A Lesson of Belorussian

Poland 2006, 51 min
Lekcia Bialoruskiego / Miroslaw Dembinski

In 1990, Belarus declared its sovereignty and a year later it announced its full independence after the collapse of the USSR. At the beginning of this period, an elite national lyceum was established in Minsk. In 1995, Alexander Lukashenko's rise to power meant the end of freedom and democracy in Belarus as well as the beginning of tough times for the lyceum. In 2003, this oasis of freedom, which fostered the cultivation of the Belorussian language, was outlawed. Neither the students nor the teachers refused to throw in the towel, however, and they illegally continued to have lessons. Moreover, they began to rebel more and more intensely. The film does not just provide engrossing testimony of the situation in a totalitarian state, but also offers proof of how young people have the power to influence their living conditions and the courage to protest against demoralizing totalitarianism.