«By the end of the year, I hope, we will be able to implement one or two things.» Babaryka — about his new project and the Belarusian language

Nasha Niva: On the eve of the conference, you announced your new project — Belarus Network — as «a bridge between those who have resources and opportunities, and those who solve the problems of Belarusians.» However, after its presentation, more questions remained. Can you give a close analogy to understand how your project will work?

Viktor Babaryka: As I said, it's a bridge. Remember, what is it built for — to connect. Similarly, we have a certain need, I understand that it exists. And there is someone who will say: «I would do something,» «I would give money,» «I would do something else.»

Someone has already given money before — for example, Belarusian businessmen. But they ask themselves: «What's the result? None. So I won't give anything more.» That's their position.

Or here's a simple question: why do Belarusians need what we are doing [in emigration]? You can say: «Oh, we can't do anything.» Because «it's dangerous for you, that's all.» And since that's the case, we won't do anything for you now. We will, as everyone here says, work «for the future.» Sometime it will come, and we will arrive on white horses, smart, experienced, and say: «Here's how we know how to govern you. But you don't know how you will live, do you?»

I've been hearing this for over 30 years — one person also knows how Belarusians would like to live. And we know how Belarusians inside the country would like to live. But has anyone asked the Belarusians themselves?

We, with the team, will try to unite people. Like any machine, we need to lay down certain principles: how will you understand each other? And these principles are the first thing to do. In some way, to come and say: «Yes, Belarusians, there are tools for analyzing the information field to understand what interests you and what problems you have. We know. We are open.»

Suppose you have a hundred problems. We will only be able to solve one. But then we will show how we solved it. Tomorrow, there will be two solved problems. And then a Belarusian will think: «Aha, they can solve something even in these conditions. Moreover, they know about us, they haven't forgotten. They don't treat us like 'oh, everything is bad in Belarus, it's over'.» Excuse me, but simply saying, «no, you live badly there, wait, happiness will come soon» — that doesn't work.

Belarus Network, as a bridge, must build a new system of communication, to reconnect the broken threads of our ball.

NN: What kind of problems could these be and when, as you see it, will the Belarus Network operate in practice?

VB: Belarus Network is a system of added value for each of us. Remember how it was in 2020: «yes, I have three hours a week, I can drive water to the pickets.»

So it is here — write what you can do. Sit with someone else's child or dog — please! If it's impossible to save the country, at least help one person. Belarus is first and foremost people; people are the main value of the country.

By the end of this year, I hope, we will be able to implement one or two things.

NN: Can you tell us who is on your team? Are there any well-known figures among them who rallied around you during the 2020 elections?

VB: In our team, it has always been like this: there is some flag, you stick it in and say «I would like to do this, this, and this.» And people need time to come and say: «I'm interested in this, I will work on this segment.» Or «this is no longer interesting.» That's how it was in 2020 as well.

But for now, I am not naming the team members in various areas, because they themselves have not given me permission to do so.

The most valuable thing is that with everyone on the team, everything has always happened peacefully. And I very much hope that it will remain so. Regardless of whether people from the old team will participate in Belarus Network. First and foremost, each of them is an independent figure.

NN: Is there any news from your son Eduard, who remains behind bars?

VB: I know that his physical and psychological conditions are difficult, but he is holding on. He is not depressed. As far as I know, he periodically sits in a punishment isolation cell (ShIZA), and now he is back in a cell-type unit (PKT) for six months.

Why — no one knows. Well, such is the regime. Such is the revenge.

The situation with Edik is my pain, and I am doing everything in my power to get him released as soon as possible.

NN: You've made noticeable progress in the Belarusian language. Are you doing anything special for this?

VB: To be honest, no. But I always try to answer a person in the language they address me in.

In general, I still don't fully understand why the language marker is so important specifically among Belarusians themselves. I like it in situations that my friends talk about. For example, when a Russian addresses a Belarusian, even someone who has never spoken Belarusian tries to answer them in Belarusian. That is, I understand why this marker exists within the country relative to Russians.

And I agree that we should speak our native language; it should be preserved. But language cannot be a marker between us. I never understood bilinguals who came to a store, and the salesperson didn't understand them there, and they made a scandal out of it. That is, you know two languages, the salesperson knows one. That's the salesperson's problem. Take pity on them inside and repeat it in Russian, because you know two languages. That is your advantage.

• 6
• 8
• 1
• 15
• 0
• 0
• 1
• 1