prospects for cooperation as they are seen by the diplomats: Hiroki Tokunaga, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Belarus: — I have been living in Belarus since 2016 (I was Charge d’Affaires ad interim of Japan in Belarus. — Ed.). I can say that I really like your country. There are kind, calm and friendly people here. I would like to develop bilateral relations, especially in the economic and IT fields. Japanese business community is interested in IT in Belarus. We can cooperate in different areas. Mustafa Ozcan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Turkey to Belarus: — I am a new comer in Minsk, but I can say that Belarus is a wonderful country, attractive in every sense. Belarusian citizens often visit Turkey. But we would certainly like to see Turkish citizens visiting Belarus more often. As for economic relations, we see great potential here. I am going to work closely with Turkish business communities and their partners in Belarus in order to develop economic, trade and investment relations in various sectors, to enter new markets together. We are very interested in the industrial sector, because industry is very well developed in Belarus. Very soon we will present specific proposals for the development of our trade and economic cooperation and will start implementing these projects. Ante Jozic, Apostolic Nuncio in Belarus: — Relations between our countries have always been good. I am open to continue these relations. My work and my presence here will first of all help to strengthen moral and spiritual values. By Alexey Fedosov

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infrastructure

Metro in the capital city gets bigger with new stations The first stage of Minsk Metro line 3 has been put into operation Near-term prospect Yes, it was in November that four new metro stations in the capital, i. e. Ploshchad Frantishka Bogushevicha Kovalskaya Sloboda, Vokzalnaya, Ploshchad Frantishka Bogushevicha and Yubileinaya Ploshchad, were integrated into a single underground transport system with two operating lines. This fact let Alexander Lukashenko, who the day before had got acquainted with the new highway, make the following statement: — The launch of the first stage of the new metro line is an indicator of our social and political stability. At this time, states like ours do not create such facilities. The event was also a chance to ask about the social and economic development of Minsk as a whole. The capital city keeps its standards high. In nine months, its gross domestic product reached 98.4 %

of last year’s level. It is a good indicator with a worldwide decline of this parameter. Nevertheless, the goal is to reach one hundred percent by the end of the year. This was reported to Alexander Lukashenko by Vladimir Kukharev, Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee. As for the metro, the first line will be followed by the other ones. In the nearest future there is a construction of three more stations in the Slutsk direction. They are scheduled for finishing in March next year. The construction will then turn towards the Zelyony Lug district. And soon the north of Minsk will also start to be built up. In the future, the fourth line will ring all the stations. — Then you can be dismissed, — the Head of State jokingly addressed the metro constructors. And he noted in earnest: — We must now master the surface metro. Another requirement is to avoid using internal combustion engines. We should start with Minsk. In

other words, gradually switch to electric transport. There are opportunities for this: MAZ and Belkommunmash produce the entire range of batteries. Next year, all transport will be provided with batteries manufactured in Belarus. — Tram tracks

should be upgraded so that they are noiseless. Trams are the future. Once the nuclear power plant is put into operation, there will be enough electricity, — Alexander Lukashenko concluded.

New plans ahead From the moment of its launch to the present, the metro of the Belarusian capital has gone a long way of 37 years. Economical, high-speed, and, what is very important today, environmentally friendly means of transport has become the most widespread and popular.

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infrastructure Alexander Lukashenko reminded that at one time he had to make a fundamental decision on whether to continue developing this type of transport. However, despite the difficulties, new stations of the second line were completed, said the Head of State: — And then the question arose: what next? I took the decision I am still proud of. I said: we will have the metro, we will not destroy our metro construction. After all, there are few cities in the world that are engaged in underground construction both then and now. And I felt pitiful. If we stop, we will lose this great school. And this is comparable to space, only underground, this is the highest level of construction, there are innovations and the latest technologies. to this, full-fledged transport and transfer hubs between all types of urban and suburban transport will be created in the foreseeable future.

Traffic to the future

Thanks on this day were addressed to everyone who had designed and was building a new line: for the speed of construction, the quality of work and compliance with modern standards, the aesthetics of the station design. The safety of the third line was separately noted. It is equipped with protective fences made of transparent glass. Everything has been done with care for passengers. By the way, there can be up to 17 stations on the third line. Meanwhile, there are already plans related to the megaproject for the construction of the fourth metro line — Ring Road, which will lessen the load on the Minsk Ring Road. Thanks

Leonid Stukhalsky, General Director of Minskmetrostroy, presented the President with a symbolic key to four new stations. Alexander Lukashenko handed it over to Vladimir Sotnikov, Director of Minsk Metro. The head of the enterprise invited the President to open new trains on line 3. The symbolic red ribbon was cut together with the Head of State by Chairperson of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly, Minsk Commissioner Natalya Kochanova, Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee Vladimir Kukharev, Leonid Stukhalsky and Vladimir Sotnikov. And afterwards all those present came to a new train standing at the platform. By the way, also of domestic manufacture, i. e. of Minsk FEZ resident Stadler Minsk CJSC, a Belarusian company with Swiss capital. Alexander Lukashenko took a look at the stations and was interested in the running characteristics of the new train. Functionality and accuracy, economy and beauty, but unembellished — the design of four new stations was highly appreciated by Alexander Lukashenko. — Purely Belarusian style! — he lauded it. At the same time, at-

tention was drawn to the way the builders worked. On the leg of the rout between the stations Ploshchad Frantishka Bogushevicha and Yubileinaya Ploshchad there was a conversation about competence and skills of Belarusian specialists. The Head of State stressed that when he was abroad, he often compared: — What is better for the country: that it has a lot of hydrocarbons or that it can do everything? It seems to me that if you know how to do everything, that is the future. Hydrocarbons will go away, there are nuclear power plants, windmills, solar energy… We will find energy, humanity is moving towards it, but competence, brains are the main thing. And we have even learned to do things in the country that we did not even think about before. At the station Vokzalnaya, Vladimir Kukharev, Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee, for example, drew attention to domestically manufactured escalators. Alexander Lukashenko praised them for another step in import substitution, but first of all asked about their reliability. — They have passed all the tests and we will continue to work on them, — said Kukharev. The running characteristics and comfort of the new train were also highly praised. By the way, nineteen such trains for the Minsk underground are planned to be purchased in the near future. By Vladimir Khromov. Photo by BelTA.

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prospects

Stakes are placed on professionals Book publishing, of course, cannot be considered as only an industrial field. There is, of course, a significant humanitarian component to this process. In Belarus, traditionally book publishing has always received special attention. Which is not surprising when the famous Francisk Skorina, a native of the region, became famous throughout Europe for his skill as a first printer. It’s impossible to cut such an impressive link of times! But it is one thing to be proud of the glorious past, but it is quite another to maintain a tradition of high standards by modern achievements. Igor Buzovsky, Deputy Minister of Information of Belarus, who is directly in charge of Belarusian book publishing, told us about its current realities. Anna Zankovich

Igor Buzovsky

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— First of all, with your help, let us specify: what is a book publishing industry in Belarus today? How important is it for society, for the country? — I believe that today it is impossible to overestimate the meaning of such notions as “book publishing” and “book distribution”. By the way, these are two inseparable things. After all, in general, book publishing and book distribution is first of all, the delivery of a socially important product to the consumer. Actually, the one without which modern society cannot exist just like without bread or water. Despite improvements in technology, a rapid development of computerisation and information networks, the book remains a very important tool to influence the formation of such concepts as statehood, mentality and culture. It still plays an important role in many areas of human activity. But I would like to emphasise that the importance of the conditions that our state has created and is creating for book publishing and distribution cannot be overestimated. If we analyse what is being done in this area, we must first of all note the establishment of the Belkniga trade network, which necessarily includes socially significant literature along with commercial books. And it is socially significant literature that is an integral part of the book publica-

prospects tion, which is coordinated and patronised, among other organizations, by the Ministry of Information. These are, above all, our state publishing houses, which provide the population not only with the book that is, so to say, commercialised, but also with the one that educates, helps to create the mentality that allows society to be formed as a single organism. Yes, there are always a lot of questions, a lot of difficulties connected with the necessary level of support in the very competitive field of book publishing and book distribution. This includes the market in the Republic of Belarus. Not least because of the fact that we have a common market space with the Russian Federation. And, to be blunt, it is very, very difficult to compete with Russia. Besides, today we just need to publish books, which must be available in society. Although the awareness of their importance may come later on — in ten, twenty years, perhaps only a century from now. But there must be such books. And I am happy to say that we publish them, we have them. And they add to our state pool of books. Every year we become winners of international contests, particularly in the post-Soviet space, CIS contests on book publishing and book art. We have been winning the Grand Prix for many years now in the competition among state publishing houses. In short, I would like to note that we have preserved and are striving to increase the achievements that were made earlier in difficult economic conditions. But we succeed in doing so. — And what is the structure of the industry? Who is more of a publisher in it: government agencies or, perhaps, business representatives? — Today we have 185 printing companies. 53 printing houses are state-owned: 12 republican and 27 municipal unitary enterprises, 14 are in state institutions, including 11 higher educational establishments. This applies to the printing structure. Business is represented mainly by various joint stock companies, i. e. 99 organisations, as well as by private unitary enterprises, i. e. 31 organisations. There are

individual entrepreneurs and public organisations working on the market which are also engaged in printing activities. In other words, judging by the number of participants, business is present on the printing services market in full. In other words, the work here is carried out jointly and we are interested in private capital taking part in it. A total of 520 business entities were registered as publishers and 1911 as distributors in the State Register of Publishers, Manufacturers and Distributors as of the beginning of July this year. In short, it is a fairly large network, a large mechanism, which, in turn, represents good opportunities in this area on a national scale. By the way, we cannot but mention the state publishing houses that work in direct contact with the Ministry of Information. These are the publishing houses “Belarus” and “Mastatskaya Litaratura”, where there are many highly experienced in their field specialists. Publishing house “Belaruskaya Entsyklapedyya”, where exclusive, truly unique things are published. In addition to these professional teams, there are such publishing houses as “Narodnaya Asveta”, “Vysheyshaya Shkola”, which also play a significant role in book publishing. It is worth mentioning the publishing house “Zviazda”, where significant social projects have been implemented. All of this is a single organism, which allows us to work on

the tasks that the state has to perform in terms of book publishing. — I wonder what kind of literature — educational, fiction, methodological, local history — is most in demand today? — Of course, educational and methodical literature is in constant demand. It has the largest sales share, i. e. 46 %. This figure may even be underestimated if we specify what includes this criterion. After all, there is business literature that can to some extent also be classified as educational and methodical literature, as it is often used for educational purposes. And it accounts for 17 % of book sales in the thematic structure. Next comes fiction — 15 %, children’s literature — 12 %. Applied literature — 6 per cent. And the rest is 4 %. Sellers of books and those who are directly involved in communications with customers say that there is still great interest in popular self-development literature. This interest among readers is caused by various reasons, i. e. search for the meaning of life, personal motives. However, this trend is present. — And if you put the question in a different way: what is most profitable to publish, given the demand for a particular type of printed products? — It is difficult to say for sure. Let us start with the fact that there is a cost component. And it can be very different. A book is quite a specific product. There

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prospects

are content costs when specialists prepare educational literature, e. g. fees, acquisition of rights and so on. And there are costs of a different character. For example, to promote a product. Today, we may not invest a lot of resources in a book, but for some reason inexplicable to nonprofessionals, we sell it out quickly. What kind of book is this? It is a book that has a name. Let us recall, for example, that this year there is an anniversary of the famous Belarusian writer Vladimir Korotkevich. And his books are the best-selling ones. Even last year we noticed that he was the best-selling Belarusian author, if I may say so. Certainly, the books by Vladimir Korotkevich are always very interesting

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for all population groups. It goes without saying. But it is equally important that this is the Name. It is important for book publishers to use the accompanying information that is linked to, say, anniversary dates. But to use it, it needs investing. One more example, just one. A non-governmental publishing house has succeeded in printing a very popular children’s book about Harry Potter in Belarusian. And it sells out well. Why? Very interesting texts? Among other things. Because they are printed in the Belarusian language? Among other things. But the lion’s share of the success of the publishers comes from the name and, in general, from the promotion of this project.

The publishers themselves partly invest in it, but receive dividends as a result of the work done by the copyright holder earlier. Therefore, the assessment is given by the publishers on a project-by-project basis. There are successful projects with large requests for future book republishing. And there are books that seem to be popular, but they remain on the shelves for a long time. Let me repeat once again: as a rule, the most successful project and the bestselling one is a good book. It’s just a professional, high-quality approach to business, from the author’s work to printing. — Which Belarusian publishing houses are most visible on the market today? What explains their superior position over other business entities in the industry? — Of course, they have their own leaders. In particular, in book publishing in the Republic of Belarus. There is a great demand for books in our country, and we have a reading nation. In our country, people read despite the trends that we see. And the decline in readership demand for books is not so steep as it is observed all over the world. And it gives us the opportunity to define our leaders in the field of book publishing, and at the same time to gain creative victories. Because a book is always a certain joy of communication between its authors and people who read and then thankfully respond to what they have read. As far as summarising assessments are concerned, the leader in the area of publishing educational literature is the publisher “Aversev”. This is a professional team that fulfils an order for educational literature for the country’s education system. The publishing house has found its niche and has received fairly high ratings not only from specialists, but also from everyone who uses this literature, e. g. schoolchildren, pupils and students. I am also pleased to note that our state publishing houses, such as “Narodnaya Asveta”, “Vysheyshaya Shkola”, are those organisations which are, among other things, leaders in the publication of educational literature and, in general, the preparation

prospects of the product that is in demand on the Belarusian market today. As for other publications, which we can see on the shelves of our bookshops, the leader here is the publishing house “Potpourri”. It works very well in various categories. It also works in such areas as business and fiction publications. The publishing house has many projects that allow it to support both teams of authors and private authors who are just beginning to do the so-called test of the pen. It also reprints books that are interesting to the reader in translation into Belarusian and Russian languages. It is worth emphasising that publishers of various forms of ownership find a balance in the competitive environment, each niche is different. It is also important that the state today supports socially significant literature, as well as the teams of state publishing houses. I would like to express my firm belief that book publishing should not be commercialized completely. It must fulfil, among other things, the social order of both the state and the people who live in this state today. — It is not difficult to predict that Minsk is the leader in the country in terms of publishing activity. And what regions other than the capital could you mention? — As I mentioned above, 185 printing companies have been registered by the Ministry of Information. This does not mean that all of them work in the publishing industry in a large format. But they are registered, which means they are entitled to this kind of activity. Naturally, the main number of printing companies is located in the central region of the country — 117 in Minsk and 19 in the Minsk Region. There are 14 printing houses in the Gomel region, which is the second largest number of printing houses. In the Grodno and Brest Regions there are 13 enterprises in each. The printing industry is less developed in the Vitebsk and Mogilev Regions, there are 7 printing houses in each. It should be noted that the state printing industry is well represented in the regions. Alongside the regional printing houses in Brest, Vitebsk, Grodno and Mogilev, Polespechat, a large communal

Выдавецтва «Беларусь» Мінск, праспект Пераможцаў, 11, паверх 7 Тэлефоны: +375 17 203 87 42 +375 17 203 93 23 Факс: +375 17 203 89 51 Электронная пошта: belarusbook@tut.by

Belarus Publishing House Мinsk, Pieramozhtsau Avenue, 11, floor 7 Telephones: +375 17 203 87 42 +375 17 203 93 23 Fax: +375 17 203 89 51 E-mail: belarusbook@tut.by

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enterprise in Gomel, is worth mentioning. Comparatively large state printing houses operate in Pinsk, Lida, Polotsk, Novopolotsk, Mozyr, Bobruisk and Zhlobin. It is noteworthy that all these enterprises are now able to produce high-quality competitive products on a competitive market of printing services. Despie, perhaps, small investments, high quality specialists work there. And these are professionals who allow those enterprises to take the upper hand in purchasing modern printing equipment. However, it is quite expensive. For this reason, a serious breakthrough here is very difficult. Yes, we also rely on modernisation on the one hand. But first

and foremost, the professionalism of employees. — And how does the government regulate such areas as book publishing? Are there any restrictions on this kind of activity? — This is a very serious tool, given the high social importance of the print media, book products for the formation of cultural values, mentality and even social development strategy. This is why considerable attention is paid at the state level to regulating publishing and printing activities. In particular, according to the Presidential Decree of September 1, 2010 the production of

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prospects

printed media, newspapers and magazines is to be licensed. In accordance with the provisions of the Law “On Publishing Activities in the Republic of Belarus”, publishers, manufacturers and distributors of printed publications, i. e. books, brochures, postcards, posters and other products, are also to be registered. In total, 185 manufacturers of printed publications are currently included in the State Register of Publishers and Distributors. — What are the main recent trends in the production of books and other printed materials? To what extent is digital technology currently affecting this process? — Time does not stand still. We also note the interest in the electronic media, in the printed word, but in the electronic format, i. e. e‑ books, the Internet and audio. But when we talk about these kinds of trends, it is always necessary to note the extent to which these changes are taking place: has half of the readers gone online, switched to an e‑book, or is it all 90 percent? No, as a rule, this is a small percentage, but it has doubled. It was 4 %, now it is 8 %. That is, we note that the interest is increasing, yes, there is interest, but there is still interest in a printed book, a paper book. People want to see, touch, hold a book. Tactile sensation, convenience, it has been

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prospects result of such a sad prospect — we will simply have to buy someone else’s books. And so it is important not to stop the process of publishing books in the country under any circumstances. And that is why a great deal of attention is paid today to the renewal of the printing industry of the Republic of Belarus, where Yakub Kolas Polygraph Plant OJSC is best-in-class. Of course, the book is still a commodity in demand on the market. And as in every market system certain changes take place over time, the book market is no exception. The development of technology, combined with the processes taking place in the publishing industry itself, i. e. the re-

duction of print-runs, improvement in the quality and colour of printed products, has also contributed to the active introduction of digital technologies into the publishing industry. For several decades now, it’s been hard to see the process of publishing and editing publications without the use of computer technologies. And digital printing machines make it possible to produce illustrated publications in limited circulations. — Still, if you look at the activities of state publishing houses, do you think there is a need for certain reforms? If so, in what direction, in what vein should this reform take place?

developed over the centuries, I am sure this trend will remain. And not because of our desires, because of the commercial interests of companies, but because it’s actually a unique phenomenon. The book is the heritage of humanity. And the dynamics will soon begin to change, for us as well. The global trend already says the opposite, i. e. the decline in demand for paper books, which was obvious in many countries around the world, is becoming more equable. Yes, on the one hand, with the appearance of new technologies the trend of book publishing is also undergoing certain trials in Belarus, i. e. the opportunity to listen to and read on the Internet, to read an ebook on a tablet and download it. But I repeat: there is still interest in traditional books printed on paper. As far as book publishing is concerned, of course, we are now facing serious competition due to the globalization of the economy. We are also faced with the huge advantage that large corporations have for promotion of one author. Whether we like it or not, we have to reckon with it. There are issues of printing capabilities. If we do not modernise, if we do not upgrade book-printing technology, if we do not improve the quality of books, or if we lose professionals who can print such books, we will fall behind. As a

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prospects — If we do not think about reforms, reorganization, then in the near future we will lose the positions that allow us to feel confident today in a difficult competitive environment. As soon as we stop thinking and acting in this direction, we will have problems immediately. After all, modern requirements for printing and publishing are very high. But at the same time we understand that it is necessary to make books cheaper, we need to do everything to make a book interesting, so that the authors would come and give their work to the publishing house and so that it wold be popular. It is for this reason that we are thinking of restructur-

improve these structures. Among other things, we are negotiating with publishers on possible consolidation of efforts, possible alliances, possible processes related to changes in ownership or the direction of their activities. — How do Belarusian book publishers look professionally against the background of their neighbours? How high is their international status overall? — Every year, Belarusian book publishers take part in the “Art of the Book” international contest of the CIS member states, which is organised by the Interstate Council for Cooperation in the Field of Periodical Press, Book Publishing, Book

ing the groups that we have. And today we focus on the work of the publishing house management. Not only the work on authorship and editing, but also on effective promotion of a book. That is why both staff formats and staff schedules are being changed. As for publishing houses, we are thinking of their enlargement. As long as a company is successful and profitable, that is one story. It is not for nothing that they say: don’t put a spoke in a wheel if it moves. Perhaps this is logical and correct. But if there are certain economic problems, we look for solutions to

Distribution and Printing with the support of the Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation of the CIS member states. In 2020, 75 publications from 6 countries were submitted to the 17th International contest “Art of the Book”. In August in the CIS Executive Committee in Minsk a meeting of the jury was held on-line, which included representatives of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. According to the results of the contest the books of the Belarusian publishing houses took the first places in the nominations “Commonwealth”, “Dialogue of Cultures”, “Book for Children and Youth”,

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“Science and Education”, “ART Book”, “Printed in the Commonwealth”, “Victory”, “Grand Prix”, the second places — in the nominations “My Country” and “Art of Illustration”. A number of Belarusian books were awarded special diplomas. It should be noted that over the 17 years of the existence of the CIS Art of Books competition, Belarus takes the first place in terms of the number of awards (163 diplomas, including 10 highest awards of the competition, i. e. Grand Prix). Belarusian books stand out among publishing houses of other countries not only for their artistic and design work, but also for their social themes and scientific research. Moreover, in some nominations we have no equal, which we should be proud of, as followers of the traditions of Francisk Skorina. I think we are taking the upper hand because we have preserved the school of professional design and book art. — Traditionally, an international book fair is held annually in Minsk. It is certainly an established platform where, among other things, the exchange of views on book publishing takes place. The number of participants of the International Book Fair, which in the first days of February, has been traditionally held in the Belarusian capital for over a quarter of a century, is always impressive. How do you see the next format of this exhibition? — The Minsk International Book Fair is already a brand identity of both the capital and the country. It is a place where you can see and buy books from different countries. But first of all, it is a meeting place and an opportunity to plan joint long-term projects. In particular, in the field of book publishing and book distribution. These are meetings with authors, communication. We have already started work on the preparation of the next Minsk book fair, which will traditionally include the “Writer and Time” symposium. We always emphasize that the book fair in Minsk is an intellectual platform where it is possible to talk not only on professional topics, but also about what concerns society and the human community as a whole. Interviewed by Viktor Kharkov

Belarus and UN: projects

Legislative environment for innovation It is worth recalling that the project “Green Cities”, funded by the Global Environment Facility and implemented by UNDP together with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Belarus, is aimed at the improvement of the infrastructure of pilot cities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is the type of activities that receive the major part of the Project budget. However, in order to ensure that innovations in urban development are widely applied in the country, the Project is working to create systemic conditions in which the introduction of green urban planning principles for designers and all those involved in urban environment planning would become a routine daily practice under the law. Legislative environment for innovation It should be noted that the Project has a separate component that focuses on the improvement of existing legislation in the area of urban planning. Specifically, the experts were tasked with developing proposals in the areas of urban transport, sustainable urban mobility, and street lighting. — When the experts immersed themselves in these topics and studied the experience of the countries that are leaders in green development, it became clear that it would not be possible to limit the narrow scope of legislation in these areas, — explains Vera Sysoeva, architect, expert of the Project for Green Urban Development. — International experience, recommendations of UN-HABITAT (United Nations Human Settlements Programme) insist on the need for an integrated approach to legislation formation for urban sustainable development. Vera Sysoeva says that Belarus is not a first-timer in creating a system, such as, for example, technical regulation in urban

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Vera Sysoeva

planning. Much of what is in force today is still a legacy from Soviet times, when legal regulation of urban development was aimed at restoring industrial enterprises and cities destroyed by the war, and at developing, in particular, mass capital construction. Today, the regulatory legal framework is adapted to a large extent to market economy conditions. In other words, it has been updated for various participants in the urban planning process. At the same time, one cannot neglect the fact that the role of the state in the planning and management process has increased as well.

In order to streamline the requirements of technical regulations in the area of architecture and urban planning, Belarus has recently been reforming its entire system of building regulations. This means that the practice of “Green Cities” has successfully coincided with the creation of new documents and audits of the existing ones. However, urban planning legislation is also closely linked to other legal documents in force in Belarus: for example, the laws on local government and self-government, on environmental protection, on energy saving, and many others. There are also more global agreements and strategies that define the direction the country is taking in terms of urban development. These include, in particular, the “Concept of the National Sustainable Development Strategy of the Republic of Belarus” and the system of State Urban Policy documents, which are updated every five years. — The year 2020 is the final in a fiveyear period, and we expect the formation of urban policy for a new stage, — says

Belarus and UN: projects expert Vera Sysoeva. — Strategic documents set priorities in the area of urban planning, and this policy is already being implemented through a system of legal regulation.

Everything for sustainable development The proposals on legislative optimization prepared by the Green Cities project can be divided into four blocks. Firstly, these are proposals for strategic documents that form the agenda of sustainable urban development, and for the Code of the Republic of Belarus “On Architectural, Urban Planning and Construction Activities”. This is followed by three quite equivalent groups of documents: technical regulations in the area of urban planning, traffic management regulations and street lighting regulations. The project “Green Cities” included the best foreign experience in the “Concept of the National Sustainable Development Strategy of the Republic of Belarus until 2035”, in its sections devoted to regional and urban development. The project proposals were aimed at strengthening the role of the city for sustainable development, providing it with the appropriate tools and resources. The need for local government, development of city institutions and urban community was emphasized, and tools that can be used for this were proposed, i. e. indicators, urban strategies. Proposals were put forward to the National Strategy to strengthen the rights and opportunities for people with disabilities, as well as those that provide targeted support in general for all categories of citizens. For example, not only families with many children, but also families with children in general. A large block of proposals was focused on environmental protection. This is one of the main development goals that cannot be ignored due to limited budgets and must be taken into account when making decisions. As regards the Code of the Republic of Belarus “On Architectural, Urban Planning and Construction Activities”, “Green Cities”, along with many other projects,

“Green Cities” offer insight into the principles of green urban development

representatives of the public took part in the discussion of the document and also sent its proposals. According to Vera Sysoeva, the draft Code, which was presented for discussion, caused many questions. For example, the proposed Code did not specify the goals for which all urban planning laws are being developed, the term “sustainable urban development” was not introduced, and such relevant concepts as mixed development and compact development were not introduced. In fact, everything remained in the realities of extensive “urban development” aimed at building as much and as cheaply as possible. The fact that it is possible to build more efficiently, with certain social goals, with an environmental priority was not mentioned in the initial version of the Code. This is why the document is currently undergoing further development and a new stage of approval. — We must assume that the presentation of the new version of the Code will take place not in the format of information, but also in the format of discussion, — says Vera Sysoeva. — We are ready to provide expert support to this most important regulatory document in the future, if any topics need to be improved. The next block of Green Cities’ urban development proposals concerns building codes. In the opinion of experts, these norms and regulations must be compact

and binding, as it is impossible to ensure safe living without them. — The rest includes voluntary for application rules: vision, wishes, recommendations, — explains Vera Sysoeva. — This is a best practice framework that is recommended for implementation in agreement with the customer. “Green Cities” sought to introduce the principles of green urban planning into those building codes that describe the requirements for projects developed by design organizations. Proposals were grouped into three themes and were based on the principles of a complex, integrated approach and transparent decision-making to ensure sustainable urbanization and the quality of urban spaces. “Green Cities” advocated the integration of the strategic approach into urban planning projects of general, detailed and specific planning. The project’s experts specified what baseline data could ensure this approach and regulations for harmonization. It is assumed that building regulations will primarily be based on local city plans and programmes, which should be taken into account on an equal footing with regional and national ones. In particular, such local plans and strategies may include both Green City Plans and Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans — anything that the city considers important for sustainable development.

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Belarus and UN: projects into account. In particular, the architects of such companies as Level80 and MLA+ pointed to the barriers to the introduction of modern design approaches which existing regulations contain, e. g. strict rationing of school grounds, barriers to barrierfree access to residential buildings, and a limited list of permitted coverings. The Project used all these comments in preparing its proposals.

Key indicators of success

At the meeting with deputies of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus

Set of specific solutions In another block, proposals were made to improve environmental and socio-economic sustainability. In particular, to ensure the protection of urban areas and facilities as a result of climate change risks. Today, these proposals are also applicable to respond to the pandemic situation. It is important for the environmental and socio-economic development issues not to be less important than the immediate tasks of budget saving. Recommendations on promoting resource efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions were also presented. Based on the experience gained, thanks to the work of experts, the Project already has a set of specific solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. For example, the focus has been on the priority of environmental mobility and the development of pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure. It was proposed that, for urban planning regulations, it should be possible to set maximum amounts of engineering resources to be consumed so that the city could manage its energy consumption and thus reduce emissions and achieve the goals set by the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. In general, it is expected that key performance indicators of green urban de-

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velopment, such as population density, compactness of buildings and their energy consumption, should be included in the justification of project decisions. All this is being done to find the tools to monitor the stage of project selection and then the effectiveness of projects based on their stated objectives. — If the efficiency of a project is monitored only in terms of the number of square metres, without taking into account environmental and many other factors, it is certainly not right, — says Vera Sysoeva. Another important document is the construction regulations “Planning and development of settlements”. These are the rules for the development of all residential areas except Minsk. The project “Green Cities” put forward detailed proposals for the layout of street and road network, in particular, the organization of parking spaces, as well as resource consumption and adaptation to climate change. The project also proposed actual changes in terminology. It was pointed out that it was necessary to take into account local programmes, strategies, feasibility studies, which may be important conditions for planning and building a settlement. In preparing the recommendations, suggestions from architects who work with the project “Green Cities” were taken

In the area of energy efficiency improvement, the main areas of activity of the project “Green Cities” are the implementation of pilot energy-saving measures in accordance with best practices, as well as the creation of mechanisms to replicate their results. — As part of the project “Green Cities”, emphasis is placed on modernizing street lighting systems, as well as on introducing smart metering systems for energy resources at Novogrudok housing facilities, — says Ivan Filyutich, expert of the Energy Efficiency Project. — The practical results of these proposals have been reflected in the Action Plans for Sustainable Energy Development and Climate in other municipalities of Belarus under development, as well as in the planning of regional and sectoral energy efficiency programmes in the country. In addition, a great deal of attention is now being paid by experts to the introduction of sustainable instruments for financing energy efficiency projects in the country. To this end, “Green Cities” has developed recommendations to improve energy service mechanisms in Belarus, which have been taken as a basis for developing the Concept of Development of Energy Service Activities in the country. Project experts have also developed detailed guidelines on instruments for financing energy saving measures available to Belarusian municipalities. — This document is intended to provide clear and comprehensible guidance to city administrations what foreign sources of financing they can use, and what requirements of international financial insti-

Belarus and UN: projects approval, implementation, monitoring and adjustment of a sustainable urban mobility plan, — explains Dmitry Navoy, expert of the Sustainable Urban Mobility Project. — The document is innovative for Belarus and will allow cities to use resources more efficiently in managing transport and road infrastructure.

Everything is going according to plan Ivan Filyutich

tutions exist for project parameters, — Ivan Filyutich stresses. An important element of green urban development is the introduction of sustainable urban mobility principles in settlements, where priority is given to public transport, its low-carbon types, bicycles and pedestrians rather than cars. For example, in 2019 a draft resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus “On Approval of Methodological Recommendations on the Composition, Procedure for Development, Coordination, Approval, Implementation, Monitoring and Adjustment of the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan” was prepared. — The methodological recommendations prepared by the project “Green Cities” establish the procedure for development,

The Project also developed proposals to the Law “On Road Traffic”, which, among other things, envisage traffic management using smart transport systems and sustainable mobility plans. With these and other “Green Cities” proposals, the draft Law “On Road Traffic” has already passed its first reading in the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus. As part of the second reading, the draft law may be further developed to include a wider range of elements of sustainable urban mobility. In March this year, proposals were prepared to amend the Technical code of common practice (TCP) “Streets of Settlements. Construction Norms of Design”. According to Dmitry Navoy, the proposals included modern classification of the street and road network depending on its structure and functional fea-

Ceremonial opening of streets with “smart” lighting in Novogrudok

tures, elements of sustainable mobility, the order of designing the organization of road traffic, management of transport demand. — The document fundamentally changes the approaches to designing a street network, enables the economy to be included in the design process and the effectiveness of design solutions to be assessed at the project stage, — says Dmitry Navoy. — Proposals from “Green Cities” have been submitted to government agencies and relevant organizations.

Dmitry Navoi

It should be noted that some of the activities for sustainable urban mobility proposed by the Project are already being implemented in Polotsk as part of the introduction of an innovative road traffic management scheme. In particular, innovative measures have been developed and implemented here, such as changing the geometric characteristics of streets, arranging pick-up and drop-off zones for children at school buildings, arranging space for work under new construction, reconstruction, major or ongoing repairs, arranging “correct artificial irregularities”, and introducing paid parking zones. — Today Polotsk is a kind of testing ground for innovative traffic management solutions, which are supported by the State Automobile Inspectorate, — explains Dmitry Navoy. — We would like to use this city as an example to see how it all works and then consolidate positive experience both in technical regulations and in the new version of traffic regulations. By Vladimir Mikhaylov

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high standards

A safety indicator is 56 deaths per million. But the fewer, the better Creating comfortable and safe roads is a priority for the country’s road industry. Belarus is implementing the Road Safety Concept and has already achieved high performance in this area. 56 people per million inhabitants have died on the roads, although it is necessary to strive for zero mortality, experts say. — As part of the M‑3 road and bridge reconstruction project, for example, we are working with consultants who help us develop a road safety strategy. In cooperation with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, we will continue the reconstruction of other highways going out of the capital, — said Sergey Leonchik, Head of the Road Administration of the Main Road Administration of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The driver assistance system — ADAS, i. e. modern electronic devices used now in all cars and buses, also helps to improve road safety. Some of these systems already have mandatory status. In particular, the exchange rate stability system for cars has been added as mandatory to ABS, i. e. anti-lock braking system, since this year. For passenger cars it has already been in operation, and now it should appear on

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road freight vehicles, said Pavel Shabanov, Chief Designer for Automobile Equipment of Minsk Automobile Plant of the Holding Company BelavtoMAZ: — Optional in our country but mandatory in Europe the emergency braking function should also start working. A camera — such an artificial vision element — is installed on the car, it detects elements of the road surface, which allows the car to move without the driver’s participation, if this mode is set. It is also possible to see objects approaching the car, both people and things. This way, even the driver’s carelessness will not cause an accident. Safety measures in the use of equipment produced at the Minsk Tractor Plant (MTZ) are of specific character. They mainly concern overturning and damage caused by some objects during its work and are much less related to speed, as it does not exceed 40 km/h in transport mode and 12 km/h in working mode. There is also a communal road maintenance facility for cleaning and mowing, and a construction facility for building roads and bridges. — The capacity of this equipment today, depending on the required scope of work is from 30 horsepower for local technological roads to 130–150 for large highways, — said Alexey Lyubchevsky, Deputy Director of the branch Trade House BELARUS of MTZ JSC. — It is

more like an energy tool that at a certain time and place can provide the necessary amount of energy: hydraulic, mechanical or electrical. At the same time we closely cooperate with road services and offer basic chassis for attaching on them special equipment, which is not produced at MTZ. And we are also ready to create customized equipment, including the one for import substitution.

high standards — This is an electrically driven vehicle that has no systems connected with an internal combustion engine. These types of transport will soon be wide-spread in our country. This trend was set by the countries where the eco-situation was critical, i. e. China and India. Since the start of the state program of transport development and its replacement by ecological one, they have achieved stunning results in more than ten years. For the last three years, China has been producing 90.000–100.000 electric

Electric cars: MAZ‑303, 12‑ton and Geometry A

Anatoly Kleshchuk

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Ecology is also one of the safety issues. It is necessary to reduce CO2 emissions produced by cars. The country already has the Euro 5 eco-standard for motor vehicles. However, the time is not far off when we start moving towards reducing emissions to zero, said the chief designer of MAZ:

buses. And there are 10.000–15.000 electric buses running in major Chinese cities. By comparison, there are currently 500 electric buses in Moscow. And the trends in the development of electric transport continue. In Belarus, for several years now Belkommunmash has also been producing electric buses that are powered by the trolleybus network and run along the streets of the capital. And MAZ is testing two prototypes of electrically powered vehicles created last year. These are the MAZ‑303, a 12 metre city electric bus and a delivery vehicle up to 12 tons. — This is quite a new thing. And if we talk about safety, we cannot but say that the existence of an electric drive means that there is high voltage (about 600 volts) on board the vehicle. Accordingly, for mass production we are obliged to present fully tested equip-

ment that is safe for passengers, — said Pavel Shabanov. At BelGee, in turn, the electric car Geely Geometry A is being tested. Specialists say that this sedan has already shown its characteristics. Depending on the battery used in the car, the car covers its declared 400 and 500 kilometres. Now they plan to test it in winter conditions, as well as to consider how to ensure its operation in Belarus and to monitor the readiness of power stations to service electric cars. In addition, this year the BelGee company has mastered the full technological cycle of manufacturing a Geely Coolray car, which has already been loved by Russian and Belarusian consumers. More and more of this model will appear on the streets, said Vitaly Bylitsky, chief technologist at BelGee: — We have handed over a pilot batch of two new models to our dealers, i. e. Geely Tugella, a premium crossover, which today has maximum safety and comfort options, and hatchback Geely GS, a more budget choice. The MTZ is also working on environmental safety. At the same time, more stringent standards are used for the equipment produced there than for ordinary cars. This is explained by the fact that the plant’s products are mainly used in agriculture — in the fields (and this is food), or its machinery works in the areas where nothing has yet been created (and this is nature and the impact on nature must be minimized). — In our engines, we also actively use electronic fuel injection control systems, which is both economical and environmentally friendly. As well as a complex system of catalytic converters, catalysts, which reduce CO2 and nitrogen oxides emissions to the minimum possible levels today, — said a representative of MTZ. — As for alternative fuels, our equipment also has specifics. We electrify tractors using diesel generator sets rather than traction batteries. They show, on the one hand, more ecological classes and, on the other hand, more economical use of our equipment. By Irina Sidarok

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time dictates

Era that ends The last paper Belarusian passport will be issued on December 31, 2020 Digital person Experts believe that the implementation of the Belarusian integrated service and settlement system (BISSS), i. e. a complex of information systems and resources for the identification of consumers (individuals and legal entities) using identification cards (ID-cards) for the provision of electronic services, including administrative procedures, will help to completely change the situation in the field of electronic services. From January 1, 2021, no Belarusian will be able to obtain an old passport form. If a document has to be changed or a new one obtained, a person will already be given two documents: an ID-card for relations within Belarus, and a biometric passport for travel and use outside our country. — Belarus has made a bold decision in this direction. Everyone who receives an ID-card will automatically acquire an electronic digital signature with a 10‑year validity period. This will allow us to get a “digital person”, — said Sergey Rudnev, First Deputy Director of the National Electronic Services Centre. — Today more than 50 government agencies and organisations are working on this project. There is not a single sphere of activity in the country that does not require a citizen’s identity. All processes start with an ID number. The ID-card will collect the data that almost never change: date of birth, first name, patronymic, last name, gender. The rest of the information about a person is quite variable. Today you are married, tomorrow you are not, today you work in one place, tomorrow in another, today you have one child and tomorrow you have two children. And this dynamic information will not be recorded on ID-cards.

Individual certificate The simplest example when information about a person is required is his or her registration. From 2021, in order to register a person with an ID-card, it will be necessary to obtain online information through the National Automated Information System (NAIS) “Registration” or Population register. — A digital passport will revolutionize the country, as much as Uber taxi, which has changed people’s attitude to service which can work online without dispatch operators. Our task now is to create

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the conditions for transferring all processes to online interaction in order to minimize off-line visits to various organizations, — the expert stressed. — The second necessary measure is a complete transformation of the state management system with public key. From January 1, we start to move away from giving certificates of legal entities. There will be a certificate of an individual plus a certificate that defines his or her authority. In this way, a person becomes the primary subject, while the processes around him/her are the attributes. And there can be many different certificates.

E‑constructor The National Automated Information System (NAIS) is being fully redeveloped. There is almost nothing left of the old NAIS, which was created in 2008. The visual part of the process of digital representation of human personality will now be based on new technologies with new functionalities. From January 1, there will also be an e‑constructor of administrative procedures and electronic services of all kinds. — With its help, we will be able to create any administrative procedure (regardless of what subject it will be provided to) not in two or three months, but in a week, without involving super programmers in the process — said Sergey Rudnev. It will be necessary to change the habit of Belarusians to trust documents on paper with a mandatory seal and signature of an official. Information from the state information resource should be considered legally valid a priori. Even if there is a mistake in this

time dictates resource, it will be corrected. All over the world, a resource, the authenticity of which is 70 %, is considered clean. This is enough to work with information of high quality, a representative of the National Electronic Services Centre is sure: — Now we are starting to work not with electronically signed files, but with data obtained from information resources.

A baby was born — got an electronic personal account The new version of the e‑Services Portal will appear from January 1, 2021. And for every Belarusian, a new electronic personal account will be automatically created on the basis of information from the population register, regardless of whether the person asked for it or not.

From the moment of birth, the personal account is inactive until the person activates it at the moment of initial identification using an electronic digital signature from the ID-card. All the history of use of this account will be stored there. Even if a person has not entered the account, but the state has taken some actions regarding this citizen, messages about it will come to the account. When a person dies, the account will be automatically deactivated so that no one can perform any legally relevant procedures. An

electronic personal account of a legal entity is also created within the platform, said Sergey Rudnev: — From January 1, we will thus receive two personal accounts. The account of an individual allows the regulator, represented by the Ministry of Justice, to work with citizens on the basis of data from the Population Register. The account of the legal entity will allow the Ministry of Economy to work with these persons. Each account of the legal entity will be linked to a specific citizen, not to the company.

One person — two passports — Starting from the new year, Belarusians will in fact have two passports: an ID-card for identification and a biometric passport, which will allow them to leave the country and will be issued if it is necessary to leave Belarus. The time limits for issuing such a passport are determined by law, as is the case with paper blue passports, but they will be shorter. The document will be valid for ten years, said Natalya Kochina, Deputy Director for Commercial Affairs of the National Electronic Services Centre. All organizations of the country in the new year must purchase readers to be able to accept citizens with ID-cards, which will already have the necessary software. There is a rectangle on the back of the ID-card which is sewn into this device — this is the digital signature which, together with the ID-cards, will be given to the person. It is up to the citizen to decide whether to use the signature. — First of all, the implementation of administrative procedures and the provision of electronic services using the ID-card is likely to be faced by the One Window service, as well as all areas of life where a person can apply for services — said the Deputy Director. Absolutely all administrative services can be sent to a person’s private account after they have been transferred electronically. This includes notices from government agencies such as fines and subpoenas. It is believed that a citizen has thus accepted the information sent and cannot neglect it, since the document has been delivered. — The current version of the unified e‑services portal contains 163 electronic services (113 electronic services and 50 administrative procedures). Both these resources and administrative procedures, which have been defined by the government, will have to be transferred to the new platform. This will have to be done by 2024. A list of 30 most popular administrative procedures for citizens and 30 most popular procedures for legal entities has already been defined, which must be converted into electronic form next year. Unfortunately, it is not yet possible to use mobile technologies to obtain additional data on the phone within the BISSS, but work is under way in this area. As well as the planned complete digitization of all information stored in the archives of Civil Status Registration Offices. By lyudmila Bykova. Photo by BelTA.

беларусь. belarus 2020

relevant

Electric power future Due to the commissioning of the Belarusian NPP the next five years will bring a new development of electrotechnologies which will make it possible to completely exclude natural gas and oil products from the fuel and energy balance of the country and replace them. In turn, this will lead to the development of renewable energy sources (RES) and their intensive integration into the energy system of Belarus. Reserves of renewable energy sources New breakthrough technologies are also forecasted to emerge not only in the fuel and energy balance, but also in construction and industry, thus avoiding hydrocarbon imports as much as possible.

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This is also connected with Belarus’ international obligations to reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. At the press conference, experts spoke about the future of renewable energy in the country. As you know, Belarus imports most of its energy resources — up to 84 % of all hydrocarbons come to us from abroad. There-

fore, the country has a policy of energy saving and introduction of renewable energy sources (RES), said Mikhail Malashenko, Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Standardization, Director of the Department of Energy Efficiency. Next year the country plans to put into operation at least 500 MW of heat generat-

relevant ing capacity using biofuels in the housing and utilities system to meet the needs of the population in heat energy. Biofuels still generate the largest share of energy in the fuel and energy balance. In some districts, the production of heat from this source in the housing and communal services system reaches 70–90 %. However, in the energy balance of the country as a whole, local fuels account for only 16.5 %. At the same time, by 2025 the capacity of units operating on RES is expected to reach 750 MW. — The capacity of the Belarusian power system is 10.170 MW. In the first eight months of the current year, the capacity of plants operating on RES has increased by 82.1 MW due to the commissioning of new facilities and amounted to 486.7 MW. This is 4.8 % of the total energy production (last year it was 4 %), — said Sergey Greben, Head of the Energy Efficiency, Ecology and Science Department of the Ministry of Energy. Last year, 7.1 % of the country’s fuel and energy balance came from renewable energy sources. In some countries, 25– 30 % of electricity is produced in this way: — Belarus has a plan of action until 2030, and there are a number of agreements with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which is ready to provide technical assistance and work on the possibility and increase of renewable energy use in Belarus. Today, the country has installed about 492 MW of electrical capacity from local renewable energy sources. According to international energy communities, if RES capacity is less than 10 % of the total energy system, it does not affect the balanced operation of the system as a whole, — said Mikhail Malashenko.

tion Department in Electrical Engineering, Radioelectronics and Energy Saving at the Belarusian Institute for Standardisation and Certification: — The creation of wind parks in the country is a relatively new area. To provide regulatory framework, our Institute has developed three interstate standards defining the requirements for wind power installations. One of them concerns requirements for the design of wind power plants, their structures and all subsystems. Its aim is to protect the installation from any impact throughout its lifetime. The second standard concerns the requirements for small wind power plants, their subsystems and mechanisms. The other standard contains compliance testing and certification. It is designed to facilitate mutual recognition by market participants of test results and conformity assessment documents that are issued within different countries.

Sun, water and greenhouse emissions Belarus is a party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Our country has undertaken a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 28 % by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, so the development of renewable energy in

the country is very important. However, despite the fact that in 2018 the reduction reached 33 %, due to the high development of industry and other sectors of the country’s economy without additional measures and activities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Belarus may not achieve the declared reduction by 2030, said Natalya Gulnitskaya, Head of the Department for Regulation of Air Impacts, Climate Change and Expertise of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection. Last year emissions from stationary sources amounted to 426.1 thousand tons, of which 85 thousand tons were from fuel combustion. Today the country has sufficient potential for the development of renewable energy. The annual intake of solar radiation per unit area is comparable to that in Germany or Poland, where solar energy is developing at a higher rate. — We do not have the same wind as the countries with seas and oceans, but with existing technologies, our wind performance is sufficient for wind power to develop sustainably. The country’s hydropower potential is around 250 MW. It is concentrated in Grodno, Vitebsk and the Mogilev region near the Neman, the Western Dvina and the Dnieper rivers, — said Natalya Gulnitskaya. By Irina Sidarok. Photo by BelTA.

Standards for windpower plants Air pollution and limited fuel resources make wind power perhaps the cleanest renewable energy source. Today it is one of the most promising sources of energy, which is successfully developing and is an important area of energy saving, said Alexandra Shevtsova-Ronina, head of the Technical Normalisation and Standardisa-

Small hydroelectric power plant on the Iput River in Dobrush

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scientists are researching

“Wintering in Antarctica is a special case”

The 13th Belarusian Antarctic Expedition was solemnly launched at the NASB

This year ten participants will go to the ice continent: both specialists who have already visited Antarctica (five people) and firsttimers. The expedition members will have hard work to do in order to boost the construction of their own house in Antarctica — Belarusian Antarctic station “Vechernyaya Mountain”, as well as to do scientific research as part of the state program of Antarctic studies. At the end of October, the members of the 13th Belarusian Antarctic Expedition left for St. Petersburg. Expeditionary cargoes were sent there as well. From St. Petersburg on board a Russian vessel the Belarusian polar explorers went to Antarctica. From December to mid-February, i. e. 2.5 months, scientific research and work on the deployment of the outpatient surgical module of the station will be conducted at the South Pole. The return of Belarusian polar explorers to their home country is planned in the first half of March. The day before the permanent head of all the Belarusian Antarctic expeditions Alexey Gaydashov told a BelTA correspondent about the plans to build infrastructure, scientific research, principles of selection and life of the polar explorers, as well as about the plans to do all-year research. In an abridged version we give the most interesting questions and answers.

From Spartan conditions — to comfort — Alexey Alexandrovich, how did Belarus start to explore Antarctica? What has been achieved in the past years? — Our country acceded to the Antarctic Treaty in 2006. For a long time after that we worked in the field environment. The Russian side granted to use free of charge several structures that had survived since Soviet Antarctic expeditions. They were rather dilapidated, with cracks, old broken furniture, it was dark, cold and damp there. It was impossible to heat the room well: the diesel generators were weak. Sanitary conditions were very bad. We used to wash with water from the kettle, to cook on a small gas cooker with two burners which had small gas cylinders. As for our work, we mainly took measurements, collected samples and specimens to bring them to Belarus because we could not even process them on site due to the lack of scientific laboratories. Despite the fact that we had to work in harsh conditions for a long time, our zeal didn’t burn out. We went forward step by step. In 2013, the Government, the National Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Natural Resources, in consultation with the Ministry of Finance, approved a plan for the construction of the

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Belarusian Antarctic Station. For two years, documentation was being developed and preparatory work was in progress. The first facility appeared in 2015, it was a communication and navigation management module.

Delegation of Belarusian polar explorers

And today the first stage of the station construction allows to house up to 11–12 people of the expedition members. Each has their own living room, albeit small, but cozy, with a heating and ventilation system. There is a separate sanitary-hygienic module. There are modern scientific laboratories in such areas as atmospheric physics and biology. There is a hydrometeorological bureau: its instrumentation allows remote measurement of the main parameters of the Antarctic natural environment, i. e. wind speed and direction, relative humidity and air temperature. And all data is immediately processed and sent to the main land. This is important, among other things, for servicing flights of Antarctic aviation and maritime navigation. — And what do the main structures of the Belarusian Antarctic Station look like now? — The service and residential module for communication and navigation management, which was built first, houses a meteorological bureau, navigation equipment, communication equipment for both Antarctica and the Mainland, aviation and ships. The second facility is an eight-section laboratory and residential module, which we completed during the 12th expedition. There are scientific laboratories, living quarters, a technological module for controlling electricity, a sanitary section with showers, washing machines, a section-sauna with a rest room, an outpatient clinic with modern control and diagnostic, physiotherapeutic equipment. Another sec-

scientists are researching tion is an operating and surgical unit equipped according to the most modern medical care requirements. The equipment makes it possible to perform complex surgical interventions if necessary. Unfortunately, for logistical reasons, medical structures did not arrive until late in the season. We unloaded them and had to leave for the mainland. This is why the medical facility is still mothballed. The task of the next expedition is to deploy it, install, check and commission the equipment.

Our own “house of culture” — Are there plans to continue construction in the coming years? — Yes, the formation of the Belarusian Antarctic station cannot be considered complete. The plans include the next stage of the five-year state programme. Further infrastructure development is envisaged. For example, we need a community room and a cookroom — not only for cooking and eating, but also for creating a favourable socio-psychological climate in the team. People can gather there, spend an evening together, talk and relax. In Antarctic conditions, it will be not only a kitchen and dining room, but also a kind of cultural centre. There will be a library, a video library and board games. In the next five years we should have an geophysical observatory which will house a laboratory and accommodation for two employees. Geophysical equipment of the observatory, including a seismograph, will monitor underground fluctuations in the Antarctic and beyond. — This season the Belarusian station was visited by the international inspection of the Antarctic Treaty. How did foreign experts evaluate the work of the Belarusian polar explorers? — The Inspectorate studied safety, ecology, energy supply, water supply, safety of vehicles, communications, including satellite communications, and organization of scientific research. A comprehensive, unbiased and objective inspection was carried out. Based on the results of the inspection we were told that the Belarusian Antarctic station is the best of 12 inspected by this group in the season 2019–2020. The inspectors emphasized the high degree of environmental safety, processability, wide use of alternative energy sources, energy-efficient equipment, safe and efficient life support equipment. The scientific component of the expedition received very high reviews: the instrumentation base, the complexes, the types of scientific programmes and observations implemented by the Belarusian Antarctic Expedition. The inspectors talked to each polar explorer separately. Then, sharing their impressions, they stressed that the station employs very qualified personnel and has an exemplary discipline.

“Beginners” and “veterans” — Under the state program Belarusian polar explorers work in Antarctica only during the summer season. When are you planning to stay for winter?

— In the next year or two the transition to wintering activities is not considered for objective reasons until the global transport and logistics situation has stabilized. It would be reckless to stay overwintering now without knowing what will happen in six months or a year, how to evacuate people, how to provide them, how to change the composition of the expedition. We have decided to conduct only seasonal expeditions for the time being. It is indicative that every year there are expedition-members who have already been to the Antarctic and want to go again. For example, there will be five experienced polar explorers on the 13th expedition. This is very important. It is difficult to teach a beginner: he may be a super-professional on the main land, but in Antarctica there are a lot of nuances, difficulties, special conditions for living. You have to work individually with everyone. All the polar explorers who participated in the Belarusian Antarctic expeditions, are worth their weight in gold, because they know where they are going to and why, how to behave and work there. — Are you going to take only experienced polar explorers on a winter expedition? — There are always first-timers. 50 % of specialists with experience in the Antarctic is, as a rule, the optimal number for the whole team to work steadily. The winter expedition does not include an extended team, as some types of scientific observations are not conducted during the Antarctic winter. In the future we are planning that 14–15 people will work at the Belarusian Antarctic Station during the period of seasonal work, and 10–11 people will stay for wintering. Overwintering is a special case. Eight months a year no one will be able to help in the Antarctic: neither a plane nor a ship will come. During a seasonal expedition, in the event of some force majeure, it is possible to evacuate a patient, to deliver spare parts if something goes wrong. But when wintering begins, we can only count on what we have brought and the people around us. For the winter period, a stable team-composition is required, which is compact and minimal in terms of efficiency and safety. These are life support technicians and scientific staff for year-round scientific programmes. Over 15 years, we have gained experience and staff. But you have to understand that never important projects and facilities are put into operation immediately for wide use, whether it be metro stations or space flights. At first, everything is repeatedly worked out and tested. This is also in our case. First, a pilot wintering session should be held with the participation of predominantly technical specialists. Let there be only one or two scientists, but there must be technicians — each in his or her own area. During this isolation all systems must be checked and it must be ensured that everything is safe. And if something is wrong, they have to correct the mistakes when they come back. Only then can we talk about starting a continuous cycle of year-round wintering in Antarctica. By Nadezhda Nikolayeva

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The day of tomorrow

How life will change The launch of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant opens up new horizons for the application of electric energy. And it’s not just about reducing the ecological burden and saving on natural gas imports — energy from the BelNPP will allow us to take a fresh look at many activities.

year. Additional measures to stimulate the purchase of electric vehicles are also being developed. What else? One of the residents of the China-Belarus Industrial Park “Great Stone” is implementing a project to produce electric bikes. Electric buses in Minsk have already become a common means of urban public transport, and their appearance in other cities is not far off. It seems unlikely that the development of this segment of transport will stop there. Anyway, during the opening ceremony of new Minsk metro stations, Alexander Lukashenko gave instructions to gradually transfer the capital to electric transport. One of the most promising areas is the construction Belta

he number of electric cars in Belarus has doubled over the past six months and exceeded 1.200. Next, the figure will certainly grow exponentially: the development of electric transport is a global trend. In 2021, BELGEE CJSC alone plans to produce around 1.000 electric vehicles in the price category that doesn’t go beyond 30.000 US dollars. The first samples of such vehicles are already being tested. At the same time, infrastructure for this type of transport is being developed: for example, Belorusneft is planning to increase the number of charging stations to six hundred next

Examples of electric transport equipment

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of electrified apartment housing. In such buildings electricity is used for heating, hot water supply and cooking. There are similar examples in Belarus. An appropriate tariff policy will have to encourage the use of electricity in housing in the future. The Smart Cities concept assumes a comprehensive application of modern solutions in housing and public services, construction and spatial planning, transport infrastructure, health care, education and law enforcement. The functioning of this system presupposes the presence of extensive networks, sensors, detectors, actuators and mechanisms — electricity is simply a must here. Electricity can be used to produce hydrogen. So far, however, more is invested in this area than received. However, many experts believe that hydrogen fuel is a very promising form of energy. The BelNPP project is a platform for the widespread introduction of the most advanced technologies into the economy and the creation of innovative industries based on them. It is a transition to a new technological mode of energy in favour of the environment and competitive tariffs. By the way, Belarus has declared its intention to make an unconditional commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 35 percent by 2030 compared to 1990. The work of the nuclear power plant, according to the Ministry of Energy, will contribute to achieving this goal. The Ministry has estimated that the two Nuclear Power Plant units will cover 40 per cent of the country’s electricity needs, while greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by more than 7 million tons per year. By Alexey Fedosov

made in Belarus

Anti-cancer, hepatitis, multiple sclerosis and COVID‑19

on amino acids that are well assimilated and have no significant side effects. One of them, Inocardil, is as good as the famous “Product” in terms of its anti-ischemic and cardio-tropic effects. Academpharm is developing the production of anti-HIV and hepatitis drugs. While in 2010 domestic drugs accounted for 22 % of the Belarusian market in value terms, since 2015 this figure has exceeded 50 %. The cost of Belarusian analogues is 1.5–2 times lower than that of imported drugs. There are 38 pharmaceutical manufacturers in Belarus. The most important — Belmedpreparaty, Borisov and Nesvizh medical plants, Minskintercaps, Ekzon and Lotios SPC — are united into a pharmaceutical holding. It accounts for about 80 % of production and the same contribution to exports. Belarusian medicines are sold in burowael2011.wixsite.com

The Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus is one of the manufacturers of hightech antitumor drugs. It has mastered the production of expensive drugs needed by Belarusian patients in small quantities — up to 120 kg a year. The cost of one bottle of a foreign drug can reach several hundred US dollars. — We are trying to choose expensive drugs for production in order to ensure import substitution and support the budget, — says Svetlana Babitskaya, Director of the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry. — All these drugs are used in hospitals, and patients receive them free of charge because they are purchased by the state. The production technology of two targeting (molecular targeting, “hitting” specific targets) drugs has been developed, they are used for the treatment of hepatocellular and renal cell carcinoma as well as chronic myeloleukemia. The original product of the manufacturer “Leykovir” is for treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis, it stops the destruction of inflamed areas of the brain. By the way, last year this drug won a gold medal at the St. Petersburg innovation exhibition. The Institute of Physical and Organic Chemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus produces drugs based

pharmacopoeia.ru

Domestic pharmaceutical companies produce a wide range of drugs, including antitumor drugs, for the treatment of the cardiovascular system and the gastrointestinal tract, as well as for patients with not the most common but very serious diseases, such as multiple sclerosis. At the same time, manufacturers are convinced that Belarusian analogues are no worse than foreign originals, especially since the quality requirements are very stringent.

35 countries worldwide. Their quality is as good as that of their imported analogues. — Our manufacturers buy substances from the same plants in India and China as the world-famous Bayer. 90 % of our factories have been re-equipped and operate making use of modern equipment. When we go to exhibitions in Russia and Ukraine, the first thing that is swept off the shelves is our medicines, — says Vladimir Gapanovich, Director of Lotios SPC. Belarusian scientists are also developing anti-COVID‑19 drugs. — The bioinformatics group has analysed databases and found structures that could become a prototype for a drug that blocks coronavirus proteins. But to start synthesizing it, funding is needed. We therefore anticipate that this work will begin next year. We can expect the production of such a drug in the next few years, — said Svetlana Babitskaya. By Elena Kravets

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dialogue

Viktor Liskovich:

“I have something to compare with...” The Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Council of the Republic on Education, Science, Culture and Social Development told the interviwer about his family dynasty, life universities and plans for the future

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education, culture, just “social”, it is the core of our lives. Which sphere in your opinion as a lawmaker needs improvement now? — As long as people are alive, they never stop, and this process cannot end at all. And the social sphere is our life from birth to old age, so it’s very important not to miss any aspect. A child is born — we need quality medical care so that the parents are healthy, children grow up and develop well, so that in nursery schools they get the initial guidelines for devotion and love for their country — these values can be formed from the age of three. Then they go to school, where it is already necessary to build relationships with other children and study. When a person becomes a stu-

dent or gets a job, it is important to be accepted as one of the team, to go through the first stage of training and to use the gained knowledge. Then a person enters the active phase of life, e, g, they become production workers, scientists, managers, and at this stage it is important to show their talents. Then comes the retirement age, and we need social protection — there are also points that need to be included in the relevant bills with regard to our living conditions and the country’s economy. And it is very important for these documents to be based on life, on the interests of the majority of people, not on its minor group. But I would like to emphasise once again that as long as a person is alive, he or she will always develop, and accordingly yan khvedchin

— You are one of the few parliamentarians who have quite extensive experience in legislative work: you used to work in the specialized commission in the lower house, headed a similar commission in the upper house. Does previous experience have an impact on your current status? — I would like to start with the fact that managerial, organisational experience, i. e. working as an ordinary doctor, head of a department, chief obstetrician-gynecologist of the Grodno Region, chief doctor of a large medical institution, deputy chairman of the regional executive committee, is one of my activities. The other is related to public work. I was chairman of the trade union organisation of the Ostrovets Central District Hospital, which employed over 600 people. And, of course, it was bound to have an impact — I gained tremendous experience! Then I was a member of the Grodno City Council of Deputies, twice of the regional council, and in the House of Representatives of the fifth convocation I worked in the permanent commission on health, physical culture, family and youth policy. And knowledge of the law enforcement practice and the process of developing draft laws makes it possible to take meaningful, specific, accurate and quick decisions on the issues raised in citizens’ appeals, to make amendments to the draft laws that are supervised by our commission within its competence. — The specialized commission that you chair is more understandable and close to people than any other, i. e. health,

Viktor Liskovich

dialogue laws are written by people and for people, for the comfortable life of society. Therefore, I would not say that a particular bill is very important today. The most important thing today is young people and their being in demand in society, their love for their Homeland and their contribution to the country’s future.

Anyone can reach heights — I cannot help but ask about the assessment of what is happening in the country at the moment… — To be honest, I could have never imagined that I would witness attempts to destroy our country. It convinces me once again that we need to work with young people very impactfully, to show them what happened in our society some time ago and what has happened now. I have seen different stages of development in the country. I remember 1991, when, as chairman of the union, I had to distribute goods, coupons, vouchers… It was very hard: there was no salary, no goods, there was nothing, but the country coped with this devastation. And today, a modern, strong socially oriented state has been created. What is the point in losing everything in one moment?! For my part, I appreciate today’s life because I have seen the bad, so I value the achievements. I’m sure that young people need to be taught with an example of history to have something to compare with and see that we are moving forward. I am convinced that if you want to and can work today, you will reach any heights in your country. For example, I started working in the Soviet Union. I went through the main stage of my life in independent Belarus. Both periods can be roughly divided in half: a little over 30 years in one and almost 30 years now. So I would like to say that I have always had the opportunity to realize myself. I have, for example, ordinary parents. I was born in the city of Kobrin, the Brest Region, and left there secondary school. For the first four years I studied in the third shift — my classes were over after 9 p.m, and I was actively involved in social activities. I liked studying and was particularly interested in the exact sciences: physics, chemistry, mathematics and drawing. Once I became a prizewinner

at the regional physics Olympiad. When I finished school at the age of 17, I entered the Medical Institute. I came there with clear understanding that the country is the place where I am needed. It so happened that all my recent life — 36 years — has been devoted to the Grodno Region, 13 of which are in the Ostrovets District. What do all these stages indicate? The fact that an ordinary person can realise himself — all conditions have been created for this. I wrote and defended my PhD thesis without being a postgraduate student, without leaving my hospital work, because I considered it necessary for my own development, for the country. And I am proud that the idea of my PhD thesis “Multilevel system of perinatal care” has been implemented throughout the country and is now successfully operating. I am one of the developers of this system, which was implemented at the first stage in the Grodno Region, where it produced very tangible results, and was subsequently developed throughout the country. But I don’t mean to say that I did it alone. First you must be supported by your teachers, later on you support your students. Then there will be a change of generations. I had the best teachers who contributed in various ways to my formation and development, to my personal becoming — doctors, managers and health care organisers. There are about 10 of them. And now I am very glad that I have students who are smarter than me, more successful and very proud when they turn to me for advice.

270 years all in all! — Since we have already touched upon your medical experience, practical application of your work, I cannot help but speak about your family, which is an example of intergenerational continuity, a medical dynasty. I know that your family’s total medical experience is over 250 years… — We’ve calculated — it’s 270 years. — Is the younger generation, your granddaughter, going to continue the family dynasty? — She is 12 years old. She loves medicine, but whether she will go further in this direction, I don’t know, it will be her choice. My children took their decisions without

any pressure, work should be rewarding and enjoyable. It’s not enough to want — you need to feel your profession. Actually, my father’s brother Alexey Liskovich, who died, unfortunately, at the age of 47, had a scientific degree, who gave rise to our entire dynasty. Then there was me, my sister, her husband, my wife and her sisters, my children, my son-in-law and other relatives… — And what about specialities? — They are different: from a nutritionist to the chief obstetrician-gynecologist of the region. There are also cardiologists, dermatologist-venereologist, therapeutist, nephrologist, neurologist, pediatrician and obstetrician-gynecologist, me and my son-in-law. In other words, almost the entire range of specialties. Out of them all, without exaggerating or understating the importance of each, I would like to specify two. Firstly, this is my wife, who has been working since 1991 as head of departments at various hospitals, i. e. Ostrovets Central District Hospital, Grodno Regional Hospital and Regional Cardiology Centre. Secondly, this is my younger daughter, Associate Professor at the Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases of Grodno Medical University. She has successfully defended her PhD thesis and teaches classes for international students in English. From my point of view, this implies deep knowledge of her subject. — What formed you as a doctor? — In medicine, I went through all the stages: I worked in the district centre, actually in the village, then as a head doctor in the district centre, then as the chief obstetrician-gynecologist of the region. In other words, the whole range of positions. During that period of time, I delivered 6.500 times. I want to say that the most important stage is work in the district centre. This is a place where a person is very quickly formed as a professional, because it’s necessary to take decisions in no time. If you do something wrong, you will never acquire authority in this area. My 13 years of the Ostrovets period are the most valuable and important in terms of professional growth. — To continue the topic of health care: I know that you are the author of many

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dialogue

Viktor Liskovich at the sculpture “To Mothers and Children” at the 5th City Clinical Hospital of Minsk

monographs which have practical applications… — Over 350 scientific works have been published: 10 monographs, eight textbooks, three monographs, three twovolume books, a manual for students on the organisation of health care — this is where I wanted to leave my knowledge to my followers. I think, to some extent, I succeeded. When I was deputy chairman of the regional executive committee and now as a senator, I am very actively involved in publishing popular scientific literature.

Books waiting for their “heyday” — In your office I see many books that have been published with your direct involvement… — Yes, they have my ideas, concepts and, of course, a group of authors. If you have like-minded people, it’s easy to make 24 books in four years. We are talking about publishing albums, presentations in at least two or three languages (Russian, Belarusian, English), which reflect all stages of the creative path of the Grodno Region in the sovereign period of Belarus. This is history which can teach young people to be proud of and protect their land. The latest editions include four books from the series “Time Travel”, created in close cooperation with Vladimir Likhodedov. First of all, this is the book “Multinational

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Belarus”, which was published for the Republican Festival of National Cultures, the presentation of which was scheduled for September 19 in Grodno. The publication reflects the way people of different nationalities live in peace and harmony in our country, the way they used to live a hundred years ago. For the 7th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia we have published two books: “75 Years of Victory” and “Blockade”. — Why such a tandem? — Because one is dedicated to the defence and liberation of Belarus, and the other to the blockade of Leningrad as a symbol of heroism of the entire Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War. In these books you will find Minsk and other cities of Belarus of revolutionary, pre-war, war periods, destroyed, restored and modern. It demonstrates how the country recovered and moved forward in a short period of time. The last book is dedicated to Lida. Why? Because this year Lida is the cultural capital of Belarus. The city is of interest to domestic tourists and foreigners. Earlier four more books from the series “Time Travel” were published in the Grodno Region, i. e. about Grodno, Slonim, Novogrudok and Smorgon. We are planning to keep on doing it, there is an agreement with the Grodno Regional Executive Committee and the author Likhodedov, that there will be books on each district of the Grodno Region. First of all, about the Grodno Re-

gion, Svisloch and Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Volkovysk, Shchuchin, Ostrovets and others. Each region has its own zest, so I think this series will be interesting for the reader. There are more plans. When we started with the “Hospitable Grodno Region”, we understood that we had to make a series. And then there was the book “On the Neman, Viliya, Shchara” — these are waterways and surrounding attractions of the Grodno Region. Later, the third book “The Augustów Canal: Unusual History and New Life” was published. It reflects the past, present and future of this unique waterway of our historical and cultural monument. The fourth book “Grodno Region: Protected World” is being made. It tells about almost 20 reserves and wildlife sanctuaries in the Grodno Region. It will include more than just informational material. The publication will be very useful for tourists, i. e. what unique features the region possesses, what to see there, what to be surprised about and so on. I think this book will be published early next year. In addition, a layout of the book about athlets, who put the Grodno Region on the map, has already been made. Most importantly, in the publication one can see how they gained victory. Not only their physical characteristics will be shown, but also their coaches, the schools they went to and their physical education teachers. In other words, the concept is to show the anthology of victories through the people who led the athletes to the championship titles. Finally, the third book, which will be published this year, is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Grodno Museum of History and Archaeology. All the more so because the Old Castle is undergoing a large-scale reconstruction. We’ve made room in the New Castle (the library has moved into the luxurious new building of the former National Bank in the Grodno Region) for an art gallery. The Palace of Textile Workers, which will be a branch of the museum, is being reconstructed, it will house the exhibition “Nature of the Grodno Region” and will reflect the period of the Soviet era. In this way, a kind of museum area will be formed in the city centre. Of course, we are doing our best so that this presentation

dialogue publication could represent the main museum of the Grodno Region. — These publications, we can say, are more about professional activities. And what kind of literature do you, as a regular reader, like more? — The period of war. I’ve liked it throughout my life, and my interest has not gone away. Documentary chronicles are particularly attractive. I am familiar with the books, which were published during the Soviet period, I have reread almost everything — the memoirs of the commanders-in-chief, books about the partisan movement in Belarus. I admire the memoirs of Zhukov, Rokossovsky, Vasilevsky. I have kept them since my childhood. For example, I’ve reread Zhukov’s memoirs four times and each time I perceive them in a new way. He was a very interesting man with a difficult fate, but he loved his country so much that, despite all the difficulties on his way, he showed an example of love for his Homeland. Thanks to him and his contribution to the Great Victory, we live at peace today.

What is interesting about social media? — Let’s go back a bit from the past to the present: not so long ago you opened an Instagram account. I can’t help but ask: is

it a tribute to fashion or a desire to be in contact with the youth public? — I am very sorry that I did not do it earlier. At least two or three years ago. I quickly studied it and understood that the main group of subscribers are young people. You just don’t get subscribers there unless they want to. Boys and girls like it when you in a simple way tell them about the events that happened, that will happen, share your vision and opinion. And they respond to this dialogue. I am convinced that we shouldn’t dismiss new things. Sometimes we do it for one reason: we think it’s irrelevant and untopical. But when most young people use this channel of information, there is only one way: to study, catch up and use it. — Not so long ago, the Youth Council (Parliament) was established under the auspices of the National Assembly. What do you expect from young parliamentarians? — They have high expectations: they should be our successors not in parliament, but in management activity. There must be people who will lead the country forward, they will hold various positions in ministries, the Council of Ministers, deputies, the President’s Administration, someone will head a factory or a school, but there will certainly be leaders. All of them — 70 young people — are very motivated. They are students, young workers, and some

In the National Academy of Sciences at the exhibition dedicated to the Victory in the Great Patriotic War

even have children of their own, but all of them have come, on the one hand, on the recommendation of the regions, and on the other — at personal requests. And their first composition shows that they want to assert themselves and do a lot of good for the country.

To retire — only in Grodno — And now, if possible, let’s go back to your family. You live in two cities — your relatives are staying in Grodno, and you are working in the capital. I take it that 260 kilometres for a happy family is not a distance? — Of course it isn’t. The fact is that it was our decision: the children, my wife work, their life goes on in Grodno. I will not resist it, but when I retire, I will return to this city, I love it very much. I came to Minsk to work, most of the time I’m busy at work, so I only come home for overnight — nothing distracts me from my work, and there are weekends for family gatherings that help me keep balance. — This distance makes you spend a lot of time on the road, don’t you get tired of driving? — No. I feel 20 years younger than my age. Actually, when I worked as deputy chairman of the regional executive committee, I travelled a lot: I had to visit different places, see, compare, observe and draw appropriate conclusions. And after it to make forecasts. The most important thing is to make these forecasts useful for society, people and the country. — I know that you have many different awards. Would you please name the dearest and most valuable ones? — There are indeed many awards, but I will tell you about several. In 2008, I received the Medal of Merit, it was the first serious award, and I cannot help but mention it. Of course, there are other awards. But I would like to highlight separately the Order of Honour, which I received in March 2016, which is the second state award. To sum up, it is definitely the most valuable award. Interviewed by Olga Anufriyeva. Photo by BelTA.

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FOR HEALTH!

Neurologist Gurbanidzhad Gumen Gushang:

“Do not press the selfdestruct button”

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neuro.by

urbanidzhad Gumen Gushang is convinced that a person is an imperfect creature and at some moment as if presses a “self-destruction button”. The most striking examples of harm to one’s own health are smoking, alcohol abuse and overeating, as well as neglecting one’s own body and ignoring medical advice. How we prematurely get those diseases that are typical of an advanced age, why a girl’s carefree attitude towards her health affects not only her, but also the next generation, how we are affected by heredity — Dr. Gumen told us about these and many other things. He was born in Iran, graduated from the Belarusian Medical University and stayed to work in Belarus. For a long time he was engaged in neurology and neurosurgery at the Republican Research Centre of Neurology and Neurosurgery, and now he is a researcher at the Department of Brain Tumours at N.N. Alexandrov National Cancer Centre of Belarus. He teaches venous thrombosis at the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery of the Belarusian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education, which is in the sphere of his scientific interests. — Dr. Gumen, what is the danger of venous thrombosis? — Despite the modern medical diagnostics, a large number of drugs and approaches to treatment of thrombosis and its complications, i. e. pulmonary artery thromboembolism, even in the countries where medicine

is at the highest level, the number of deaths does not decrease. The reason is that a clot is formed very quickly. Unlike a cold, which can develop in two days, a blood clot can be formed in five to seven minutes, and if you are very ‘lucky’ it will break off. The second reason is asymptomatic progress. A clot can be formed in one’s lower limb, which is the most dangerous place and a person has no complaints. There are no obvious symptoms or pain. It happens that a person is discharged from hospital, comes home, takes a shower, warm water widens blood vessels — and he or she falls down. So any treatment starts with good prevention. When we are in a stationary position, for example, we go by bus to Kiev, from where we fly to Sharm el-Sheikh, there is stagnation of blood. So you have to move, move your fingers, move your feet, and wear compression stockings, they

are sold at many airports. They help speed up blood circulation in the lower limbs, because the faster the blood circulation, the less likely clots are to be formed. In the evening, the feet should be placed on a raised surface, not necessarily high, 5–10 cm high is enough. It is important to dilute the blood — drink enough water. And to avoid hypodynamics, one should move more. — As far as we know, blood thinning is important in order to prevent strokes … — There are two types of strokes: ischemic and hemorrhagic. If ischemia occurs, a clot is formed in the brain vessel, which prevents the blood supply to the area of the brain. Hemorrhagic stroke causes a rupture in the blood vessel and the blood goes beyond it. In order to avoid an ischemic stroke, you have to do really trivial things to make the blood liquefy: just drink about two litres of water a day. This is the easiest way to prevent ischemic stroke. In addition, we need to know that our body has stress hormones, which are also removed through the kidneys. All you need to do is have a glass or two of water and wait until the stress hormones produced by the body dilute and reach the kidneys. And so most of the stress will leave your body through the toilet, so you should drink not because you are thirsty, but because you need to. Thus, drinking water is the first prevention of ischemic stroke. In old age, when the walls of blood vessels are uneven and have plaques, a doctor must select blood-thinning pills taking into account the existing diseases.

And to prevent hemorrhagic strokes, it is important to monitor blood pressure. If hypertension develops with age, it must be controlled. This is the case when in the literal sense, it tears where it is thin. Vessels in the brain are thin, their walls are damaged, and if there is blood in the nose during the hypertension crisis, that is not a problem. But when a vessel breaks in the brain, that’s a big problem. Hypertensionics, who know that certain products or actions cause increased blood pressure, should be wary of them. It is very dangerous to work upside down in summer. And there is no way to explain to our esteemed elderly people that if a vessel cracked, no one will need a vegetable garden, and the whole family will think about your treatment, and the treatment will take long. — Is it true that after a stroke, other areas of the brain can take over the functions of the damaged one? — Actually, it should be so. The part of the brain where certain centres were located has died. And, unfortunately, the nervous system is not recovering. According to some hypotheses, if they could recover or regenerate, we would have no long-term memory. The relevant areas of the brain accumulate certain information, and when they die, that information disappears and the person has to learn and remember something again. All the cells in our body divide and regenerate in life, but the nerve cells do not, and their number only decreases in life. By the way, sometimes only the pathologist can notice the signs of a stroke. When the brain is opened up, it is cut into layers and the changes are seen. But there may be no stroke in the history. Moreover, the person had lived a long life and it was only at the autopsy that this became clear. And this is exactly what shows that if a break in our body is insignificant, our own resources are involved and eliminate its consequences. And the functions of the part of the brain that is dead, are taken over by other areas. These are the resources of our body — it seeks to compensate for failures. — There is such a concept as spinal stroke. What can lead to it and how does it manifest itself?

Belta

FOR HEALTH!

In the surgery room of N.N. Alexandrov National Cancer Centre of Belarus

— The causes are the same as strokes. But there are slightly different symptoms, often similar to other pathologies. When a node in the brain begins to die off, it is clearly visible: if the node is responsible for vision, a person starts to go blind, if it is responsible for the sense of smell, the person fails to smell scents. If a large area dies, paralysis begins on the right or left side of the body. The main function of the spinal cord is conduction. It transmits signals from the brain to the periphery and back; it is like a telephone line going to every office and house. And when a stroke occurs (again, it is important whether a large or small area is damaged), a feeling of numbness starts to appear in the lower extremities. I had a patient who told me that everything was as usual in the morning — she went to work, and in the evening when she was about to leave the office, she didn’t feel her legs. Her spinal cord circulation had already been impaired. She was afraid to drive, she called her husband. She was told at the clinic that there were problems, and some treatment was prescribed. And for two more days she walked feeling weak in the knees. And when she started limping and fell down, she was taken to hospital and she could barely feel her lower extremities. There was no nerve conduction and the nerve cells died. And she had paralysis in her lower limbs. There is no hope that

she will recover and be able to walk. The life-story of American actor Christopher Reeve, who played the role of Superman in the eponymous movie, is very illustrative. He fell off a horse and broke his cervical vertebrae, and the body below his neck was paralysed. Although he could afford to spend any money on the best clinics, he didn’t recover. This is a serious pathology. And if it happened, it is important to seek medical help in a timely manner, to diagnose and restore the broken blood circulation. If you have time to do it in the shortest possible time, the prognosis is better. If a lot of time passes and the nervous system is lost, then miracles should not be expected. — Health care is our strong point. Do Belarusians and foreigners differ greatly in this respect? — I have the feeling that Americans grow up, get mature and feel young in old age. Grandma can stand near a disco, chew gum, and say: “My boyfriend is coming, we’re going to have fun”. In Germany, for example, a 70–75‑year-old man comes to the doctor and talks about selling a house, buying another or changing a car, and he has plans for the next 20 years. In Belarus, when a patient comes for a medical consultation, he or she usually says: “Doctor, do you know how old I am?” And they can be just a little over 60. But they have shut the door on their lives and dont want anything.

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FOR HEALTH!

Movement is health

Another difference: what the doctor says to a European is the law. If the doctor says that something mustn’t be done, the patient will never do it. Belarusians often have this attitude: well, the doctor advised something but whether the patient will follow it is a big question. And the doctor knows that there is a 50–50 or even a 30–70 chance that the medical advice will be followed. A visit to a doctor is more for psychological comfort. Patients do not always follow medical advice, even if they need serious treatment. But there is, of course, a category of people who turn to doctors for advice and follow it, but there are not many of them. — What is the danger of such an attitude? — On a global scale, men and women should be treated separately. Obviously, women have more responsibility. Because the role of a man in conceiving is easier than that of a woman. The ovum in a woman’s body is not restored, not “repaired”, not purified. A girl is born with its set, and a carefree attitude towards herself in her youth affects not only her health but also the next generation. In men, everything is different: sperm lives for a maximum of two months. Even if a boy used to take drugs or alcohol, or used to work in harmful conditions, but he leads a healthy life for a while, there will be no great harm to the child’s future.

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Actually, the more irresponsible people treat themselves, the sooner they will get the diseases, which they would have developed being over 60. This affects both the country’s economy (as the state pays disability benefits and provides hospital treatment) and the lives of people. If people become disabled, their adult children or relatives will have to take care of them, not of their own families. A trivial example: “Dad, don’t work upside down in the garden, you have high blood pressure. How much does a bucket of tomatoes cost? You can buy it”. Dad turns deaf ear; as a result, a brain vessel is ruptured, a stroke occurs and half the body is paralysed. And he can’t walk, eat or wash on his own, which is a problem for the whole family. So everyone today has to keep fit and lead a regular life. — How great is the role of heredity in the development of brain cancer? — There is heredity in any disease, for example vision, hair loss. Cancer is a worldwide problem, and its number is growing everywhere. Reasons range from the air we breathe, the food we eat, to our bad habits. There is no universal prescription. Everyone has to take care of themselves, keep in mind what foods and bad habits increase the risk of tumours. — How unfavourable is the prognosis for brain tumours?

— Everything is very individual. The operation itself can be quite ordinary, but very “erratic” bodies can develop such complications that after-effects will be much worse than the tumour itself. And it happens that after having a giant tumour removed, a person lives for a long time and has no major complications. That’s why we tell our students: you treat the patient, not the disease. Disease is what is described in books, and the patient is an individual, and his or her body does not like something, reacts to something. And the difference between a good doctor and not a good doctor is that they have to identify individual characteristics and choose the most appropriate treatment. In general, the more complicated the stage of innovation is, the harder it is to cope with. Not just a tumour, but any disease — the more neglected it is, the harder it is to treat. There is an aggressive cancer, when the tumour grows quickly and it is less dangerous. But that’s the doctor’s problem: to think about what to do with the tumour. And it is wrong to tell the patient that “you have the most complicated tumour”. Although there are countries where the doctor tells the patient that he or she has a bad tumour, and they have, say, a year and a half left to live. It is believed that people should plan their life, perhaps write a will, have time to do something else. In the post-Soviet space, it is believed that such news can provoke a patient’s global depression, they may even decide to commit suicide. Therefore, this is reported to close relatives. And they have to help with planning future life. — Brain cancer — is it elderly people’s disease? — It is impossible to determine age here. In my opinion, it is a problem, including the immune system, which plays a major role in malignant diseases. Atypical cells are constantly forming in every person. And the task of our immune system is not only to destroy viruses and bacteria, but also to find these “defective” cells, identify them and destroy them. What is the specific feature of atypical cells? For example, renal cells can only live in the kidneys, while heart cells can only live in the heart. And atypical cells, no matter

FOR HEALTH! what they are made of, can live anywhere in our body. And we call them metastases. And if such a cell disappears from our immune system, ten of them will establish themselves and multiply. Then other atypical cells separate from there and establish themselves elsewhere, and as a result they destroy the body. Maintaining the immune system in good condition is therefore the very first prevention and resistance to cancer cells. If your grandfather is 80 years old but has an active lifestyle, runs a garden, rides a horse or bicycle, he is not at risk of cancer even at 80. If a person works in the office, has daily stress, ARVI and herpes twice a month and instead of taking vitamins, having fresches, walking in the fresh air in the park, swimming in the pool or going to the gym, they smoke, drink, it’s quite natural that they can ruin their health even in their twenties. In Slavic peoples, lifestyle is very much connected with alcohol consumption. Weddings, funerals — there is always alcohol, a new has been bought — we must have a drink. Excessive use of alcohol is harmful to the body. But people convince themselves and believe that nothing bad will happen. Alcohol affects the liver, stomach and nervous system. In medicine, they say it is not alcohol intoxication, but alcohol poisoning. It is poison that causes certain sensations in our body that we like. Although, of course, not only Slavs drink vodka, in Mexico there is corn, in China there is rice… — Is it better to give up alcohol or can we have a glass or two from time to time? — Of course, there is no need to forbid a person all pleasures at all. But there are things that kill them. And there are people with disabilities. And it will be a slow, long death that can last for years. Because of that, people suffer and so do the ones who take care of them. Believe me, in such a physical state a person will regret a thousand times the pleasure he or she used to receive from excessive consumption of alcohol and cigarettes. Therefore, moderation should be in all things, and one doesn’t need medical education to understand it.

Steam is not afraid of Moroz People from many countries of the world come to the Belarusian bath attendant for health

Different people have opposite attitudes to steam bathing. There are fans of “light steam” who are convinced that a steam room and broom will be useful at any age and in any state of health. But many people dislike steam bathing and never take it. We’ll talk about a classic steam bath and whether it really brings health and longevity? An expert on this issue is Gennady Moroz, the founder of annual national championships and festivals on taking a steam bath in our country, a judge of the international category on sports steam bathing, and a member of the International Bath Art Association. — Gennady, let’s start with what steaming championships are like. Why

do you need them and why did you come up with the idea of holding them? — I was not a pioneer here. The Professional Bathing Championships are held in different countries. I tried to inject a fresh jet into this movement and hold a national championship. I wanted to show that the Belarusian traditional steam bath is no less interesting than, for example, the well-known Russian one. Unfortunately, many of our national steam-bathing traditions need to be revived today; we also have few professional bath attendants. That is why in 2017 I decided that our championships would be amateur, folk and not professional. People liked the idea, three national championships have already been held in Belarus. Moreover,

By Elena Kravets

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FOR HEALTH! amateur competitions are now held in Russia and Lithuania. During such events it is possible to hold master classes for people interested in the traditional steam-bathing, to talk about the features of steam-bathing that enable it to become a way of recovery, and about the mistakes that are harmful to health, so that people would not come to the bathhouse to drink alcohol or play cards, but to steam. I am a good steam-room attendant. — Do your championships attract many spectators? — Yes, and every year there are more and more of them. When participants defend their technique of steaming before a jury, it’s really interesting — even for those who have never been interested in steambathing before. We, the organizers, are trying to make sure that our championships are bright, interesting and fun. After all, going to a steam bath is not the same as taking a usual bath. It is a kind of lifeaffirming holiday that gives a boost of optimism and positivity. For example, a few years ago we held the “Open Window of a Women’s Steam Bath” campaign in the Sports Palace. My students steamed out everyone — those in their late teens and in their forties. Of course, they were wearing swimming costumes, but all the other laws of proper steam bathing were respected, and the audience could see beauty and rejuvenating effects of the steam bath. And this year, on the eve of March 8, Belarus hosted the International Women’s Steam Bath Competition — a meeting of fans of western non-contact towel wiping (aufgus) and traditional broom steaming.

Traditions and modernity — What is a traditional Belarusian steam bath like? — It is not very hot (about 60°C) and a reasonable ratio of temperature and humidity. In this, by the way, our steam bath resembles a traditional sauna, which even today can be found in rural areas in Finland. Hot stones, brooms and firewood are also used. By the way, our contemporaries’ favourite dry sauna with very high temperatures has nothing to do with the true tradition of sauna, or its perfection. It only

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“If you go to a steam bath — you rejuvenate yourself”

appeared in the 20th century, when electric heaters were invented. Dry hot air (in modern saunas the temperature rises to 120°C) is stress for the body. I am a fan of a classic Belarusian sauna, the basic rule of which is that the sum of temperature and humidity should not exceed 120. If the temperature in a steam room is, say, 55°C, then the humidity should be 65 %. The Belarusian Bathhouse has authentic, ancient features, which are, probably, older than a thousand years. These are, for example, mostly birch brooms. By comparison, Ukrainians prefer oak brooms: their technique is historically based on striking, and we use massage movements more when steaming. — Do you only study and preserve the ancient traditions of steam-bathing, or is the Belarusian steam-bathing still developing today? — Well, of course it is, because it is not a museum exhibit, but a living phenomenon. We, professional steam bath attendants, exchange our opinions all the time. Some of the Belarusian steam bathing traditions, for example, have taken root in Tatarstan, and I have borrowed some traits from Russian masters of steam bathing. Well, we ourselves are constantly developing something new. For example, we use stone therapy for injuries, as well as various massage techniques. In particular,

the massage is made with hot linen bags, which are filled with medicinal herbs depending on the season and the needs of the guest. This is the “our SPA style”. — Tell us about your author’s programme “Steam by Moroz” — do you have any fans? — The essence of my method is contrast: the more the body heats up, the more it needs to be cooled. Steam and high temperatures cause 30 % more blood to enter the capillaries than usual, a person sweats and toxins are removed from the body. Sharp cooling causes pressure of the capillaries, the vascular system removes cholesterol plaques and a powerful cleansing effect is achieved. Another feature is a large amount of water per person (50 litres or more per programme): the water washes away both physical illnesses and psychological problems. My programme has enough fans in different countries. There are clients from the USA, Australia, Cuba and European countries. I want the Belarusian Steam Bath to become a brand. It deserves it — and this is not just my opinion. At international championships, I often learn from the speeches of many participants about my broom technology and our national breakthrough technologies, which I have demonstrated before. But foreign customers do not go to a steam bath in general, but to a specific master with a reputation. I would like to see

FOR HEALTH!

Age for a steam bath is no barrier!

a lot of masters in Belarus, this will allow our tradition to create its own image — as, for example, Japanese Ofuro bath or Turkish hammam.

Individual approach — If steam-bathing is so useful, why does it have convinced opponents? In addition, a steam bath has many contraindications… — Indeed, many citizens have a negative experience of visiting a steam bath. Unprofessional bath attendants caused negative emotions, and now it is almost impossible to convince them. And this is very sad. Well, there are only a few contraindications in the Belarusian steam bathing with a professional attendant: the first three months of pregnancy, skin diseases, chronic diseases in the period of recurrence, acute inflammatory diseases (with “covid” it is not allowed to go to the bathhouse!), cancer diseases. But I must emphasize: you must walk with a professional steam bath attendant. A professional is someone who knows how to steam out a guest at the definite time, taking into account their physical and psychological condition, health and mood. In a bathhouse, as nowhere else, an individual approach is important.

— How do people become professional bath attendants? — It is a long way to go. To become a professional, I studied with masters in Russia, Ukraine and the Baltic States, and gradually collected knowledge about our national steam bathing throughout Belarus. A professional has to be trained in bath schools which give good knowledge — they are in Ukraine, St. Petersburg, Kazan, in the Urals. There is my school in Minsk. A professional must have dozens of steam bathing techniques and be able to use them so as not to hurt a guest when visiting a steam room. When a bath attendant is viewed as a doctor — with the same confidence on the part of the guest and with the same degree of responsibility on the part of a professional bath attendant — steam bathing is only for the benefit of the visitor. Among my guests there were heavily pregnant women. And one of my colleagues started steaming his son when he was not even two weeks old.

To a bathhouse for youthfulness — Let’s talk about a beauty-effect of a classic steam bath: does it exist? — I am convinced that a domestic steam bath is better for preserving the

youth and beauty of our women than a foreign SPA, because it is designed for the climatic conditions in which we live. The cleansing effect is provided by, for example, a bast wisp that our ancestors used for centuries. And I would advise against using synthetic flannels and shower gels in steambaths. Grasses wash well, it’s natural and good for skin. A steam bath is also aromatherapy (of course, if you use the right brooms). I collect lime flowers. A juniper broom is especially good in winter. Well, birch brooms are best made when young leaves appear. This is an effective means of fighting skin inflammation plus a powerful vitamin charge. — Spa is associated with wraps — is it possible to do it in a steam room? — At high temperatures there is no need for additional insulation, you can simply apply masks to the body and get the same effect. For example, a very effective blue clay mask. This clay is available not only in the East, but also in Belarus, in the Mogilev Region. The anti-cellulite honey massage has a wonderful effect. The antiage effect is achieved through a combination of heat and cold: it has been one of the principles of beauty since ancient times. If you go to the right steam room every 10 days, your skin will start to look 7–8 years younger, wrinkles will be smoothed out, and your face will lift up. But I would not advise to expect a weight loss effect after visiting a steam bath. Of course, if you don’t make up for the fluid loss in the steam room, you can lose more than 1.5 kg in 60 minutes. But this is achieved through dehydration, which means that it is useless and short-lived. The sauna helps you lose weight, but not directly: it speeds up your metabolism, normalizes your lipid metabolism and maintains your immunity. — It is believed that a sauna is a good way to cope with stress. Is it? — “Bull’s‑eye”! Moreover, steam bathing has the effect of rebirth: it calms nerves and organizes thoughts. The right steam bathing “washes away” negativity, aggression, dissatisfaction with life. All that remains is a positive attitude and a feeling of being filled with new energy. By Alexandra Antselevich

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personal experience

In the rhythm of pilates How not to rupture oneself while strengthening one’s health? We are looking for the answer on… the bed, but an unusual one

It seems to me that the popular saying “beauty requires sacrifice” is gradually losing its relevance. The topic of health, with all its implications, is now coming to the fore. It’s when beautiful looks are first and foremost a sign of a good body state, well-coordinated work of all its internal systems, and the right way of life. But there is a turd in the punchbowl. It would seem that there is nothing bad about lifting weights in the gym or doing yoga at home. Or, for example, standing at a ballet bar and rotating the rond de jamb parter, which makes the feet turn outwards and the posture flexible? But it turns out that it is possible to do abs exercises incorrectly and thus block the hollow vein in the abdomen. The result is at least a bad feeling and at most a medical diagnosis. And dancers often pay for their air jumping with problems in the hip joints… Even the usual jogging in trainers can hurt the body more than “endless rest” on the sofa. Have you decided to swim in the pool? Take care not to get a spinal disc herniation! “What to do?” — maybe you are in confusion now, just like I was when I turned to a healthy lifestyle. It’s impossible to do no sports. Not least because of the “herd reflex”: it seems that today every Belarusian is doing some sports somewhere. And it is clear why: a “menu” in the capital’s sports complexes is very attractive: stretching, yoga, trx-loops, fitness aerobics, tabatа, squash… In total, there are 37 state sports and physical culture facilities in Minsk alone, where training in 25 sports is available, according to information on the website of the Main Department of Sports and Tourism of the

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Minsk City Executive Committee. And how many private clubs are there? Each district has some. One can easily become enmeshed in this variety. That’s why I don’t think you should follow advertising that promotes new trends or promises quick results. Well, it’s true that musclemen and musclewomen in the gym are not always as strong and healthy as they look at first sight. Secondly, it would be good to find a guide to the world of wellness and to start this difficult path with them step by step. My coacher Tatyana became such a guide: she helped me do exercises on a special exercise machine -reformer.

Step into history Not all of us know what reformers are. It is special equipment that Joseph Pilates invented 100 years ago. The one whose name is given to the now wellknown exercise system. Its essence is in dynamic, but not strenuous physical activity performed at a slow pace. In this state, one can activate deep muscles that people do not use in everyday life, or do it very rarely. For example, when sneezing. But how often do we do this? During the 1st World War, athlete Joseph Pilates invented over 50 different exercises. Thanks to his know-how, he helped many people with serious injuries, wounds and illnesses get back to normal life. At first, the role of special simulators was played by ordinary beds to which springs, belts, rope loops were attached… With their help, it was possible to adjust the amplitude and intensity of exercises. The work-out was performed

with one’s own weight, maintaining balance and alternately straining some muscles and relaxing others. Well, now, during global hypodynamics, Pilates’ system, supplemented with dozens of new exercises, becomes particularly popular, correcting anatomical and physiological deviations. Today, in equipped gyms one can see exercise machines stuffed with all sorts of gimmicks, which nevertheless resemble the very first beds. Although there is also a “cadillac”, a “barrel” and many other interesting tools for working with your body.

Concentration at maximum When I came to the first lesson, Tatyana immediately led me to a “chair”:

Comments Sergey Pustyulga, healthy lifestyle consultant, fitness training specialist: Pilates gives working load to the muscular, nervous and respiratory systems, has a positive effect on the work of internal organs and energy exchange, allows effective weight regulation, improves posture, allows economical management of movements in everyday life …For those who prefer other types of activity (athletics, running, playing, swimming), this direction allows correcting posture defects, disharmonious development of muscle groups, improves movement control and acts as a means of recreation.

personal experience this exerciser really looks like a chair — a stationary platform with a seat. But it has a step on which I had to put down my foot so that my big toe remained intact, that is, it protruded forward and my foot stood perpendicular to the step. I had to find a hole under my knee, which I had to press to the seat, and also turn around so that my thighs were parallel to each other. To stretch my arms forward and only then slowly press the step with my foot. Do you think I, a former gymnast, did it right away?! I don’t know how many minutes we spent for preparation, but at some point I even got upset because my turn-out feet didn’t want to stand “according to the nature”, i. e. straight. My thighs moved either to the right or to the left. Soon I forgot about the arms that had to be stretched forward in a certain position. And to keep everything under control! Yes, it’s not “multitasking” at usual work, it’s much harder! Somehow Tatyana and I coped with my stubborn (who would have thought! I did yoga!) body and started moving my feet. One, two, three — my buttocks were burning, although I was standing almost motionless, controlling all my muscles with great effort. And Tatiana was watching not only the correctness of my movements, but also my breathing. A breath in — a

Elena Likhtarovich, rehabilitation therapist: With age, all people’s muscles and tendons become less elastic and exercise on the reformer is the safest way for them to return to their former state as there is no weight load. The joints are prone to abrasion and limited mobility within the radius. Reformer exercises allow you to humanely develop joint mobility and gently open the articular bag so that the joint surface is washed with joint fluid as if it were lubricated and moistened. In addition, you can feel the state of your muscles and tendons while sitting or lying, when you do not need to keep your body in a vertical position and compensate for any twists in your body that appear with age.

movement to myself, a breath out — from myself. “Well, how is our muscle between our ribs?” — Tatyana draws my attention to the sensations in my stomach when I lie on the “cadillac”, working with the inner surface of my thighs. “I make sure that my feet are joined all the time, — I answer, breathing out. — But I feel nothing between my ribs…”, — “If you don’t feel it, it means we’re doing something wrong. Let’s try it in a different way”. Tatyana follows me. Like a elastic cobra, she crawls underneath me, making sure that each vertebrae gets its own load, stretches, but does not overstretch. Having worked with the “articulation of the spine” (I’ve learned new words!), we proceed to twisting around the shoulder joint. It sounds terrible, but in practice I get interesting sensations when I need to press my left ribs, make loose my right ribs, turn my arm and not to forget about breathing in and out. I looked in a big mirror — I look good! I look like a sign of infinity.

Twisting around the shoulder joint

On reformer

Three in one After the first training, I was afraid that I wouldn’t get up from the “magic bed”, which trained all my muscles, even the ones I didn’t know about, as well as my joints and tendons (and that’s the main difference between the reformers and standard exercise machines). However, my legs ran cheerfully up the stairs in unison with my good mood. The feeling in my body was amazing! It was as if I had taken a steam bath, swam in a pool, and then was massaged full-heartedly. Three in one! And I can breathe freely! At the time of the coronavirus, it feels particularly good. Yes, I have seen from my own experience that training on the reformer, and not just on it, has a beneficial effect for the whole body, it even relieves pain and corrects posture. They say that the quality of sleep gets better. I was also promised a new manner of walking with time… I wonder what it will look like? We’ll see. By Alisa Gungor. Photo by Author.

“Barrel” training simulator

“Candlestick” on “cadillac”

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literary bridges

Vladimir Korotkevich and the whole world How well-known is Vladimir Korotkevich in the world? We are looking for the answer to this question together with Alexander Susha, Deputy Director of the National Library of Belarus, cultural anthropologist, bibliographer, publicist, researcher of Belarusian books and Belarusian literature.

ladimir Semyonovich Korotkevich (1930–1984), a classic of Belarusian national literature, poet, prose writer, playwright, scriptwriter, publicist,

translator, left us more than thirty six years ago. During this time, a collection of his works in 8 volumes has been published. Some time after publication, an additional volume appeared. Thanks to the efforts of the publishing house “Mas-

tatskaya Litaratura” and the famous literary critic Anatoly Voroby, a Collection of classic works in 25 volumes is being published. Decades after the writer’s death, dozens of individual editions of his works have been published. In the last decade

Alexander Susha, Deputy Director of the National Library of Belarus

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literary bridges alone — almost fifty …How well is our classic known in the world? We answer this question together with Alexander. — Is it possible to see in Minsk Vladimir Korotkevich’s space represented in other countries? I mean, to what extent does the National Library of Belarus take into account translations of authors’ works “Ears of Rye under Thy Sickle” into other languages? — The question is both simple and very complicated. On the one hand, it would be possible to answer positively without much reasoning. We know very well that Vladimir Korotkevich’s works have been translated into many world languages: Bulgarian, English, Czech, English, Estonian, French, Chuvash, Georgian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Moldovan, German, Mongolian, Polish, Russian, Slovak, Tajik, Uzbek, Ukrainian, Vietnamese and others. All these translations and their publications, although prepared for foreign readers, are of great interest to Belarus as our national documents. Therefore, our National Library strives to monitor their appearance and makes every effort to ensure that these publications are included in its collection. For this purpose, we use a variety of means: we buy them, we receive them as a gift, we exchange books with foreign colleagues on the terms of international document exchange. Not only libraries abroad, but also representatives of the Belarusian diaspora, foreign Belarusian scientists (I would like to highlight the role of the International Association of Belarusianists), as well as publishers, translators, literary critics, institutions, diplomatic missions of our country abroad and other interested parties often provide assistance in this matter. Of course, it is beneficial to use foreign bibliographic databases, electronic catalogues of different countries and individual institutions. And it pays off. Yes, a quick search in our electronic catalogue allows us to make sure that the collections of the National Library of Belarus have translations of works by Vladimir Korotkevich into many languages. On the other hand, it should be noted that today the “space of Vladimir Korotkevich in other countries” is seen differently.

To some extent, there is a feeling that the interest in Vladimir Korotkevich’s legacy on the part of foreign translators and publishers has somewhat faded. For example, in some languages his works have not been published for several decades. Why this happens and what can be done, how to change the situation — we can talk and think about it in more detail. — In your experienced bibliographic opinion, is Vladimir Korotkevich of most interest to the Slavic reader? — Yes, and naturally national literature is most famous and interesting for our neighbours, because they are mostly Slavs. It is translated into Eastern, Western and South Slavonic languages. More often the translations are made by native speakers,

lished and republished in various author’s translations. For example, in Polish they were translated by Yan Gushcha with a desirable frequency: in 1971, 1974 and 1976. However, sometimes these translations were made by Belarusians who are fluent in one or another Slavic language. For example, the famous translations of Vladimir Korotkevic’s poetry into Serbian by the literary critic, serbist Ivan Charot, who is so highly regarded in Serbia that he was awarded the title of Academician of the Serbian Academy of Sciences. Still, we must admit that the largest number of translations were published in Russia and were intended for Russian readers. — By the way, do you think there are enough translations of Vladimir Semy-

writers or translators from these countries. In particular, the works of Korotkevich were published in Bulgarian translations by Christ Berberov (1968), Georgy Valchev (1971), Simeon Vladimirov (1977, 1982), Rumyan Evtimov (1978, 1981), Penka Kynev (1983), Andrey Germanov (2000), Naiden Valchev (2000) and others. Elena Lukyanchuk and Karpo Skrypchenko (1972, 1982) worked with Ukrainianlanguage publications. It so happened that Korotkevich’s works were repeatedly pub-

onovich’s prose and poetry into Russian? — Famous works that were published as a separate edition, as well as works in collections and magazines have been translated into Russian. Among them are the stories “King Stakh’s Wild Hunt”, “The Grey Legend”, “The Boat of Despair”; novels “Ears of Rye under Thy Sickle”, “Black Castle Olshansky”, “Christ Landed in Grodno”; a poem in prose “Chosenia” and many others. It would seem that there are many. Some works have been translated

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literary bridges more than once. However, first of all, we must admit that some of these translations were made not for the Russian book market, but for the domestic market: unfortunately, many Belarusians prefer to read classic works of Belarusian literature in translation rather than in the original language. Secondly, the availability of translations into Russian does not mean they are widely available and popular. Yes, most of them were published in the past decades and today are not widely available in bookstores. Especially when it comes to a Russian buyer of a book. It is true that the circulation of recent editions was not

understood in Russia and even in Ukraine due to the lack of good translations? — Yes, in part it is true. However, I have to go back to my previous discussions about supply and demand. If there were a significant demand for translation of Vladimir Korotkevich’s works in the Russian language environment, there would be translation orders on a competitive basis, as well as targeted appeals to wellknown and talented translators. After all, the translators themselves would be fighting for the right to work with popular text. This is what translators around the world are working on to improve translation

too large for the Russian reader to notice. But it’s not the most important thing. Today, as it seems to me, the time has passed when the main means of creating demand was to provide supply. I mean, it is not so much the reprinting of a writer’s works that arouses interest in his work, but the opposite: the growing interest in his work should encourage publishers to publish the next edition of his works. And in this sense, it would be right to talk about the targeted activities of the state and public institutions to promote national literature. We need a specific programme, a national programme in this direction. — Don’t you think that the scope of vision of Vladimir Korotkevich is not fully

quality. The situation can be improved. For example, many countries have book institutes (under different names) supervised by the government or as independent institutions that systematically study the demand for national literature, develop strategies for its promotion and support, and make recommendations for information market players. And they work on a scientific basis, analyze world and national statistics, organize problem round tables, invite well-known experts and so on. They also organize or coordinate presentations and research activities abroad to promote the literature of their countries or the work of certain national authors. In many places, funds and grants

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exist to support and promote national literature abroad. For example, they receive and redistribute funding for the translation of Belarusian writers’ works into foreign languages, organize translation competitions and presentations abroad, negotiate the purchase of these books with foreign cultural institutions, present national literature at international book and literature forums and fairs, promote and encourage the writers who sell license

rights to translate and publish their works abroad. And this is just one example of how national literature is popularized among foreign audiences. Look at how much Germany is doing to promote its literature, for example, Goethe’s works or Italy for the works by Dante, Poland promotes Adam Mickiewicz (native of Belarus), Ukraine does the same for Taras Shevchenko… Russia is not even worth talking about, because it managed to create a powerful programme to popularize Russian literature and its representatives

literary bridges abroad. And this programme is widely promoted in Europe and Asia. Needless to say that until recently, there were fewer monuments to Belarusian writers in Belarus than to Russian ones, when fewer streets, avenues, libraries, etc. were named after Belarusian artists than after the names of authors of the large and brotherly but neighboring country. The number of monuments to Pushkin alone exceeds the number of monuments to

any national writer. This is impossible for any other country. And how many monuments do we have to Vladimir Korotkevich? I think that most Belarusians do not know it. So what attitude do we want to have from foreigners? If we ourselves do not have enough respect for national literature and do not care enough about its popularization, what moral right do we have to complain about its ignorance by peoples of other countries? — What would you recommend to Belarusian book publishers?

— To publish more often the works by Korotkevich in Belarusian, Russian, Chinese, and in general in Asian and African languages… It’s necessary to understand that translations do not interfere with each other and are not competitors. On the contrary, the appearance of new translations and publications of the writer’s works in different languages only increases interest in his heritage. I understand that this is a financial issue: on what kind of publication and in what language to spend public funds and support. I sincerely believe that efforts should be made not to produce new translations but to promote them, to

will appear abroad, but also the scientific and social sphere, where they will be in demand. I mean, there will be scientists and translators who will work with the original text and recreate it. They will be interested in presenting and promoting the results of their work. A public discussion will begin, and their names will enter the information space of foreign countries. And only this will ensure that the local audience is ready to accept the new translation. — “Ears of Rye under Thy Sickle” is a rather complex work, it has several layers, a real depth that requires knowledge of Belarusian history and, one might say,

create demand for them. And in this programme, translation support is just one of several elements. At the same time, when it comes to choosing between Belarusian and Russian, my opinion if the following. I am sure that the domestic Belarusian market must necessarily support the publication of works by Vladimir Korotkevich in the Belarusian language. Our compatriots should have the first opportunity to read his works in their original language. As for the translation of the writer’s works into foreign languages, in my opinion, the best thing would be not to translate them in Belarus, but to create favourable conditions for translation in other countries (in Russia). As a result, not only new translations

a prepared reader, some historical education. Are you sure that the scope of this novel is fully understandable to readers in Russia, Ukraine or the Baltic States? — I partially agree with this opinion, but not completely. The work is truly multifaceted, based on rich historical facts. However, from my experience, I can say that it is quite easy to read for people who are unfamiliar with the history of Belarus. After all, we can all read the works by Homer, Shakespeare or Cervantes. So why should we be so afraid that a foreign reader will not be able to understand domestic fiction? Especially when we talk about neighbouring countries. It is known that the events of 1863–1864 uprising described in “Ears

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literary bridges

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In 1989, the same publishing house published the story “King Stakh’s Wild Hunt”, translated into English by Mary Mintz. This translation was republished several times later. Most translations of Vladimir Korotkevich’s works were published in various collections or in literary and art magazines. For example, as early as 1972, the publishing house “Belarus” prepared a collection of stories by Belarusian authors entitled “Colours of the Native Country”, translated by Apollon Weise. Among other things, we see one of the first translations of works by Vladimir Korotkevich, i. e. the story “The Ark”. Among the latest Englishlanguage editions is an initiative of the Be-

which is common in the foreign world when a book is reprinted at the request of customers and sent to them by mail. And it can be either soft or hardcover, and it can also be sold electronically. Tthis trend can’t help but be encouraging. It should also be noted that some English translations of Vladimir Korotkevich’s works are now available on the world wide web. There are literary sketches of foreign Belarusians devoted to the work of our famous classic writer. And yet we must admit that in the English-speaking world Vladimir Korotkevich’s work is little known. Presentations and festive events dedicated to the writer’s

larusian Cultural Foundation dedicated to the 80th birthday anniversary of Vladimir Korotkevich. In 2010, a book by the Belarusian classic “King Stakh’s Wild Hunt” was published in four languages — Belarusian, Russian, Ukrainian and English (the translation by Mary Mintz was used). There were other publications as well. It is gratifying that publishers from Englishspeaking countries were involved in this work. For example, in 2013 the British publishing house “Glagoslav Publications” published a story by Vladimir Korotkevich “King Stakh’s Wild Hunt”. In fact, this is a so-called “non-standard publication”

jubilees abroad are rare (and those that take place are more focused on the Belarusian diaspora than on the local public); international scientific conferences outside our country are hardly dedicated to him and his legacy; there are no feature or documentary films about his life and work known abroad… — Do you think that the domestic book sector can revive the practice of the Soviet time, when Belarusian-made books were sold to regions far from Belarus? By the way, both “Mastatskaya Litaratura” and “Yunatstva”, which no longer exist, published books in German,

Belta

of Rye under Thy Sickle” are very close and well known in neighbouring Lithuania and Poland, but for Russians and Ukrainians they are also quite understandable and often partly known. I think that in this case we should not worry about whether a foreign reader will be able to understand all historical aspects (because Belarusians themselves read works of different profundity, which is also quite normal). Anyway, we do not deal with a scientific work that should be as accurate and clear as possible, but with a work of art. By reading it, each of us creates our own sense and understanding of the events described, and our own images appear. The reader becomes a cocreator of the work (along with the writer), and with each reading something new is born. — Many of Vladimir Korotkevich’s works were published in Czechoslovakia in Czech and Slovak, in Poland and Bulgaria, but how well is Vladimir Korotkevich known to English-speaking readers? What needs to be done to change the situation? — Let’s be objective, in the Englishspeaking world Vladimir Korotkevich’s work is little known. It does not mean that there are no translations of the writer’s works into English. There are. Some translations date back to Soviet times. Some of them were published in Moscow. For example, in 1976 the Moscow publishing house “Progress Publishers” published an excellent anthology of modern Belarusian poetry “Fairy land of Byelorussia”, in which we see four works by Vladimir Korotkevich (“The Hare Is Brewing Beer”, “Earthquake”, “Byelorussian Song”, “Sunrise”) translated by Walter May. In 1986, the famous Moscow publishing house “Rainbow” published the book “Home fires: stories by writers from Byelorussia” with translations of works by Belarusian writers, one of whom was Vladimir Korotkevich. Translations of his works were published in Soviet literature (1982 and 1983). Minsk “Yunost” is particularly well known among Belarusian publishing houses. For example, in 1982, a translation of the essay “Land Under White Wings” by Apollon Weise and Walter May appeared.

literary bridges Spanish, English, French, Arabic and other languages. Why not start this practice by publishing and selling translations of works by Vladimir Korotkevich? Is it realistic? — I think that this is a somewhat rhetorical question. Naturally, it has to be done. And I could tell a lot about it. But this area of work is familiar to you and our readers, I won’t convince them of the obvious. I will tell you about something else, maybe something less popular and known, something new, which is sometimes difficult for many domestic publishers to decide on. I am not saying that this is true, but I still have some experience

All this can only be afforded by the largest publishing houses in the world, and there are few of them. For others, this is not economically feasible. And it is not relevant for our time. Today, almost no one in the world goes this way. There are two more understandable and effective work formats, which we have not used enough. The first is the sale of electronic versions of publications. This area of sales of literature (especially fiction) today occupies a large share of the world book market and allows us to effectively cross borders and currencies. Unfortunately, Belarus still looks very weak in this field. But if we do not move, but simply deny and close our eyes, then

as a publisher, librarian, and researcher. It seems to me that a domestic publisher cannot count on great success in selling published translations of Belarusian writers’ works, for example in Kazakh, Spanish or Japanese. There are many reasons for this: the organization of logistics and delivery of literature to a distant country without guarantees of performance; the need to establish contacts and conclude contracts with foreign booksellers; the need to work in the legal field of a foreign country in compliance with domestic legislation; travel expenses and presentation activities abroad, and many other things.

other, more energetic players will come to this market. To be more convincing, I would like to give the example of my native National Library of Belarus: in recent years the number of virtual visits to our library has been over 75 % (three quarters!!!) of the total number of visits. And it is still growing. I think the situation with the global pandemic will only accelerate this process. The second area of work is the sale of license rights to the works of “our” authors. Today the whole world is working on it. It is much more convenient, faster and more profitable, as international practice shows, to sell the right

to translate and publish the works of the author promoted in our country to a foreign publishing house, which can sell and present books in its country much better. A domestic publisher from such a transaction may have either a percent of the revenue or the amount fixed by contract. As a result, it becomes even more interested in promoting domestic writers. This is the way the whole world is organized today. For example, the vast majority of transactions at major international book fairs (in Frankfurt, Germany) are for publishers to sell the rights to translate or republish “their” works. And, unfortunately, Belarus is one of the few European countries that has not done it yet. I am sure that it is necessary to rise above the usual practices (not to abandon them) and try a new format of work. In this sense, it seems to me that the work of Vladimir Korotkevich is particularly attractive in terms of marketing. In the world where fantasy, gothic novels, historical detectives, documentary prose, etc. are in great demand, the writer’s creative heritage has the highest chances of commercial and readership success. — Looking through Korotkevich’s fo reign bibliography, will we find literarycritical, historical and literary publications in it? — Again, the question is somewhat rhetorical. It is known that scientific interest in the work of Vladimir Korotkevich originated in his lifetime. And not only among domestic researchers, but also abroad. Similar research was published in journals and literary collections in various languages. Among them, Russian prevails (I know dozens of such publications), many were published in Polish, Latvian, Bulgarian, French, German, Ukrainian and Lithuanian. Quick search in the electronic catalogue of the National Library of Belarus allows finding about 600 publications dedicated to the work of Korotkevich. However, the vast majority of them are in Belarusian and Russian. And yet I must say that this is inexcusably little. Of course, this is just the beginning. The real discovery of Korotkevich by the world is still biding its time. Interviewed by Kastus Ladutko. Photo by Yan Khvedchin.

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theatre

No words. Just emotions… The Republican Theatre of Belarusian Drama is not afraid of experiments: a plastic performance based on the ancient Greek myth about Orpheus and Eurydice appeared in the repertoire poster.

teart.by

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Have you ever dreamt about a narrow, narrow corridor or tunnel, maybe even a gap which you have to get through? If so, you probably remember the sensation of stretching out one arm first, then the other with great emotional tension, trying to stick your head in, and then — you already see a “new world”, but your legs are still pressed under some concrete slab. This is how the mime performance “Concrete” starts, which was staged by Evgeny Kornyag, a well-known Belarusian director, two-time winner of the 5th National Theatre Prize. In a grey monolithic wall that occupies almost the entire stage, a small rectangular space suddenly appears, from which the light of a fluorescent lamp bursts into the auditorium. It shines very brightly, right into the eyes. This rectangular hole is all filled with actors. They are lying densely on top of each other in a chaotic order, and it is difficult to understand whose hands, feet, hair these are… The space is too small, and we see each of them start moving and trying to “squeeze out” literally by parts. Someone’s knee and arm come out, someone’s bare thighs appear… Erotic?! Not at all! Perhaps, because of a constantly buzzing, like a faulty lamp, loud sound, excessive imagination could not run riot. And it would be inappropriate: all attention was focused on when “concreted” people would finally be able to get out. And all of a sudden there is silence. Absolute silence. On a semi-dark stage, the actors already stand in a row looking silently into the auditorium. All in black underwear and black protective masks. Everyone but one — Dmitry Davidovich, his face is open. He plays the main role of Orpheus who, according to the famous Greek myth, fell in love with Eurydice, a woman of unearthly beauty. As we know, this love story doesn’t have a happy end: Orpheus’ beloved was bitten by a poisonous snake. He was grieving for a long time, unable to forget her, and even went down to the realm of the dead to take Eurydice out of there. But alas! In the stage narrative of this “visual poetry” — this is the genre of the play — Orpheus eventually rushes down: he jumps off that black rectangle which appeared at the beginning of the performance. I can’t say that the ancient Greek plot can be easily read in the play. Its visual range from the first mise-en-scene to the last one is staged in a contemporary style: on stage we see half-dressed “in

theatre “success”. While performing a cruise in her point shoes, she had to hold a cup to catch a jet of water pouring out of the kettle from above. Then a second cup appeared, and the ballerina had to keep up with two jets of water pouring out of two kettles. And then there was a third cup …Airily jumping from foot to foot, she was spinning, catching the jets which were moving around her, and … she could not keep up, of course. The veil got wet, the business suit started to look dated, and beautifully styled hair covered her face. (It reminded me of many of us — modern superwomen who try to keep up with everything and surprise everyone!) In the end, the ballerina had no longer “looks or greatness”, but she danced her dance to the end, bowed, lighting the hall with her insincere professional smile, sent an air kiss to Orpheus and left the stage with the appearance of the winner, leaving behind wet traces. Cool! I cannot but mention the actress Marina Zdoronkova either. Her appearance does not quite fit the 90–60–90 beauty standard. Nevertheless, the director decided to dress this particular actress in a tight, bright pink frock, and thus created another typical image of a contemporary character. Trying to attract Orpheus’ attention, she showed him a hip sway to her walk. And then, having no response, she went to others, to those who paid for her services. On the second shift, before she had time to take off her “working” pink dress, she started washing the floor. “You have to hustle if you want to survive” could be seen in her behaviour. I could hardly call the performance an advance in Belarusian theatre art. Before it, on the domestic stage there were groups “talking” to the audience with the help of their bodies. For example, the Belarusian theatre of pantomime “Ruh”, known in due time far outside the USSR. Nevertheless, something has changed

There is a certain zest in a mime performances. One can find many additional meanings in them. And every spectator will have their own meaning. Nevertheless, in my opinion, a plastic performance is a very true and relevant way to address the spectator’s soul spoilt by a visual picture, bypassing the control of his or her mind. It is also combined with the sound range that has a strong influence on emotions (it cannot be called music in its traditional sense), which was created for the performance by the composer Nikita Zolotar. And, of course, the lighting design made a huge impression on me personally. I would even call it an individual participant in the entire performance: it played its special role, focusing the viewer’s attention on nuances. I think this is the creative luck of the artist Tatyana Nersisyan — winner of the National Theatre Prize of Belarus (2012, 2018), winner of the Russian National Theatre Prize “Golden Mask” (2016). So what is this experimental performance about, which was voted best immediately in the year of its creation — 2017? What was the director’s idea, creating his “Concrete” on the basis of the ancient Greek myth? About love, about the male and female, about loneliness in the crowd, about losses, about despair… Evgeny Kornyag “saturated” the performance with rather depressing moods when “everything is bad and there is no way out”. Discussing it later with the audience, I understood that for some people the action seemed the one that drags, and for others it seemed incomprehensible. There were also those who stood up and left before the performance was over. As for me, everything was as clear and transparent as water, which appeared in one episode or another. I especially remember the scene with the ballerina (played by Grazhina Bykova) in her emerald business suit and white veil. She tried to please the grief-stricken Orpheus, demonstrating her

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the latest fashion” characters deprived of any individuality; dreary grey scenery (looks like everyday “office” life in panel-concrete blocks!), the same typical situations when someone dates someone and then somebody else… And among all of them there is a “white crow”, a person “not of this world”, with his own different from others’ ideas about life. Does he belong among the others? The director states that he does not. “Despair rules the world” — such a slogan could be written on the RTBD poster under the title of the performance called “Concrete”.

in theatre life with the arrival of the rowdy director, as he is called in our press. And it motivates viewers to think and actors to discover new creative facets in themselves. And changes are always for the better. And though “Concrete” makes you feel spiritual cold and universal indifference (perhaps, to make us think that “this is not the way to live”), I left the theatre in a good mood. First of all, my aesthetic hunger, linked to the limitations of the pandemic, was completely satisfied. And secondly, I realized that there were fewer and fewer “concrete” problems in my personal life. And this is wonderful! By Alisa Gungor

беларусь. belarus 2020

anniversary

Modernity based on tradition

In November, Belarusian State Academy of Arts celebrated its 75th anniversary!

There is no doubt that the preservation of traditions, above all academic artistry, remains a privileged feature of the national art school at the Belarusian State Academy of Arts. At the same time, however, it seeks to rethink its experience based on the requirements of the new age. Classes at the Belarusian State Theatre Institute, the precursor of the Academy, began on November 12, 1945. This day is considered today to be the Day of the Academy. However, the decree on the beginning of activity of the future institute, was issued in June 1945. Its first director was the well-known worker of the Belarusian theatrical art M. Gursky. But let us return to the present day. It should be noted that even a decade of extensive repair works of the main building didn’t reduce the professional level of the Academy students’ training. Yes, it was a very difficult period. If for no other reason than the oldest departments (theatre and art) worked in the historic building, there was a library and the main “engine” of the educational institution — its theatre. Everything is known to be learned through dialectics. Today the Academy has a scientific and pedagogical school of art criticism and six creative and pedagogical schools: painting, monumental and decorative art, graphics, sculpture, craftsmanship, graphic design, font. All of them have developed in the last decade. The schools demonstrate a high level of training and provide scientific support to the students’ learning process. It is no exaggeration to say that the modern cultural landscape of the country is largely determined by the work of former graduates of the Academy. It is not for nothing that the basis of the Bela-

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rusian creative unions of artists, designers, theatre figures, literary and artistic critics is formed by them. What can we focus on when speaking about the specifics of the Academy training process? By the way, it should be noted that recently specialists in a new direction “Monumental and Decorative Art (Restoration)” have been trained there. The fact that graduates of this department become professionals of the highest class, has already been confirmed by the quality of their creative work. The students who major in restoration, under the guidance of Associate Professor Yury Podolin, took part in restoration work in the museum and castle complexes in Nesvizh and Mir. During their internship, these students also implemented a project to create an iconostasis and paint icons for the church of one of the oldest monasteries in Belarus — the Holy Ascension Nunnery (17th century) in the village of Barkolabovo, Bykhov District, Mogilev Region. Among the undoubted achievements of muralists are a mosaic of the All Saints Church in Minsk, a unique bronze sculpture on the site of the death camp in Trostents. Notable were national and international achievements in easel and book graphics of Pavel Tatarnikov, twice winner of the “Golden Apple” award at the Book Art Biennale in Bratislava, winner of the State Prize. The participation of artists in the 54th Venice Biennale in 2011 identified the Belarusian State Academy of Arts as the leader of creative and pedagogical process in the country. As well as its brightest representatives — masters and teachers of the new generation, who are under 40 and they completed their artistic education in Belarus in the new period of development of the sovereign state. Today they

anniversary famous works include facade sculptures have taken up teaching positions not only at and sculptural entrance composition for the Academy, but also at other universities the Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre of and colleges. Belarus in Minsk by A. Finsky, M. ShkroThe success of our designers also surbot together with G. Buralkin. prise specialists. Graduates of this departThe sculptural composition “Ballet” ment of the BSAA won prestigious internaby V. Slobodchikov in the park near the tional competitions and found application Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre was also of their abilities in creating world brands. highly appreciated and recognized. Speaking about recognition of merits, Notable phenomena were the monuit is necessary to note that Special Prizes ment “Gates of Memory” on the site of of the President of the Republic of Belarus the concentration camp “Trostenets” in to workers of culture and art in 2010–2019 Minsk by K. Kostyuchenko, the monuhave been awarded to graduates of Acadment to “Children of War” in Mogilev emy A. Finsky, A. Belsky, K. Kostyuchenby V. Slobodchikov, the monument to ko (twice), V. Goncharuk, D. Chubukov, Vladimir Mulyavin in Yekaterinburg by K. Orsik, P. Omelyanovich, G. Otchik. S. Logvin, the monument to Prince IzyaThe Honorary Title “Honoured Art slav in Zaslavl by A. Prokhorov, the meWorker of the Republic of Belarus” in morial complex in memory of heroes and 2010–2020 was awarded to four teachvictims of the First World War in Smorers — V. Barabantsev, V. Slauk, V. Nemtsov, Mikhail Borozna, Rector of BSAA gon by A. Artimovich, the memorial sign V. Vasilyev. R. Smolsky and V. V. Saleyev “Polotsk is the cradle of Belarusian statehood” by V. Pipin. received the title of Honoured Cultural Workers of Belarus. Seven This list shows that the Academy teachers enjoy professional teachers became professors, i. e. V. Slauk, L. Monakova, V. Gondemand, as well as represents rich practical experience for stucharuk, V. Slobodchikov, A. Artimovich, V. Alshevsky. The 1st dents, being a bright example of mature creativity. National Fine Arts Prize was awarded to the People’s Artist of Meanwhile, it was also possible to get acquainted with the Belarus, Professor, Head of the Drawing Department V. Tovstik. works of the Academy students themselves at many internationIn 2016, K. Kostyuchenko, Associate Professor of the Sculpture al and national competitions, festivals and exhibitions. Creative Department, became the winner of the International Prize “Comachievements of students of the art faculty, the faculty of design monwealth of Debuts” approved by the Council for Humanitarian and arts and crafts were demonstrated, for example, in the NationCooperation and the International Fund for Humanitarian Cooperal Art Museum of Belarus at the exhibition “The Star Has Risen ation of the CIS Member States. F. Shurmelev, Master of the Graphic over Belarus”, at monumental art exhibitions in the gallery “LabyArts Department, received the same prestigious award in 2019. rinth” of the National Library. In particular, O. Melnik-Malakhova Works of monumental art created by the teachers of the Acadwas recognized for her diploma work, namely, for painting the emy of Arts have largely determined the significant level of monuplafond in the briefing hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of mental and monumental decorative plastics in Belarus. The most the Republic of Belarus. Together with the teachers A. Vyrvo and A. Kononova she participated in the work on the diorama for the Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War, was a participant of the Third Belarusian Biennale of Painting, Graphic Arts and Sculpture. The student D. Chubukov designed and implemented together with students of the Department of Monumental and Decorative Art a mosaic and stained-glass panel for the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly. Yes, in recent years more than ever there has been an increase in international recognition of the Academy’s results. This is evidenced not only by numerous exhibitions abroad and participation in competiBuilding of the Academy of Arts in Minsk tions and festivals. Over 400 students from

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Russia, Serbia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, Venezuela, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Kazakhstan, Japan, South Korea, the USA, Denmark, Austria, China, Germany, France, Greece, Norway and other countries have studied at the Academy over the past decade. In 2018, at the International Forum of Innovations in Industrial Design PUSHKA, the Belarusian State Academy of Arts was recognised as the best higher education institution of the year in the CIS. At the European Delphic and World Delphic Games in the categories of “Fine Art”, “Photography”, “Web Design”, “Clothing Design”, “Painting” BSAA students over the past 15 years received more than 20 awards, including 8 gold ones. The international Red Dot Design Award 2020 (the most prestigious European prize in the field of object design, awarded since 1955) was awarded to Igor Soloviev, lecturer at the Industrial Design Department of the Academy. The recognition of the Belarusian State Academy of Arts is evidenced by a number of other facts, including the participation of students, masters, postgraduates, faculty in important international cultural, scientific and educational events abroad.

беларусь. belarus 2020

And, of course, awards of prestigious competitions and festivals, as well as permanent cooperation with diplomatic missions of the Republic of Belarus abroad in presentation of contemporary art of the country. For example, the exhibition “Belart.by. Young Artists of Belarus” was held at the State Museum of Contemporary History of Russia in Moscow as part of the Year of Culture of the Republic of Belarus in the Russian Federation. The exhibition

anniversary included a large-scale presentation of creative works made by teachers and students of the Academy of Arts. The students’ exhibition of photographic works “Movement of Light” was shown as part of the V International Photographic Competition “Volga Biennale‑2012”. (Nizhny Novgorod), the art project “Illusion of Movement” was exhibited at the 6th International Tashkent Photo Biennale. Since 2012, there has been students exchange between the BSAA and the University of the Arts from the Austrian city of Linz. Short-term internships were held for students of the Faculty of De-

sign and Decorative and Applied Arts of the Academy at the Gzhel State Art and Industry Institute and for students of this Russian institution at the BSAA. In 2015–2018 the best students majoring in “restoration” of the art faculty had the opportunity to take training courses at the Warsaw Academy of Arts through the Polish National Commission for UNESCO. There is no doubt that the BSAA forms long-term broad contacts with higher education institutions of art and culture, mainly in Europe. The Academy concluded its first international cooperation agreement with the Academy of Arts of German Munster in

1996. Today the BSAA has 60 valid agreements, memorandums and contracts with art and cultural institutions of higher education from other countries. In the past few years alone, agreements have been signed with the Russian State University for the Humanities in Moscow, A. Stieglitz St. Petersburg State Academy of Arts and Industry, VGIK and other universities. Among the most significant exhibitions and projects of contemporary art displayed in the Academy’s exhibition halls are the exhibition of teachers of the Vilnius Academy of Arts “NezhNo” (2016), the exhibition “Song of Labour” as part of an Austrian-Belarusian project, the exhibition of teachers of the Faculty of Art of the University of Nikolay Kopernik from Torun (Poland) “In Terra” (2017). All of them

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anniversary were accompanied by the authors’ tours, lectures, master classes and contests. It is necessary to mention the curatorial exhibition project “Messages” (Lithuania, 2015), which, according to press reports, has become the largest presentation of contemporary art in Lithuania in recent years; “City|Urbs” (Austria, 2015), which received the attention of the Austrian public; “On the way. In Search of the Alphabet” (Germany, 2015), highly appreciated by the professional German community, “Ode to Joy” (Austria, 2017), “To the Stars” (Poland, 2017), recognized by the young Polish creative community, “Augmented Reality” (Germany, 2018), the number of its viewers amounted to tens of thousands, exhibitions and projects in Croatia, Hungary, Russian Federation, Argentina, implemented with the support of the diplomatic missions of the Republic of Belarus abroad. Fifteen years ago the Belarusian State Academy of Arts set up the “Alla prima” Student Centre for Contemporary Art. The SCCA considers its main goals to present current trends, the process of creating modern design using new artistic forms and means, to support progressive and experimental art traditions of academic education. In 2014, the creative team of students of the theatre faculty of the BSAA won the Grand Prix of the 6th International Youth Theatre Festival of graduation performances of creative universities “Aparta” (St. Petersburg, Russian Federation) for the performance “And If There is No Tomorrow”. Significant events in the international, professional and artistic life of the Academy include participation in the “Time Ribbon” exhibition at the UN headquarters in Geneva. It was held last year in April in a large exhibition area which reflects not only the nature of the United Nations, but also a huge collection of art. — And we were honoured to make a large retrospective exhibition showing the work of teachers and students over the course of several decades, — says Mikhail Borozna, Rector of the Belarusian State Academy of Arts. — As a result, not only an academic school was presented there, but also the works that belong to contemporary art. They include media projects, animation and installations, posters and photographs, experimental works. This event has been, probably, the most significant in recent years. It allowed us to see retrospectives, the dynamics of many processes both in fine arts and design, and in the development of the creative philosophy itself, which is cultivated at the Academy. This is the event that demonstrates the recognition of our school. Yes, today it is important not only to determine the general direction of art development in the country and find the most fruitful ways to move forward, but also to realize the dreams and ideas of creative young people, which is expected by society, said Mikhail Borozna, Rector of the Belarusian State Academy of Arts: — The path of our unique creative educational institution, I am not afraid to seem immodest in this respect, has been a logical continuation of its successful activity for 75 years. And this gives us hope for fruitful development of the Academy in the future. By Veniamin Mikheyev

беларусь. belarus 2020

high educational standards The Belarusian State Academy of Arts (BSAA), founded in 1945 and located in Minsk, is the only higher education institution of arts in the Republic of Belarus preparing students for a career as an artist, an actor, a theatre, film and TV director, a designer, an art historian, etc. Theatre Faculty: Acting (Drama Theatre and Film), Acting (Puppet Theatre), Acting (Musical Theatre), Direction (Drama Theatre), Direction (Musical Theatre), Direction (Puppet Theatre), Direction (Variety Theatre), Direction (the Circus), Art History (History and Theory of Theatre). Period of study: 5 years (Acting — 4 years). Faculty of Film, TV and Animation (Screen Arts): Cinematography (Film Camerawork), Cinematography (TV Camerawork). Film and TV Direction (Film): Feature film Documentary, Animation, Film and TV Direction (TV), Film and TV Direction (Sound Direction), Art History (TV and Film Studies), Art History (TV and Film Production Management), Art History (Screenwriting). Period of study: 4 years (in Art History areas — 5 years). Art Faculty: Painting (Easel Painting), Painting (Theatrical Scenic Painting), Painting (Film Set Painting), Monumental and Decorative Art (Painting), Monumental and Decorative Art (Restoration), Sculpture, Graphics, Art History (Fine Arts). Period of study: 6 years (Art History — 5 years). Faculty of Design and Decorative and Applied Arts: Three-Dimensional Design: Means of Production and Vehicle Design, Consumer Products Design, Furniture Design, Objects and Spaces Design: Exposition Design, Interior Design. Graphic Design: Photographics, Communication Design: TV Advertising. Multimedia Design. Decorative and Applied Arts (Ceramics), Decorative and Applied Arts (Textiles), Decorative and Applied Arts (Costume Design), Decorative and Applied Arts (Glassware), Decorative and Applied Arts (Metalwork). Period of study: 5 years. Both full-time and part-time forms of education are available in a number of specialities. Faculty of Further Training and Retraining. This offers individual and group internships, further training and retraining courses in various specialities. Master’s Degree Course offers programmes in Art History: History and Theory of Theatre, History and Theory of Arts, Film and TV Arts, Design. Period of study: 1 academic year.

Postgraduate Course offers programmes in Art History: Theatre Art; Film, TV and other Screen Arts; Fine Arts, Decorative and Applied Arts and Architecture; Technical Aesthetics and Design. Both full-time (3 years) and part-time (4 years) courses are available. Doctoral Course offers full-time three-year programmes in Art History: Theatre Art; Film, TV and other Screen Arts; Fine Arts, Decorative and Applied Arts and Architecture. The beginning of classes can vary depending on the faculty: Preparatory Department — September 15 Theatre Faculty — September 1 Faculty of Film, TV and Animation (Screen Arts) — September 1 Art Faculty — October 1 Faculty of Design and Decorative and Applied Arts — October 1 Master’s Degree Course — September 1 Postgraduate Course — November 1. Foreign nationals can apply for study only on a fee-paying basis in all specialities at all faculties of the Academy (except for specialities of Film and TV Direction (Film) and Cinematography (Film Camerawork) in which education is only at the expense of the budget. Tuition fees are charged in US dollars. Detailed information on each specialty, tuition cost, a list of documents required for admission to a degree, etc. can be found on the website of the Academy: www.bdam.by. For further information on the issues mentioned above or assistance with your application please contact the International Relations Department: international@bdam.by. The language of instruction is Russian. International applicants whose first language is not Russian or who do not meet the Russian language condition can be offered to take a course in the Russian language to achieve an appropriate level, as well as in some special subjects at the Preparatory Department.

81 Nezalezhnasti Ave., 220012, Minsk, Republic of Belarus

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Articles inside

Neurologist Gurbanidzhad Gumen Gushang: “Do not press the selfdestruct button

Viktor Liskovich: I have something to compare with

Legislative environment for innovation

Anti-cancer, hepatitis, multiple sclerosis and COVID 19

Wintering in Antarctica is a special case

Roads of Belarus will be estimated by stars

How life will change