Press releases

MINSK, 28 May (BelTA) - The 6th International Congress of Belarusianists in Minsk will review the accomplishments in all fields of scientific knowledge made in Belarus in the past five years, Sergey Garanin, deputy director of the Yakub Kolas and Yanka Kupala Institute of Language and Literature at the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, told the media, BelTA has learned.

The Congress of Belarusianists is held every five years. Representatives from different countries come to Minsk to discuss the recent advanced in the Belarusian studies and in all areas of scientific knowledge, and to set the objectives for the next five years, said Sergey Garanin.

He noted that the Belarusian science has done a lot since the last congress. The latest achievements include the archaeological finds, a series of studies on World War I and World War II, the publishing of the collected works of Belarusian literature classics: the 20-volume edition of Yakub Kolas, 23-volume edition of Ivan Shamyakin, collected works of Maxim Tank Belarusian and the history of literature in four volumes and others.

The purpose of the Congress is to indentify the objectives, the most relevant topics in modern science for the next five years. One of the important topics will be the 500th anniversary of the first Belarusian publisher Francysk Skaryna. The date will be celebrated in 2017. The Congress will hold the round table "Francysk Skaryna and his time". The problems of studying the Belarusian book publishing in the 16th and 17th centuries will be in the focus of scientists.

Talking about the development of the Belarusian language in the country, Sergey Garanin said that there is a very specific context of the closely related bilingualism in the country. It was the result of life itself. The law on languages in Belarus allows using the Belarusian language and also provides a set of measures which contribute to the development of the mother tongue and national culture in general, he said. Belarus has started publishing more books in the Belarusian language, Belarusian scientific, non-fiction, children's and fiction books. Lots of cultural events are held to promote the Belarusian language.

The 6th International Congress of Belarusianists is underway in Minsk. The event is dedicated to the 500th anniversary of the Belarusian and Eastern Slavic book publishing. The Congress will hold thematic sessions to discuss various problems in the field of linguistics, literary studies, history, and philosophy. The main block of issues will be dedicated to the study of the Belarusian language as a foreign language and is intended to coordinate the efforts of linguists in teaching the Belarusian language to foreign nationals. It is expected that the Congress will be attended by scientists from Belarus and also from Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Poland, Austria, Hungary, Great Britain, Germany, Canada, and Japan.

The forum is designed to facilitate the development of the Belarusian studies in the field of humanities and social sciences, to promote the Belarusian studies outside Belarus and to strengthen the international cooperation between researchers from different countries.

The Congress of Belarusianists has been held since 1991. Its organizer is the public association "International Association of Belarusianists" founded by the Culture Ministry, Education Ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the National Academy of Sciences.

The International Association of Belarusianists unites researchers in the social and humanitarian sciences, lecturers, figures of culture and education, translators that study the cultural and historical heritage and modern development of the Belarusian nation, other specialists.

The Congress of Belarusianists was held in 1991, 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010 to discuss the issues of Belarus’ position between the East and the West, cooperation and mutual enrichment of cultures, the Belarusian culture in the dialogue of civilizations and in the context of the European cultures.