Łukašenka awards national anthem’s lyricist People’s Poet title

December 12, Pozirk. Alaksandar Łukašenka awarded Uładzimir Karyzna, 86, the title of the People’s Poet of Belarus yesterday, his press office reported. 

The case stands out as the first conferment of this title by the Belarusian ruler, Radyjo Svaboda noted.

The title holders are outstanding writers and poets, such as Janka Kupała (1925), Jakub Kołas (1926), Arkadź Kulašoŭ and Maksim Tank (1968), Pimen Pančanka (1973), Nił Hilevič (1991) and Ryhor Baradulin (1992).

Karyzna, a member of the pro-governmental Union of Writers of Belarus, updated Michaił Klimkovič’s lyrics of the BSSR anthem by removing references to Vladimir Lenin and the Communist Party. 

Łukašenka approved it as the national anthem in 2002, after replacing the national white-red-white flag and the Pahonia coat of arms with Soviet-styled symbols in 1995.

Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and until 2002, Belarus kept using the BSSR anthem tune but without lyrics. Karyzna’s lyrics has been criticized for the line “Glory to the fraternal union of our peoples!”, which extols Belarus’ friendship with Russia.