MINSK, 21 October (BelTA) – People of art should not be limited by restrictions but it is necessary to nurture their character. Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko made the statement as he introduced Natalya Karchevskaya as the new rector of the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts on 21 October, BelTA has learned.
Roman Golovchenko pointed out that the university trains people, who are destined to become a pillar of Belarusian culture, stars in time. The graduates will deliver to the masses what professors of the university instill into their students, he noted. “In my opinion, your work is very complicated. People of art are special people. They will not march in formations and sing the same songs. These people have a special sensitivity to ongoing processes,” he noted.
In his words, people of art tend to most actively express their stance in periods of some turbulence and critical processes. “Maybe because artistes are accustomed to feeling acutely and processing many things inside themselves. Maybe you didn't feel at some point in time that it is still necessary to nurture character, including the character of artistes. We cannot leave the process unattended. I am deeply convinced that we cannot put restrictions on people of art the way it was done in the USSR,” he stated. Back then even masterpiece movies that everyone knows and loves were censured and revised.
The prime minister noted that the government will never condone censorship. “Because taking the freedom to express themselves from creative people would be akin to choking them. Yet I don't rule out that it is necessary to nurture their character, instill basics of patriotism, and most importantly the critical interpretation of what the younger generation gets to hear,” he said. According to the head of government, professors should take care of this complicated work, they should make not only professionals out of youngsters but also patriots of the country.
Roman Golovchenko noted that there is nothing extraordinary about the replacement of the rector of the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts. “We are not talking about the change of policy. We don't blame anyone for failures. Yes, we had questions but nobody fired the previous rector,” the prime minister said. He explained the rector had been replaced in order to add something new to the educational process and change approaches to training.
Speaking about the new rector, Roman Golovchenko pointed out that Natalya Karchevskaya is not a stranger in the sphere of culture. Her previous work in the Culture Ministry and her creative character should help her do the job.
Roman Golovchenko believes that without culture Belarusians can lose themselves as a nation, this is why it is necessary to preserve and develop culture. In his opinion, the self-identity of the Belarusian nation can be used to put together an ideology in order to use it to raise the younger generation. “Complicated search for ways to inspire and captivate young people with is in progress. We should probably look for this center piece in what you do. We need dedicated and loyal people. Not loyal to some person but to the state. Whoever rules this state, they should be loyal to the country, to the Motherland,” the prime minister concluded.
