Description

After 2020, thousands of Belarusians were forced to leave their homeland and unexpectedly became emigrants. Their fates have unfolded differently, but every story is precious. This book contains 64 stories — the voices of those who started a new life from scratch, with dignity and strong hope, in Poznań, Poland — one of the many cities where large communities of the new Belarusian diaspora have emerged.

These voices must not be lost; they must become part of our history — the history of emigration, the people, and the country. They inspire and enchant, testifying to personal strength and the power of community.

Journalist Paval Zaleski was among those who had to leave in 2020. He began recording for the radio the stories of those who took to the squares of their cities and towns with white-red-white flags, those who were arrested, tortured, and tried, and those who had to leave with only a backpack to rebuild their lives in a foreign country. He sought to document how, in a short time, many of us evolved in our consciousness, what we endured, what we dreamed of then, and what has come of it now.

“Reading this book, you will see how closely the fates of people striving for a better future, without forgetting their past, are intertwined. Each protagonist is a separate universe with its own trials and victories, but they are all united by one thing: the desire to live life to the fullest despite all hardships. Their examples teach us that even in the most difficult circumstances, one can find the strength to create something new and valuable.” (Jałanta Śmiałoŭskaja, head of the Belarusian Service of Polskie Radio).