Belarus: Blogger br23/Uładzimer Katkoŭski Passes Away

Global Voices Online
Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Belarusian blogger Uładzimer Katkoŭski (br23) passed away in Prague on May 25 at the age of 30.

Here is a message from his family - posted in English and in Belarusian:

Dear Friends,

Tonight was the saddest day of our lives. Uladzimir, after a long fight passed away in Prague. We believe it was his wish to be returned to his home country Belarus. He will be buried next week in Minsk. Our consolation is that a lot of people are feeling for him and are with our thoughts in this moment. It has been a blessing to have had him with us!

Uladzimir’s family

TOL's Belarus wrote:

Uładzimier Katkoŭski, web-editor of the Belarusian Service of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty dies yesterday after being one year in coma. Uładzimier was one of those who created websites martyraloh.org about Bełarusians repressed and killed by the Stalinist regime, and svaboda.org, the media service to be called the best in the RFERL network. He was then one to initiate creation of Bełarusian–language Google and an activist of BY-Wikipedia. To a large degree thanks to his effort Bełarusian-language Internet is now what it is.

[...] Nearly hundred bloggers have recalled Uładzimier in their diaries these days. [...]

LJ user czalex wrote (BEL):

[...] In his 30 years, Rydel has done as many useful deeds as some manage to do in their 70 or 80 years. [...]

Israel-based blogger Amir Aharoni wrote:

Uładzimer Katkoŭski, a.k.a. Rydel23 and BR23, passed away yesterday after about a year in coma caused by a road accident. Katkoŭski was the webmaster of Radyjo Svaboda - the Belarusian branch of Radio Liberty, one of the editors of Pravapis - a site dedicated to Belarusian language, and a popular figure in Belarusian Internet culture. I knew him personally through the web and we exchanged some emails. While some people accused him of Belarusian nationalism and Russophobia, he was just a guy who wanted to speak his own language and tried to convince the world to give a little respect to the history of his country, which is considered by nearly everyone as just a bunch of counties in Western Russia.

May his soul rest in peace. [...]

***

On March 21, 2006, br23 was on Radio Open Source, talking about the recent presidential election, Aleksandr Lukashenko's regime, and blogging in Belarus:

[...] The most important thing is the political assassination, the political murders, that (it’s very very likely) were ordered by Mr. Lukashenko. … In our case, it’s really four or five people, at least, that Lukashenko probably ordered to kill. And, of course, political prisoners that were recognized as political prisoners by Amnesty International and by other organizations. There were at least a dozen people we can name who spent either several months or maybe years in jail.

[...]

Internet is still the free medium, it’s just been traditional media that’s totally, completely under his control. … Except … they blocked internet on Sunday, the day of the election, and they’ve blocked internet during previous elections. … All together, at this moment, estimates are about 120 to 150 people who were arrested … and among them there were bloggers. I personally know four people with blogs that are now in jail. [...]

To listen to the show, click here (mp3, 24 MB).

Belarus: The Language Issue

Global Voices Online
Tuesday, June 27, 2006

In a perfect world, languages would be nothing but a way for people to communicate with each other - no language would be considered superior or inferior, children would be encouraged to study as many as possible. In the real world, however, languages are being used as political and ideological tools way too often, and in Belarus, for example, this has resulted in the Belarusian language practically vanishing from everyday use, replaced by the Russian language, and Russian being shunned by the politically conscious Belarusians.

LJ user wolny, a Belarusian living in the United States, writes (BEL) about his recent linguistic adventure on a bus in New York City:

Today, something interesting happened to me. On my way back from work, I was talking on the phone with [LJ user] e_ndrus. Because a group of young blacks was on the same bus and they were acting pretty [loud], I was forced to interrupt my conversation. Someone was getting off the bus at the next stop, so I got a chance to sit. I took an empty seat, and a woman sat down next to me and addressed me in Belarusian right away. I was speechless for a moment. =) She had been surprised herself when she heard me speaking Belarusian. It seemed to me that she used to teach in the past because her language was good but slow. She was interested in the Diaspora (said she was trying to look for the people but didn't find anyone), and I recommended [a Diaspora get-together] to her. We'll see if she shows up.

Here's a seemingly unlikely yet unsurprising response to this story (BEL):

slotoviepus: Cool! I think it was only once in my life that I happened to hear in a Minsk tramway how ordinary people were speaking in Belarusian - not during a language class, not in front of a TV camera, without any reason, simply on the tramway... This was nine years or so ago.

LJ user baleslau has reprinted wolny's text in his own journal. His reaction (BEL) is very similar to the comment above:

[...]

Here's how it is sometimes! Even in Minsk it's difficult to catch Belarusian being spoken, and wolny lives in America.

In the comments section, there's yet another Belarusian Diaspora language story (BEL):

adelka: And I once had a similar experience at Charles' Bridge - my friend and I were looking at the paintings sold there, and one of the artists turned out to be from Minsk (even from [...] a house next door :) and speaking Belarusian. It was fun to hear this answer to our broken Czech: "How much is this?) - in pure Belarusians - like, "Girls and boys, relax and speak Belarusian, you are being understood perfectly well" :)))

LJ user litota_ describes (BEL) the politics attached to her language use:

Sometimes, when I speak Russian, Belarusian words make their way into my speech, and I think with horror: "God, they are probably thinking I'm the opposition!!!"

LJ user czalex switches to English and posts an entry on the "Russian linguistic chauvinism". Here's one exchange in the comments section:

bacian: U can't set Russians straight anyway, there's no sense in it, so don't u waist your time on'em! ;)

czalex: that's what I'm talking about. We have our own language to switch to ;)