The event is to run until December 18. "This is an unexampled initiative, because no one has ever organized events of this format," says Irina McLean, one of the project developers, the coordinator of the National Consulate of Belarus in Scotland and the member of the board of trustees of "A Country to Live in" foundation.
–– This idea came to me last year during the broadcast of the Marathon of Solidarity with Political Prisoners "We Do Care." The event then got a lot of attention, Belarusians showed incredible solidarity, all together, we have raised the significant amount to support political prisoners
I realized that now we need to reach a global audience. For this purpose, we, representatives of the diaspora, united with a great team –– the Humanitarian ambulance service, BYSOL, ByHelp, A Country to Live in fund and Dissidentby –– and with such a coalition we decided to organize an intercontinental relay, – Irina tells.
–– The image of our country among foreigners is primarily associated with the name of Lukashenka, dictatorship and repression. What can we offer the international community besides these negative brands? It's a shame, but nothing – and not because we don't have anything, but because Belarus has been behind bars for thirty years. And all our original culture, incredible folk traditions, all our heritage are also behind bars. We need to break negative brands and build our own, to show Belarus as it is without Lukashenka, - Irina explains the idea of the action.
The special feature of the campaign is that Belarusians abroad will tell foreigners about our country in the broadest sense of the word.
–– About the cool, beautiful, smart, innovative Belarus –– the Belarus that we all love, –– adds Irina McLean. –– It will be interesting to foreigners, it will attract them, they will find out what kind of country we are in general, discover for themselves that this is not just a piece of land between Russia, Poland and Ukraine, but a wonderful, interesting, attractive and unique country.
And after that, we will say that such an incredible country in the center of Europe is under threat of disappearing from the map today –– since a dictatorship has been ruling there for thirty years...
One of the main highlights of the compaign is the "Get to know Belarus" event. It will be a package of activities that you can take apart and choose what you want, the interlocutor explains:
–– Diaspora, any organization, community, or maybe you alone want to do it –– relatively speaking, hold this event in your kitchen –– you are welcome. You can call your guests, your foreign neighbors and tell them about Belarus, which you care about, and then tell them what is happening in our country today and then offer the guests to donate to our relay.
We offer a scenario, a playlist, and help with advice on organizing an event. If someone does not have the opportunity to print flyers and posters, they can be used in online format.
We also offer Belarusians to star in a video – to answer several questions, the answers to which, in our opinion, will be very interesting for foreigners. For example: "What would you like to tell foreigners about Belarusian nature, culture, about our country as a whole, and what is Belarus for you?"
From this video, we plan to make the composition and translate it all into foreign languages. Diasporas around the world will be able to show it as part of their events.
Irina McLean notes that the campaign organizers plan to hold it annually.
–– This year, the main emphasis is on fundraising, to support repressed Belarusians. But if the situation in the Motherland changes and even if Lukashenka is no longer around, we still plan to organize an intercontinental compaign every year. Already in a different format, and it will be a pleasant mission – to tell the world about Belarus without repression, – sums up Irina McLean.
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