Music critic says Russian content consolidates dominance in Belarus 

December 20, Pozirk. In mass culture, Russian content is gradually absorbing the collective Belarusian, music critic Alaksandar Čarnucha told participants at a round table conference on December 19.

This year’s Viva Braslav festival’s lineup featured mostly Russian performers, he said, noting that it drew a record crowd of some 30,000.

Anna Asti, a Russian pop singer with Ukrainian origins known for supporting Vladimir Putin, sold out three concerts in Minsk, which is illustrative of ” mass preferences of Belarusians, who live in the Russian context,” Čarnucha said.

Authorities feel threatened by Belarusian music and seek to blunt that threat, he stressed, noting a lack of live performances by Belarusian musicians and the lengthy prison terms given to the Tor Band musicians. 

The journalist also identified censorship and self-censorship among the most worrying cultural trends.

The government suppresses any dissenting opinion, and “musicians are the first in line” to face reprisals, he said.

He urged the Belarusian ministry to make a systemic effort to create “Belarusian context” and promote the show business.