Discussions about the appropriateness of inviting Russian authors to the festival at a time when Russia is at war in Ukraine have led to the severance of many long-standing friendly relations between Belarusian and Ukrainian artists.

As a result, some of them, previously stated in the program, ignored the "Preface".

, one of the participants of the event in Tbilisi, a prose writer and journalist who has recently been living in Batumi, about the causes and consequences of non-literary violence around the literary festival

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- How and why did you become a guest and author of the Georgian-Belarusian "Preface"?

- I think that the organizers noticed my activity as an author in the field of national identity of Belarusians.

After all, the Belarusian identity and the possibility of preserving it abroad - a cross-cutting theme of the "Preface" in Tbilisi.

As part of the cultural campaign "Let's be Belarusians!"

I was the creator and co-implementer of the project "How to become a Belarusian".

As a guest I took part in the program "Idea X" of Dmitry Lukashuk on Euroradio, with which I participated together in a discussion during the "Preface".

"Idea X" resulted in the books "Belarusian National Idea" and "Belarusian National Idea on the March".

At the festival, I presented an author's essay on nation-building processes in 2020 and now in the newly formed Belarusian diasporas.

- To be "Preface" or not, to participate in it or to ignore - the controversy about it shook the media long before the festival.

Why, in your opinion, so much fury fell on the heads of the organizers of the event and its potential participants?

- To ignore or not, to take the position of Ukrainian authors or not?

For me, it was not a scandal, but a hot one, but a discussion.

And very useful.

Ukrainian authors spoke out against Russian ones.

They have the right to do so against the background of barbarism perpetrated by the Kremlin in Ukraine.

As for me personally, I am categorically against harassment on the passport.

There are very few Belarusians in Georgia who are hostile to the fact that we are from a country controlled by Lukashenko.

Most Georgians know very little about Belarus, many do not understand why the Kremlin is bombing Ukrainian cities.

In the end, we saw that the festival is partly with Belarusian participants.

Plus several performances by representatives of countries that help Belarusian artists.

But I am sure that an intellectual is a person who is able to conduct a dialogue not by passport, but by reason.

And that the Ukrainian-Russian dialogue of intellectuals through Belarusians can be.

After all, the common physical space will not disappear.

- Several Ukrainian writers have given up their original intention to come to the Preface.

Several Belarusian artists showed solidarity with them.

What was decisive for you personally in deciding to go to Tbilisi and perform at the festival?

Do not regret the choice made?

- Why should a Belarusian refuse to participate in the Belarusian festival?

We need to talk about the war, about Putin, but first we need to take care of our own, because no one will do the Belarusian cause for you.

- Well, we found out, so to speak, the preface to the "Preface".

You spent two busy days in Tbilisi.

How did you feel there during the performances?

How did the Georgian public react to you?

Was there any special attitude towards your personality, or were you interested in the audience exclusively with your works?

- There was practically no Georgian public.

But I felt very inspired, because there were many Belarusians.

I have performed a lot in the last fifteen years in front of different audiences, and I feel the energy of the hall.

- The stage and the hall at such festivals after the end of the program are often moved to informal places of relations between artists and the public.

What can you tell us about the behind-the-scenes, so to speak, Belarusian festival in Georgia?

- The informal Belarusian festival in Georgia takes place non-stop.

In Georgia, it is impossible to merge with the local culture, with the local community.

We are notable, we are distinctive, and we are Belarusians in Georgia, we use the developments of horizontal ties in 2020.

This is especially noticeable in Batumi, where there are now about 15,000 Belarusians per 150,000 inhabitants.

There are Belarusian cafes, Belarusian cultural and educational programs.

There is a project for those who want to learn or improve their Belarusian language.

Similar projects are underway in Tbilisi.

I see a unique phenomenon of modern Belarus.

While the Kremlin is trying to destroy Belarus in Belarus with the help of its gladiator, the Belarusian idea is not only preserved abroad, but also developed.

And they will not have time to stifle it in Belarus.

Russia is losing its war "one against all".

- To what extent, according to your observations, is the Georgian public aware of the modern Belarusian literary process?

Who has been translated recently?

Are there books by Belarusian authors in bookstores?

What does Georgia know about the liquidation of the Union of Belarusian Writers, the defeat of non-state publishing houses, the ban on the sale of books by authors who are in opposition to the government and more?

- All-Georgian knowledge about Belarus is close to zero.

Sometimes met young people who know about our 2020 year.

That's all.

I think that through the new wave of Belarusian emigration Georgians will only begin to slowly get acquainted with Belarus, including our culture.

- The festival will travel abroad throughout June.

Its 12th station in Krakow, the 18th and 19th in Warsaw, the 25th in Vilnius.

From your experience of participating in the first part of it, what does this literary marathon give and will give to its guests and authors?

- New Belarusian diasporas are being formed.

The festival helps the authors first of all, as the old social ties start to play in a new way.

Also, such festivals will contribute to a better understanding of modern Belarus in other countries.

Severin Kwiatkowski

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Information: Belarusian intellectual book festival "Foreword" and exhibition-sale of books by Belarusian publishers

The main idea of ​​the intellectual book festival is the need for Belarus to have its own format of the event dedicated to the book "what teaches to think" as a means of strengthening and developing the intellectual environment of the country.

The festival is a kind of "preface" to the modern Belarusian intellectual book: an introduction to this topic and a meeting place with its creators and their developments.

We understand the intellectual book quite broadly: it is non-fiction literature, intellectual prose, essays, philosophical and social knowledge, popular science literature, foreign translations.

Its main feature is the Belarusian origin of the authors of the book or the fact of its production by Belarusian publishers.

Although the festival has a place for specially invited guests: international publishers, presenting a modern high-quality intellectual book in national languages.

The festival not only acquaints the public with the achievements of Belarusian book publishing in recent years, but also tries to diagnose the current state of the book market in Belarus, give forecasts and follow the trends of tomorrow.

The aim of the festival is to intensify the Belarusian book market of intellectual books (in organizational and strategic terms), to develop communication between all its participants and to further strengthen the Belarusian intellectual space for the development of local civil society.

The festival should:

• to draw public attention to the intellectual book market in Belarus with the help of the festival program;

• to raise the interest of the public, publishers and authors in this field of book publishing and its problems through topical speeches and discussions, art readings, etc .;

• to demonstrate intellectual publications that have already been published by Belarusian publishers in recent years, increase the level of their sales, expand the audience through exhibition and presentation activities;

• to acquaint potential readers with the current trends of the Belarusian and international intellectual book market by holding round tables and speeches of the festival guests;

• draw attention to the new or little-known names of those authors or publishers working in this niche through speeches and presentations;

• to increase the level of competence of the participants of the intellectual market of literature, to exchange experiences in the framework of master classes and creative workshops;

• to promote interactive communication between publishers - authors - illustrators - experts - the public in order to share experiences and opportunities to correlate supply and demand in the intellectual book market in round tables, speeches and discussions;

• to create and develop a network of communication between the capital and regional participants of the intellectual book market, which would stimulate access to the formation of common structures and the implementation of joint initiatives.

The first Belarusian festival of intellectual books "Preface" took place from 27 to 31 May 2018 in the cultural incubator OK16 on the street.

October (Minsk).

For the last two years, the festival was not held first due to the pandemic and then the political situation in the country.

This year the organizers decided to hold the "Preface" only abroad.

Writers who continue to stay in Belarus were not invited.

Some of them participate in the festival online.

According to http://pradmova.by/idea/