This week in class we’re going to venture to the historically polynomous Belarus where we’ll dance in the forests and celebrate Soviet-era mustaches.
— OVERVIEW: Belarus is a country that has endured tremendous hardship, in part because of its location between Germany and Russia, two countries that, let’s say, have not been shy about going to war.
— MUSIC: The music of Belarus has a rich and expressive thousand-year history, though over the last century Belorussian musicians have had to cope with the censorship of authoritarian rule.
— LANGUAGE: The Belarusian language has re-emerged after decades of “Russification,” though it’s still far from the most widely-spoken language in the land.
— WHEN YOU GO THERE: Traveling to Belarus any time soon? Of course you’ll start in Minsk, but you also must make time to meet the rest of the nation.
— KUPALLE: An ancient summer solstice holiday that gives us the chance to celebrate the natural world.
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