»Amidst the horrifying details of illegal detention, beatings and torture, we often overlook other, more mundane manifestations of oppression. Constant fear, helplessness, paranoia, lack of security, or difficulties in leaving the country are usually not mentioned at all. As a result, thousands of Belarusians are left alone with their traumas, unheard, unnoticed and invisible.« (Lesia Pcholka)

Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have left their country since the rigged presidential election in August 2020–mainly artists and IT specialists, a young generation eager for a new beginning, whose hopes for democracy and the creation of a future-oriented, humane society were abruptly stopped by the brutal and cynical violence of the dictatorial regime. In ECHOES their experiences find an artistic expression and reverberation: the music reacts to these works, is commentary or counterpart, accompanies or disturbs. From image, text and sound, a differentiated as well as haunting narrative emerges about the drama in our European neighboring country.

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