Svetlana Aleksievich to use her symbolic capital to transform Belarusian society?
Belarusian writer and Nobel Literature Prize winner Svetlana Aleksievich has agreed to become the honorary chairman of the ‘Chernobyl Path’ organizing committee. Aleksievich, as a writer, has been recognized at the international level and awarded the Nobel Prize, which strengthened her position and moral authority in the Belarusian society, especially among supporters of democratic changes. Many public and political leaders, representatives of the independent media have identified Svetlana Aleksievich as a Belarusian of the year. Unlike civil society, the state media has ignored the first Belarusian Nobel laureate, but the authorities have allowed Radio Svoboda to hold the presentation of her book at the Palace of the Republic Hall (often used for official events). Yet it would be premature to talk about Aleksievich’s possible influence on uniting the political opposition, mobilizing civil society and initiating a dialogue with the authorities.
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Situation in Belarus