Wolf Biermann: Lukashenko fears women more than men | Belarus: a view from Europe – special project DW | DW

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On October 5, a ceremony will take place at the German National Library in Frankfurt am Main, during which the legendary German bard and former dissident from the GDR, Wolf Biermann, will be awarded the prestigious Ovid Literary Prize. However, the 84-year-old laureate will accept this award only in order to immediately transfer it to one of the leaders of the Belarusian opposition – Maria Kolesnikova, who has been imprisoned since 2020. Birman announced his intention to do this back in September.

The award on behalf of the opposition politician, recognized by the international human rights organization Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience, is to be received by her lawyer Lyudmila Kazak.

DW spoke with Wolf Biermann about what prompted him to hand over the Ovid Maria Kolesnikova Prize and how he assesses the situation in Belarus.

DW: Mr. Bierman, why did you decide to give the award for your creative achievements to Maria Kolesnikova?

Wolf Birman: Maria Kolesnikova is an inspiring icon of resistance to the dictator in Belarus, and at the same time she is defenseless and imprisoned in dungeons by the mercy of Alexander Lukashenko’s henchmen.

Maria Kolesnikova

She faced the same dilemma as her courageous friends: stay or leave. And I chose the more difficult path. I cannot save her, but I want to support her. In defending it, I also defend all those of us who believe in a free democratic Europe. By the way, the German historian Ilko-Sacha Kowalzcuk gave me an excellent idea to give this prize to Maria Kolesnikova.

– Looking at the events taking place in recent years in the world, one gets the impression that there is a revival of totalitarian regimes. What do you think about this – especially in connection with your own biography?

– You are absolutely right. Let’s call it the revival of scoundrels all over the world. If the Belarusians did not know that Putin and his army would come to the aid of his friend Lukashenka, the dictator would have been removed from the historical stage long ago.

Wolf Biermann performing in Cologne in 1976

Wolf Biermann performing in Cologne in 1976

Under various dictatorial regimes, including in the Eastern Bloc before its collapse, there has always been a deep bond between rebels and freedom fighters. On the one hand, they follow completely different paths, on the other, they are in solidarity with each other. And this is the only way to survive the fight against the dictatorship.

– At the awards ceremony, you will perform your song “Inspiration” – both in German and Belarusian. And what inspires you personally now?

– Real elevation of feelings and heightened readiness for activity – however, you know this without me – mostly come from deep despair. This is possible only in a crisis existential situation. And since we are conducting our conversation in Germany, I would like to remind you: we Germans have never lived as well as we do now. The Germans are doing too well – compared to the state in which humanity is, of which we, by the way, are still a part. Peace, freedom, prosperity – some of our contemporaries forget too quickly what they have.

I wish the Belarusian people to free themselves from the brutal dictator Lukashenka. My deepest respect to women. Dictator Lukashenka fears women even more than men. This is something amazingly new in the eternal struggle of humanity for freedom.

Poem “Ermutigung” (“Inspiration”) in German and Belarusian:

encouragement

You, don’t get hardened
In these hard times
Those who are too hard break
Those that are too pointed sting
And break off immediately
And break off immediately

You, don’t get bitter
In this bitter time
The rulers tremble
Are you only sitting behind bars
But not from your suffering
Not even from your suffering

You, don’t be scared
In this terrible time
That’s what they want to aim for
That we lay down our arms
Even before the big fight
Even before the big fight

You, don’t let yourself be consumed
Use your time
You cannot go into hiding
You need us and we need
Degree your exhilaration
Degree your exhilaration

We don’t want to hide it
In this period of silence
The green breaks out of the branches
We want to show it to everyone
Then they know
Then they know

Wolf Birman

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Peter Huchel

Hey, don’t let yourself get tough
In these harsh times.
Too hard to break.
Too sharp to grind
And to crash.

Hey, don’t let yourself be poisoned by bitterness
In these bitter times.
The owners of the country are trembling.
You’re behind bars,
But not before his suffering.

Hey, don’t be intimidated
In these terrible times.
They achieve this.
That we folded our weapons
Before the great battle.

Hey, don’t take advantage.
Take your time.
You can’t just drown like that.
You need us. And we need it
Your cheerfulness.

We do not want to silence anything
In these silent times.
Green shoots break through the branches.
We want to show it to everyone.
Let them know what’s the matter.

For reference: The Ovid Literary Prize is awarded by the PEN Center for German-speaking authors abroad every two years. O pThe decision to award Wolf Biermann was announced back in 2020, but due to the pandemic, the award was postponed.

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