Tallinn's Belarusian community gather to mark 'Night of Executed Poets'
On Sunday, Belarusians in Tallinn gathered for an evening of poetry and music. The event marked 88 years since the mass execution of poets, novelists, translators and critics, known as the "Night of the Executed Poets."
Sunday, November 2, was the sixth time the "Night of the Executed Poets" poetry evening has been held in Tallinn.
The event commemorates over 100 members of the Belarusian intelligentsia who were shot on the evening of October 29-30, 1937, was held for the sixth time in Tallinn this year.
Among those murdered were poets, writers, critics and journalists. They were killed as part of USSR leader Joseph Stalin's repressions.
Thousands more people were killed in Belarus between 1937 and 1941 during the Great Purge by the Soviet secret police. No one knows exactly how many people are buried at Kurapaty, on the outskirts of Minsk, and estimates vary from 30,000—250,000. The Belarusian authorities have so far not disclosed any information.
This year's Tallinn event took a different format to previous years.
It began with a lecture by Valeryia Charnamortsava — the author of the idea, and also a former political prisoner, lecturer and tour guide. Charnamortsava spoke about the night of October 29, 1937, the Kurapaty site and the researchers who have examined this tragic aspect of in Belarusian history.
Lidia Roos, an artist from the Estonian National Opera, then performed Estonian translations of eight poems written by executed Belarusian poets. The works had been translated into Estonian by Katja Novak, who is a member of the Estonian Writers' Union.
A selection of poems in Belarusian, Ukrainian and Yiddish were also read during the event.
The evening concluded with a live music and Belarusian blues legendary Yury Nesterenka, accompanied by Anton Sirotin.
"People in Estonia barely know about the Belarusian poets, especially those from the 1920-30s," one of the event's lead organizers Diana Olesiuk told ERR News. "That's why I tend to translate as many poems into Estonian as possible," she said.
Olesiuk added that she intends to continue translating Belarusian poems in Estonian and has hoped of publishing a collection of them in the future.
Co-organizer Irina Suursild also spoke of the importance of cultural connections between Estonians and Belarusians resulting from the event.
"We are pleased to have an opportunity to introduce the Belarusian community and Estonian society our cultural heritage and invite to the meetings the artists and cultural workers, living now," Suursild said.
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Editor: Michael Cole
