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‘Principality under White-Red-White Colours’

8

For earned money Michael Nielsen will create a shelter for Belarusian artists.

"Principality under White-Red-White Colours" is the tale of 37-year old teacher from Denmark. Inspired by the Belarusian reality, he wrote a tale about a country that is very similar to ours, Radio Svaboda reports.

Michael Nielsen was born in Copenhagen in 1978. He graduated from the University in Roskilde and teachers' college. Since the mid-1990s he's been an active member of the Social Democratic Party of Denmark and even headed a municipal Copenhagen organization.

In 2005, Michael Nielsen arrived in Vilnius, where the camp for activists of Belarusian non-governmental organizations was held. They told him about severe conditions non-governmental public organizations had to work in.

"The story of activists beaten for their activity, expelled from universities, had a great impression on me, the teacher said. -As a social democrat I'd like to express my solidarity with those who were fighting for freedom and democracy."

Nielsen, being impressed, decided to hang up his axe and work with Belarusian non-governmental organizations.

"I thought that my experience would be more helpful in Belarus than in Denmark, he said. - It's better to give a piece of advice to Belarusian activists, rather than hand out leaflets in Copenhagen: it will do more good."

Teaching Danish, English and German, as well as music and history in the town of Hårlev, 60 km from Copenhagen, Michael Nielsen wrote and published a fairy tale "Principality under White-Red-White Colours" in electronic format. The book tells the history of Belarus, where "peace-loving people take rocky path to democracy."

"First of all, I wrote the tale to inspire artists and creative people from Belarus to create art that will promote the development of democracy," he explained.

Nielsen wrote it as a tale for adults and children could read it.

"Here I can be more poetic and free - there is no need to talk about dates and details of the story, which could make the book more boring and less inspiring."

"Principality under White-Red-White Colours" is his own first book. To buy this book the Belarusians should pay €3 and inhabitants of the Western Europe €6 (Nielsen believes the Europeans should pay more to show their solidarity). Money earned the Dane wants to spend on establishment of an art shelter for Belarusians.

"I've seen such places in Denmark, he says. - Artists and writers arrive there to get inspiration and to create their arts in calm conditions. They pay pennies or nothing at all."

Nielsen would like to create such place near the town he works in now. He moved there from Copenhagen, where he has worked this year.

"Buying a book, people invest in the future of democratic art, Nielsen says. -And this, in turn, will affect changes in the Belarusian society."

Michael Nielsen visited Belarus only in the autumn of 2005. He tried to arrive there next year before the "elections", but he was denied entry.

"I think the KGB made me persona non-grata, Nielsen says. - Therefore, I had to coordinate Danish observers and journalists from Vilnius."

Since then Nielsen has not been to Belarus. He plans to do it after the change of the regime.

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