The demonstrations in Belarus in 2020 were loud: Chants, music and car horns characterized the soundscape in Belarusian cities. In the backyards of Minsk, the country's art and culture scene came to life and developed into a new form of protest following the brutal crackdown by the security forces. However, the use of stun grenades, Soviet propaganda music and military equipment by the security forces changed this soundscape. With the state's increasing repression of its citizens, Belarus fell silent.
Why was music so important for the protests in Belarus? How does the Belarusian regime use music and sound for its own purposes? And how has the soundscape in Belarus changed since the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine?
In this episode of "Belarus Insights – Einblicke von außen", we talk about these questions with Pavel Niakhayeu, one of the fellows of the VisiBYlity project. In his research project, he analyzes audio material that he collected during the 2020 protests. The aim is to publish a book about the role of sounds, but also of silence during and after the demonstrations.
Pavel is a musician, audiovisual artist and sociologist with a research focus on the relationship between music and politics, independent music scenes and the political soundscapes in Belarus.
Host: Laura Worsch – Research Associate at the IEP
The podcast was produced in cooperation with PODCAST.EINS. All podcast episodes are also available here:
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