Belarus and Belarusians

10 Little-Known Facts.

Written by Viktoryia Shylkouskaya.

Belarus is a beautiful country located in the very heart of Europe. But not many people know that Belarus, a country of 10 million people, even exists! That is exactly what this article is on a mission to fix.

“1000 Names”

Belarus, located on the eastern edge of Eastern Europe, is often called the last dictatorship on the continent and, for some, is still considered to be part of Russia. Officially, the name of the country is the Republic of Belarus (Belarus, for short), but it got its name only in 1991, just 30 years ago. Before then, Belarusian lands were called the Principality of Polotsk, the Principality of Turov, Kievan Rus, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (13th–16th centuries), the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (16th–18th centuries), Northwestern Krai of the Russian Empire, and others. Historical materials show that for more than a thousand years, Belarus was a part of other state formations, but it is also important to note that it has never been a colonial territory. Being always in a mix with other territories and nations played an integral part in the Belarusian ethnos-forming process.

“There is no easy way from the earth to the stars,” Seneca said, and he was absolutely right. You can become a truly successful person only with the help of hard work. Many people who changed the world originally were from Belarusian lands.

Marc Chagall

Many of you have probably seen the famous Marc Chagall’s painting “Above the Town.” But did you know that Marc Chagall is from Belarus? One of the most famous people in Belarus, particularly in the city of Vitebsk, Chagall was a talented painter, graphic artist, and vivid representative of the 20th-century avant-garde who fascinated the world with his unique style. While many in Russia claim him as one of theirs, Marc Chagall’s house and museum is open to visitors in Vitebsk, Belarus, and his famous paintings – “To My Betrothed,” “I and the Village,” and others – are exhibited in galleries around the world.

Tadeusz Kosciuszko

My list of famous Belarusians continues with Tadeusz Kościuszko, a military engineer and hero in Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, and even the United States of America. He was born in what is today Kosava, a town in the western part of Belarus. He was the leader of the national liberation uprising in 1794 in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and took part in the American Revolutionary War. Nowadays, there are over 200 monuments around the world dedicated to Kosciuszko, and people in Belarus bring Kosciuszko’s portraits to protest against the rule of the current Belarusian president.

Barys Kit

Perhaps you did not know that, among the world’s many scientific discoveries, it was the Belarusian Barys Kit and his rocket propellant formula that made it possible to make the first-ever trip to the moon during the Apollo missions. Barys Kit worked for 25 years in the American space research program. Despite his emigration, Kit stayed a staunch Belarusian throughout his life: “Everything I did in my life, I did for my homeland and its fame.” He lived out his final years in a Jewish nursing home in Germany, and celebrated his last birthday (his 107th) in 2017.

Svetlana Alexievich

The only Belarusian – so far – to win the Nobel Prize in Literature made the world google where and what “Belarus” was in 2015. Svetlana Alexievich is the first writer from Belarus to receive the coveted award. Born in the western Ukrainian town of Stanislav to a Belarusian father and a Ukrainian mother, Svetlana Alexievich grew up in Belarus. During her career in journalism, Alexievich specialized in crafting narratives based on witness testimonies. In the process, she wrote oral histories of several dramatic events in Soviet history: the Second World War, the Afghan War, the fall of the Soviet Union, and the Chernobyl disaster.

Victoria Azarenka

Belarusian Victoria Azarenka has been one of the best tennis players in the world since 2008, winning the title of “world’s number 1 tennis player” in 2012. She held the Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) number 1 ranking until 2013. Overall, Azarenka has won 20 WTA singles titles, eight WTA doubles titles, and three mixed-doubles titles. In August 2013, Azarenka was named the fourth highest-paid female athlete in the world by Forbes Magazine. Impressive, is it not?

Belarusian IT Guys

In Belarus, every second child, instead of wanting to become an astronaut, wants to become a programmer. Being a programmer in Belarus, as well as in many other countries in the world, means receiving one of the best salaries among many occupations. Have you heard of a computer game called “World of Tanks”? What about “World of Warships” or “World of Warplanes”? All of these games were created in Belarus! The Belarusian national airline Belavia, in showing its support for the local businesses, repainted one of its planes with the colors of the “World of Tanks” game. Many of you might be using the “Viber” app on your smartphones, the third most popular messaging app after Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. As you can probably guess, this application was also created by Belarusian programmers. In addition, the MSQRD app, which puts an animated mask on your face, was created in Belarus. After having 10 million downloads, it was bought by Facebook in 2016.

Louis Bart Mayer

Immigrants from Belarus have left their mark on the development of world cinema, too. For example, Louis Bart Mayer, who came from Minsk, became famous in the field of world cinematography. He is well known not only as a founder of the Hollywood film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, but also as one of the promoters of the American Society of Cinematographers. The idea of presenting the annual Oscar award also belongs to him.

You will be surprised to learn that many Hollywood celebrities can trace their ancestry back to Belarus. For example, Lisa Kudrow of the sitcom Friends as well as Scarlett Johansson, Harrison Ford, Michael Douglas, and others have origins in Belarus!

Lisa Kudrow

One of the stars of the television sitcom Friends is not as American as she may seem. Actually, Lisa Kudrow’s grandad was born in Mogilev and her grandma in the village Iwye, located in the Hrodna region of Belarus. Her father’s mother immigrated to Brooklyn in 1921, where her father grew up. Some years ago, Lisa came to Minsk, Vileika, and Iwye to reconnect with her Belarusian roots.

Scarlett Johansson

One of the world’s most popular, beautiful, and highest-paid actresses, Scarlett Johansson spoke about her Belarusian origins at a press conference in Moscow in 2012. Back then, she said that her mother was originally from Minsk. Meticulous historians later found that the star’s great-grandfather and great-grandmother actually lived in Nesvizh. The superstar promised to come to her historic homeland. Well, what can we say – we are still waiting!

Harrison Ford

Known for his legendary roles in the Indiana Jones and Star Wars film series, Harrison Ford was born in Chicago. The actor’s maternal grandparents, however, were from Belarus and emigrated from Minsk to New York at the beginning of the last century. Ford himself spoke about his ancestors on the eve of the premiere of the next Indiana Jones film back in 2008.

Michael Douglas

One of the most famous Hollywood actors also has Belarusian roots. His father, Kirk Douglas, was born into a family of emigres from Chavusy, Mogilev Oblast, which is in eastern Belarus.

Like any other nation, the Belarusians are unique in their own way. They have for centuries celebrated their lands, used a different language, and gone by different names. Many of those who were born here do not consider themselves Belarusians, as the borders shifted faster than their identities could. All these people were born in a small country (we still need to explain to foreigners where our country is located). But it does not matter: The past, present, and future of our country are all built by great people!

The Author

Viktoryia Shylkouskaya is a 26-year-old Belarusian currently residing in Gwangju. She moved to South Korea in 2016 without any knowledge of the country or its language. What she thought would only be for one year has since turned into many more. Instagram: @shylk.vick