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“Speak in a normal language!” — a book on how Belarusian-speaking people are discriminated against in Belarus has been published

14:03, 24.10.2024
“Speak in a normal language!” — a book on how Belarusian-speaking people are discriminated against in Belarus has been published

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Fragment of the book "Language 404" (Screenshot: Mova404.info)
„ The first edition of this book was written in Belarus, under challenging conditions. We had to constantly move and hide, as the authorities were not supportive of my work on protecting linguistic rights. For instance, I developed a method of adding the Belarusian language to travel tickets, which was not well-received. Despite these obstacles, we are now living in safer conditions, albeit not in our own country. I am republishing this book, hoping it will shed light on one of the most significant problems of Belarusian society. — Alina Nahornaya wrote in the Preface to the book. ”


In 1996, Russian was added as the second state language to the Constitution of Belarus. The newly elected Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has just begun a Russia-oriented policy. According to the law, Belarusian and Russian languages are equal, but in practice, people who use the Belarusian language face continuous discrimination.


According to the latest census data, more than 2.5 million people (28.5%) speak Belarusian. However, less than 1% of legal information is published in Belarusian, and approximately the same amount of products contain information in Belarusian. This language is not on ordinary things, so it is perceived as something unusual and oppositional. There are known cases when people were even detained by the police for speaking their mother tongue in public places!

The book contains many emotionally charged stories. Here are some quotes taken from real life:


My boss called and gave me an ultimatum that I had to speak Russian at work. She said I could speak whatever language I wanted in my free time, but I should stick to Russian at work.


I went to a bank ATM, and there were language options — Russian, English, Chinese — but no Belarusian. So I wrote a complaint in the hope of getting this situation resolved. And now I have an official answer: “It is technically impossible to add the Belarusian language.”

 

A total of 127 people were held in that inner yard. The police officers were visibly angered by the fact that my statement was in Belarusian, and they began to beat me, completely naked, in front of everyone. They were evidently Belarusians since they comprehended everything without translation and merely commented, “Aah, it’s in Belarusian.”


According to the author, the English version of this book is of utmost importance. It aims to dispel the widespread misconception that Belarusians choose the Russian language, without any pressure or force. The reality is that they face difficulties and obstacles every day when they try to use the language spoken by their ancestors.


A free reading online version is available here. Alina also created an Instagram profile. There, you can find information about the language situation in Belarus.


kz / belsat.eu


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