Nasta Ragatko: Everyone who opposes Belarusians participating in Russian events, I expect to see at Polish, British, Spanish fairs

Nasta Ragatko, Natallia Radzina, and Aliaksandra Herasimenia. Photo: Nasta Ragatko's Facebook

"Knowing your place and taking up more space are two different approaches," Nasta reflects.

"Very often, during and after working in Tsikhanouskaya's Office, I saw how discussions were fundamentally held in the wrong room — meaning in the modality of 'someone else should do it this way'."

The UN Security Council is going to develop a security policy for the Eastern European region without those who do not intend to adhere to it. Activist conferences discuss how those who were not participants should behave: sort trash, not rape women, build diasporas.

The result is — manifestos are written, but no one distributes them, because the initial goal is not to attract supporters, but to put on a white coat.

And so, the question of how the world should perceive Belarusians — is most often discussed "in the kitchen" among their own. Everyone leaves happy and warmed by their own righteousness, saying that Russians are always condescending towards Belarusians, and this is a threat to our independence.

One hundred percent, at the state level, Russia should leave Belarus alone.

But from the point of view of everyday and cultural condescension — dear ones, have you communicated with anyone besides Russians?

Almost everyone is condescending towards us — the rest don't know about our existence.

Lithuanians are wary of Belarusians, lest we, God forbid, feel at home with them. Poles accept Belarusians, Polonizing them with a smile; they were an empire — they have experience. Americans openly say that Belarus is a key to talking with Russia for them, and that they are excited by potash, not our identity or plight.

I suppose it's nicer to think that Belarus is so well-known and agentic that the conditional West loves it, but the East does not. But this is an oversimplification — not an analysis of the situation, but wishful thinking to reduce anxiety.

Here was a book fair. At it, Natasha Radzina, during her presentation, explained the history of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to Russians as a key stage for Belarusian identity.

And then Ilya Yashin bought me coffee and, when asked why he was forming a party, said: "Well, Nastsia, our opposition gatherings are all closed, I want to change that. And I believe that we should occupy all available places and voices in European systems."

Once, in response to questions in stories, I wrote: to learn to take up a lot of space, you need to practice taking up a lot of space. Later, at a presentation, a girl asked me to sign her book with the same phrase.

Yes, it's safer to discuss Belarusian identity among your own, because then no one will tug at your sleeve and ask the hurtful "who are you anyway?" or "Belarus? Where is that?".

But a cozy bubble of agreement is the desire to be loved without the risk of becoming vulnerable. To realize oneself creatively without emotional exposure. Abs without ever breaking a sweat.

Remember, I think Ukrainian businessman Cherniak said: "Everyone shits on you, and you're still modest." So this is not modesty, but narcissism — to sit only in your own barrel and wait for others to start respecting you, appreciating you, and recognizing you as equal.

Therefore, to everyone who writes where Belarusians can and cannot be:

You stand on the shoulders of other Belarusians who were ready, for themselves and for you, to enter any society, to look a person in the eye who says "I hate you," just as directly as one who says "you are doing an incredible job."

Of those who are ready not to generalize all citizens of a country under the label of one cannibal, because you yourself have been generalized exactly the same way many times. Who seek partners, not enemies.

Belarus is becoming louder thanks to the efforts of precisely these people. Who ensured that there was a Belarusian pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Who advocate for the simplification of legalizations for Belarusians. Who, like the publishing house "I Am Not There", dresses fair guests in their Belarusian-language merch.

And everyone who opposes Belarusians participating in Russian events, I expect to see at Polish, British, Spanish fairs. With literature, cinema, exhibitions that we created or adapted into these languages.

That's when this conversation will shift from the modality of:

— Belarusians should know their place

as if foreigners — or we ourselves among ourselves — can allow or forbid something to someone, like house pets.

To the modality of:

— Belarusians can take up more space

because no one's blessing is needed for this, because you don't ask about such things, you just do them."

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