Minsk mayor’s office banned “Kupalle March”

Officials were alarmed by the unofficial holiday with national Belarusian flavor.

On June 27 Minsk city executive committee denied authorisation for holding “Kupalle March” to Volha Mikalajchyk, Mikola Kupava, Valery Mazynski and Alyaksandr Kishkurna.

“We submitted an application to Minsk city executive committee in advance (two months ago), we asked a permission for Minsk dwellers and guests of the capital to march in folk costumes from the Town Hall to Yanka Kupala Park near the River Svisloch in the Kupalle March,” charter97.org website was told by Volha Mikalajchyk. “We planned to set up a stage there, so that rock and folk groups could perform, as well as state choruses and ensembles of folk singing and dancing like “Kharoshki”. After that people would walk to the city, to cafes and restaurants. We planned to gather artists with their works, knights on horses, retail outlets selling dresses and embroidered shirts, all kind of fancy articles and crafts – bracelets, ornaments from beads, temple ornaments. We planned it all to be very fascinating, colourful and in style. However yesterday Valery Mazynski received a letter from Minsk city executive committee signed by deputy chairman Ihar Karpenka. In this letter there was a laconic denial to hold the Holiday of the Folk Costume on June 28. Among other things, I dreamt and was getting ready to shoot a film about that.

I am walking down the central avenue, the so-called “Independence” avenue, and I am almost crying because of this hopeless Sove environment.”