INSTEAD OF MANIFESTO
Herald Asviatsinski
(Ãýðàëüä Àñüâÿö³íñê³)
Many public figures, scientists, writers and artists of the world consider that in the 21st century one of the most important problems will be national and racial, especially in multinational countries. First of all, it concerns Russia, the USA and other big countries. And this may cause the most acute and undesirable consequences.
It is not accidental that at the very start of the 21st century the UN (UNESCO) declared about the dialogue of civilizations. Koffi Anan, the UN Secretary General, is sure that „the variety of ethnic groups and nations is the common possession, people are united by their common fate”.
The Academician S. Kapitsa in his program „Obvious and Fabulous” (1999) made a statement that „… the 21st century will be a period of national culture and languages developing”. Aliaksei Salamonau, PhD (Minsk), says „… Human communities ought to continuously self-improve in their friendly competition… The God’s predestination of every ethnos is to preserve and develop itself respecting the rights of other ethnic groups”.
All this means that the majority of world-famous public figures, scientists and writers think we must preserve centuries-old national communities together with their mother-tongues, life-style peculiarities, their adaptability to nature. We must support and develop their positive achievements in social life, national clothing, etc. Undoubtedly, art is a particular sphere of culture. As far as we know, much is being done in this aspect by some West-European countries, for instance, by France.
Why is the problem so topical? First of all, we ought to constantly encourage progress, which is possible in case the whole mankind’s culture develops properly. And culture advances, only if each ethnic group preserves its peculiarities and shares its national achievements with others.
The Belarusian poet Mikola Husouski, the author of the poem written in Latin, „A Song to the Bison” said: „The state is based rather on the courage of spirit than on the physical strength, Greeks and Romans are good evidence of that. They were the strongest at the period of Renaissance.”
But we confront great problems and hardships. At present we notice a gradual decrease in interest to scientific research in physics, mathematics and other exact sciences, with an exception in some natural sciences – biology and bioengineering. For instance, the Nobel Prize winner of 1991 Pierre Gillet de Gennet, a Frenchman, is sure that „… there is a quick decline in interest to sciences”. He also states that „… the theory of life emergence on the Earth in the primeval „super ocean” is not convincing”.
By the way, most anthropologists consider that the theory of man’s apish origin is fully neglected. And even the idea of Neanderthal men is doubtful, because these species were „dead-end” in their intellect development.
The human being, who is able to think and analyze, originates from - - -, and this statement seems to be interesting and perspective. I would like to emphasize that the interest in research, which is now in decline, can be supported only by the improvement of the world culture.
Some principles or laws of the national development can be formulated briefly in the following way:
1. To realize the possible laws of national development we can begin with the works of the 20th-century Russian geneticist Nikolai Vavilov, whose tragic life confirms the importance of his ideas and discoveries. In his opinion, nature on the Earth will survive only if it is varied. And if some plants or animals perish, we begin to lament: „Help!” and start acting. Just as nature cannot exist with one plant, for example, a pine, or one animal, a wolf, for instance, the same way mankind cannot exist with one nation, one culture or one language, because this would mean a decline in culture and health; that is the end of progress and death of human beings on our wonderful planet.”
The first sign of the proper motive force of homo sapiens’ life is the development of culture in all its aspects – language, arts, lifestyle, discovery, etc. This is the mover of progress.
But we seem to cut off the branch we are sitting on.
There are about 6,000 languages in the world and a lot of nations at present. This gives us hope. But every year 10 to 12 languages die out. Linguists think that if we treat languages and their life like that in future, we can lose up to 90% of them very soon. And this means a cultural collapse. This means a decline in sciences and a decrease in progress. This means a tragedy for the civilization.
2. Up till now some people brought up by Marxism and Leninism keep on identifying the struggle for reviving their mother tongues and their refusal from assimilation with nationalism. Some of them go even further – they identify national self-consciousness with fascism. These people cannot realize that the domination of one language over other languages, smaller in spread and in the number of speakers, is a real crime, because this is chauvinism…
I would like to cite the emotional words of the well-known Belarusian writer and philologist Nil Hilevich: „As for a composer, the absence of natural unity of his soul and national melos, the detachment of his artistic searches from the harmony and rhythm of the national music, from its natural sounds?! I think this question is not to be discussed. Outstanding artists of all countries and nations more than once stated that the way over or off the ‘continent’ of native sounds is a way to nowhere, you will never create anything original or great, your music will be pure imitation or formalism…
It means that our first worries must be about the soul. Whom, which land, which people, which culture does this soul belong to? And to which language? –
To your native language, which is the basis of national culture, national spirit and national identity or to the language of some other country, some other people who have their own songs?”
You cannot say better words, can you?
3. One, or two, or three world languages? As for one world language, or three, four or even five, it is nonsense. Some revolutionaries were educated people, but even they could not imagine what progress there will be in sciences – genetics, communications, the Internet, etc…
Even the most educated people of the early 20th century could not imagine that we could travel to some other country without speaking its language. Soon appeared a doctor from Bialystok (Poland) who invented the simplest language – Esperanto. His name was Ludwig Lazarus Zamenhof. But his experiment found few supporters, because it was an artificial language which cannot substitute any natural language.
Undoubtedly, one should know some foreign languages for scientific research for reading foreign literature in the original. But representatives of big nations ought to study languages of the world minorities to understand their way of thinking, their lifestyles, to get to know their discoveries and inventions. This will also contribute to progress.
4. As for the actual steps to a dialogue and mutual understanding, the author of the present article sees the UN as the first initiator. Some nations who achieved a high level of well-being seem to refresh themselves with material resources from other countries. But it cannot last long. But is there anyone who will give it up? Though many languages of developed countries realized all the threatening danger.
There are more than 3 billion people in the world. In the nearest future (it may happen in the 21st century) the population will increase to more about 6 billion. But this number is crucial for the present state of things in production, consumption and environment. Having such a tempo of economic and technological progress we shall not avoid a collapse.
As I have already said, science cannot develop ignoring culture. And the advance of culture, which is so unique in each country, and the language, which is part of culture, is the first law of progress in modern society.
The exchange of cultural heritage is the second law of progress, because we cannot live in isolation. It will stimulate further development of sciences and improvement of people’s well-being. The whole history of life on our planet is good evidence of this fact.
5. About my native land.
Belarus is one of the most wonderful spots in Europe. It is a land of quiet but picturesque landscapes with rich forests, blue lakes and numerous rivers and rivulets. Plains, meadows, marshes and heather-covered moors, hills dotted with wooden huts amidst woods and birch groves, ribbon-like rivers among flowery pastures – all this makes a rich variety of Belarusian nature.
The Belarusian language sounds clear and melodious. It sounds like cymbals, our popular musical instrument. It has a lot of common features with other Slavonic languages which originated from Old Slavonic. People say that when linguists from Czechia, Slovenia and other Slavic countries first heard Belarusian tears stood in their eyes. Why tears? That was their reaction to the sounding of our language and to the striking similarity of their mother tongues and Belarusian.
And our roads! Many of them are called ‘hastsintsy’, not ‘highways’. The word ‘hastsinets’ originated from the word ‘hozts’ (guest) who comes to visit you.
The author of this article is a Belarusian, who returned to his native land at the age of ten during the war. Having spent a month in the night pasture with other boys, shepherds, I could learn to speak good Belarusian. Later I witnessed a case when children of Russian parents easily used our language in the Belarusian-speaking kindergarten in conversations with friends and sang Belarusian songs, listened to Belarusian fairy-tales.
Belarusians are known to be friendly, responsive and hospitable people. As for our women, they are beautiful and kind, hard-working and courageous. They have big grey or blue eyes which reflect their deep feelings.
Everyone knows Rahneda who raised a sword over Prince Uladzimir’s head and Eufrasinnia Polatskaya, a saint, who was a well-known enlightener at the beginning of the second millennium, our Jeanne d’Ark – Anastasiya Slutskaya and others (Elaiza Pashkevich, Natallia Arsenneva, Larysa Heniush – our talented women-writers). All these women symbolize sacrifice and devotion to Belarus.
By the way, Belarusian women have always had equal rights with their husbands in family life. There has never been ‘domostroy’ (rigidly patriarchal and stringently ruled family life) in our country.
And Belarusian men?
One cannot but mention those who lived at the time of Renaissance. First goes Frantsysk Skaryna – a writer, scholar, printing pioneer, then Mikola Husouski – a poet, and others (Leu Sapieha, Symon Budny, Vasil Tsiapinski, Kanstantsin Astrozhski, etc.). Later on, talented and heroic men – Kastus Kalinouski, Yakub Kolas, Yanka Kupala, Maksim Bagdanovich, Vasil Bykau, Uladzimir Karatkevich…
Our prior aim is to reserve the statehood and sovereignty of Belarus. Another aim is opening Belarusian-speaking schools for younger generations to master their native language properly. We should not neglect the experience of other countries and ethnic groups reviving their mother tongues and traditions.
Everyone knows the results of revival processes in Wales, Ireland, Breton, Catalonia, etc. Belarusians, being the majority of the country (above 81% of the whole population) can enjoy rights to have their mother tongue as the only state official language.
Finally, I would like to mention the words of the writer Uladzimir Arlou: „…The period, which historians call The Golden Age comes to Belarus once every 500 years. The eleventh century is known as the heyday of Polatsk Principality, the sixteenth century was the epoch of Renaissance (in culture, economy, politics). The next 500 years were hard and uneven in Belarus. But I have all my hopes that very soon we shall see the beginning of the new Golden Age on our Land.”
May God help us realize our dreams!
6. In conclusion I would like to say that elevated words about one’s feelings towards the native land, the mother tongue and the people can be pronounced by many of us, but it would be better if each Belarusian said these words. In all this I see the prospects for development and progress in the 21st century.
Vitsebsk, 1995-2001
Ãýðàëüä Àñüâÿö³íñê³ – äçåÿ÷ áåëàðóñêàé êóëüòóðû (òýàòàð).
Herald Asviatsinski is an Honoured figure in the sphere of culture. He lives in Vitsebsk.
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