The Anglo-Belarus Society and Francis Skaryna Museum have opened their doors to celebrate their yearly Mother Language Day event.
The group performs readings, poems from famous Belarusians or self-penned works, sing their own translations of pop songs as well as traditional ‘Maslenitsa’ songs.
Maslentisa, sometimes known as ‘Butter Week’, is a Slavic festival similar to Lent, where family and relationships are celebrated, and blinis (much like pancakes) are cooked.
Previous years have attracted readings in Ukrainian, Finnish, Polish and other European languages.
Anglo-Belarus Secretary Elena Edwards spoke about how special the group has been for her since moving to the UK in 1994.
She said: “It was like a little community, giving me a sense of home and belonging.”
“Even though English has become a language of habitual use for many of us, it’s very important to keep that connection.”
Formalised in the 1970s, the museum has attracted numerous generations as a point of congregation for generations of Belarusian emigrants that travelled here after the Second World War, following the collapse of the USSR in the 1990s and most recently, in the aftermath of the 2020 Belarusian presidential election that saw widespread protest and police crackdown.
The museum will be a place for tourists from across the world to learn about Belarusian culture from those who live it once the renovations are completed this summer.
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