Die weissen Tage von Minsk

Vitali Alekseenok's Chronicle of the Revolution in Belarus has deeply impressed me. Sviatlana Alexievich

The Belarusian conductor Vitali Alekseenok, who now lives in Germany, writes in a touching and enlightening way about the struggle for freedom in his homeland. Frustrated by the political situation, he left several years ago. As a musician, he has found a new home in Germany, but Belarus has never truly let him go. When he travels to Minsk for the elections in the summer, he witnesses a protest movement that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago: What has happened to the people in his homeland?

In a personal account that blends current observations with past experiences, Alekseenok tells of a country in transformation that is unknown to us. He speaks of life under Lukashenko's oppressive regime. Why he left and now risks so much to join the protests. How the hope of the people has grown larger than their fear. And how the message from Belarus is directed at everyone. Because the Belarusians know exactly what it means to live without freedom and democracy.