Svyatlana Alexievich visits her school in Kapatkevichy
Photo: svaboda.org
Nobel Prize laureate Svetlana Alexievich visited Homel Region at the weekend. She met with readers in Homel. The event was organized by the civil political centre, local affiliate of the Belarusian Association of Journalists and the Union of Belarusian Writers, Radio Liberty reports.
The writer commented on the national idea of Belarusians. Only a national state with the national language can be such an idea, she believes.
"Only the creation of our own national state with the national Language can be our national idea. I thought that the authorities would seize this national idea from the opposition after the Crimea takeover. There can be no national idea in the air. It is very specific for us, Belarusians. We have no state because we have no language. The schools do not teach in Belarusian and the print run of Belarusian books is very small. This is a serious problem," Alexievich stressed.
The writer visited Kapatkevichy secondary school on August 13. She studied there 50 years ago. Alexievich met with her classmates and teachers.
Petrykau District Executive Committee demanded an application for a mass action from the writer who wanted to meet with readers.
