The details of the internal "kitchen" of Svetlana Tikhonovskaya's New Year's video message were told to Svaboda by

(head of the communications department of Svetlana Tikhonovskaya's Office) and

(strategic communication manager of the Office).

"Svetlana has a privilege that the regime does not have - she can tell the truth"

For the new year 2022, Svetlana Tsikhanovskaya performed together with the Belarusian team.

This year it was decided that she would perform alone.

The appeal began with an intimate "How are you, dear Belarusians?".

Behind the table with children's drawings and tangerines is a woman in a light blouse, who will later put on a jacket and speak like a politician.

Why is she alone this year, without a team, as for the new year 2022?

explains that it was impossible to do the same thing and expect it to work again.

And the challenges this year are completely different than a year ago.

Because a year ago there was a request for unity in the democratic forces, says Ragatko.

In 2022, the war started, which completely changed the situation both in Belarus and in the world.

"Our team understood that this is a serious reason to appeal not only to supporters, but also to those who are not interested in democratic forces.

But he is very interested in making sure that bombs don't start falling on their houses, and that the shelves in stores don't look like they did in the Soviet Union," says Nasta Ragatko.

Her colleague

adds that this appeal was the most difficult, because "in such times it is very difficult to find words."

"But we decided that Svetlana has this privilege, which the regime does not have - she can tell the truth, whatever it may be.

Svetlana is very careful that her words are understandable to everyone.

We already have an internal meme about readings with Svetlana: "Well, say so."

This is when she reads the prepared text and asks: "What did you want to say?".

I answer: "Well, this and that," and she laughs: "So you say so," Nastya Kostyugova tells.

"We really wanted to have a kind of home atmosphere where it is possible to talk openly"

Nasta Ragatko says that the "homey" interior in the first part of the speech was designed to create an intimate atmosphere "in which it is possible to talk openly, not as politicians usually talk to people, but so that it is a person-to-person conversation."

Her colleague Nastya Kastyugova adds that the "home scene" was brainstormed by a "strange company", which included cultural researcher Maksim Zhbankou, an activist and a girl who had just arrived from Belarus.

Both Nastas wrote the text of the speech together.

"In general, Nastya and I thought that this year we should not write a speech.

Because we need the vision of those who have just arrived from Belarus, who not only understand, but also feel what it is like there now, and we will only do the editing.

But no one else was ready, so we took out all the research we had, talked to all our friends in Belarus, and started looking for these words and meanings," says Nastya Kastiugova.

"We can already do everything, we are already strong, we just need to believe in it"

After the words "We don't need a strong hand" in Tsikhanovskaya's address, both the treatment and her image were changed.

"Woman and mother" at the table with children's drawings gets up, puts on a jacket and speaks louder and more officially.

"For me personally, it's about 'I'm tired just like you, but I'm putting on my armor again and going into battle.'

About how you waited for someone stronger, and finally waited for yourself.

We can already do everything, we are already strong, we just need to believe in it.

Therefore, the nation does not need a strong hand, a strong heart is enough for the nation.

But I've already heard many other interpretations, and that's good, that's how it should work," says Nastya Kostiugova.

Her colleague Raghatko added that "in the first part, Svetlana spoke to each viewer one-on-one, in a homely manner, in the second she switches to a more classical format of address, because she addresses the nation like a politician."

"We have existed for a long time in our bubbles, "squatters", "wrestlers", hipsters and a large number of people whom no one has heard"

In the speech that started in Belarusian, Svetlana switches to Russian, but finishes the address in Belarusian.

"I very much agree with the opinion that Svetlana regularly repeats: "We don't have too many Belarusians."

Those whom we do not personally understand are not bad people, they are no less Belarusians than we are.

It's just that many of them did not have the opportunity to look at the world without being poisoned by propaganda.

Many people have so many life problems that they simply don't have enough strength to take care of someone else's rights," says Nasta Ragatko.

Nast Kostiugova explains the transition from one language to another by the fact that "until 2020, Belarusians existed as separate bubbles, "Lukashists", "wrestlers", hipsters, and a huge part of the country with which no one spoke."

"It was 2020 ago that these people were finally spoken to.

Now they are abandoned again.

That is why it is very important to reconnect with them in 2023 and use all possible means and channels for this," she believes.

What did Tsikhanovskaya and Lukashenka talk about in their New Year's address

As of January 3, Tsikhanovskaya's New Year's address on her official channel "Svetlana Tsikhanovskaya" was viewed by more than

.

Another

views were given to the performance on the Strana dlya zhizni channel,

on Euroradio, and

on Belsat.

Alexander Lukashenko's New Year's address had

views on BelTA,

on ONT, and

on BT.

Svetlana Tsikhanovskaya began the appeal in the home interior.

On the table - pencils and felt-tip pens, spruce branches and tangerines, on the walls - children's drawings.

She began her address with the words "Dear Belarusians, how are you?

How were your weeks leading up to the New Year?

I don't know if anyone is telling you, but you're doing an incredible job."

Alexander Lukashenko began his address traditionally, in the palace, near the New Year tree and the official flag.

He addressed the Belarusians as "dear compatriots".

He did not call the war in Ukraine a war, he only mentioned "a conflict in one country, which makes the whole planet feverish."

Svetlana Tsikhanovskaya said that Ukraine will win the war with Russia, because "Russia will lose this war, and we, Belarusians, will either follow it into the abyss, or we will be able to build a peaceful future that we deserve."

Lukashenko said that "everything in our life will depend on each of us.

And from all of us together."

Tsikhanovskaya urged Belarusians "to stop considering ourselves as small people, we are going through such a difficult path, and no one has the right to belittle it."

"We are not small people at all, if we believe in each other and in ourselves, we are a nation," she said.

Lukashenko said that "first of all, we must respect and appreciate the work of people in uniform, raise children to be patriots of their country and obey the law."

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