Press releases

MINSK, 20 March (BelTA) – Taras Shevchenko National Museum in Kiev presented an exhibition marking the 135th anniversary of the birth of the eminent Belarusian poet Yanka Kupala, BelTA learned from the Belarusian embassy to Ukraine.

The exhibition called “Destinies of Ukrainians and Belarusians linked together” celebrates the life of the Belarusian classic and explores the meaning of Taras Shevchenko’s legacy for the poet. Yanka Kupala was the one who translated his famous poem My Testament into Belarusian.

The exhibition was unveiled during a gala evening on 17 March. According to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Ukraine Igor Sokol, for Belarus 2017 is the year marking the 135th anniversary of Yanka Kupala’s birth. At the same time Ukraine marks the 203rd anniversary of the birth of Taras Shevchenko. “The lives of both poets, like the destinies of both our nations, clearly show the uniqueness of the national traditions that have always united us,” Igor Sokol remarked. He also said that the event aims to promote Ukraine-Belarus humanitarian cooperation and lay the basis for the organization of cultural and educational events in Ukraine and Belarus in the future.

The evening also featured a media presentation of the book “A prayer to Taras under the Belarusian sky” written by the Ukrainian scientist and journalist Gleb Kudryashov about the commemoration of Taras Shevchenko’s legacy in Belarus.