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Every year, the Belarusian community around the world recalls the night of 29–30 October 1937, when more than 130 representatives of Belarusian intellectual and cultural elites were executed in the basement of the NKVD prison in Minsk. Once again, we return to the walls of the Sybir Memorial Museum to commemorate this tragic moment in history. This year, we also mark the 110th anniversary of an unprecedented civilian exodus from this part of Europe — an event commonly referred to as bieżeństwo.
“Refugees 1915” is a performance based on Aneta Prymaka-Oniszk’s book Bieżeństwo 1915. Zapomniani uchodźcy (Refugees 1915: Forgotten Displaced People). The script draws on the stories of residents of eastern Poland who, after the outbreak of the First World War, were forced by the Tsarist authorities to evacuate deep into Russia.
The performance was created by a team of artists from Poland and Belarus and produced by BYteatr — a Warsaw-based collective of Belarusian theatre makers who were forced to leave Belarus for political reasons. The phrase “Memory carried away by the winds of war” served as a guiding motif for the creative team.
They left in haste, fleeing the approaching war. They abandoned homes, land, memories and the graves of loved ones. They travelled into the unknown, searching for a place to rebuild their lives. Not all returned. “Refugees 1915” is a moving journey through time and emotion. On stage, the fates of First World War refugees intertwine with the personal experiences of contemporary artists who themselves were forced to leave their country. It is a story of loss and courage, of languages intertwining into a shared testimony of memory — theatre giving voice to those once compelled to remain silent.
After the performance, the audience will have the opportunity to meet the artists and the author of the book. The evening will conclude with readings of works by poets executed in 1937.
The performance features four languages: Polish, Belarusian, Russian and local Belarusian dialects from the Podlasie region. Polish surtitles will be provided.
The premiere took place on 14–15 July 2025 at the artistic venue “Salon pod Sowami” in Tykocin. The performance was also presented during the Kresy — Bezkresy Festival in Tykocin in August, and at the Konfrontacje Teatralne festival in Lublin on 12 October.
Admission:
Regular ticket — 30 PLN
Reduced ticket — 15 PLN
Duration: 60 minutes
Recommended age: 14+
Produced by: BY Teatr
Date: October 29, 2025, 6:30 p.m.
Tickets available at: bilety.sybir.bialystok.pl
Directed by: Andrei Novik
Screenplay by: Roman Pawłowski-Felberg
Music by: Darya Novik
Scenography & Costumes by: Alena Semeniuk
Lighting designer: Daniła Goncharov
Cast: Maria Czykwin, Andrei Novik, Darya Novik, Aleks Saprykin
Co-funded by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund — a special purpose public fund.
Project Partner: Belarusian Cultural Centre in Białystok / Цэнтр беларускай культуры
