Political Salon: Belarus Free Theater

World Policy Institute and the Heinrich Boell Foundation present the first Political Salon of the season

With founders Natalia Koliada, General Director, and Nikolai Khalezin, Art Director

Founded in 2005 by a husband-wife team, the Belarus Free Theater is the only unregistered - thus independent and therefore illegal - dramatic troupe in this post-communist country.  Effectively banned at home, BFT's performances have taken on an underground existence, with audiences alerted via text message or e-mail.  Its covert and uncensored performances have drawn international acclaim. In the buffer-state between the rest of Europe and Russia, ruled by President Alexandr Lukashenko since 1994, the BFT provides a rare voice of dissent in what is being called Europe's last dictatorship.  
 
Artists have traditionally filled an important role in society by humanizing the impact of policy failures and creating an avenue for dissent as creativity finds ways to overpower the reach of repression. This special Political Salon, in partnership with freeDimensional, welcomes the founders of Belarus Free Theater to share their experiences using the arts as a vehicle for social and political change.
 
About the founders

Nikolai Khalezin is the author of nine plays and over 200 publications in the Belarusian and international press.  He has served as editor-in-chief at several newspapers that were shut down by Belarusian authorities over the years for political reasons.
With the help of Natalia Koliada, the BFT has been awarded the French Republic Human Rights Prize and has begun an artistic campaign to support the UN Convention Against Enforced Disappearances through their recent play, Discover Love.  Natalia has been detained three times by the special forces of Belarus for her activities.

Admission

As many of you know, the World Policy Institute began formally hosting the Political Salon in July.  The Heinrich Boll Foundation (HBF) has made a `challenge grant` to support Salon activities throughout the rest of the year, and they would like to see their grant matched through contributions from the Salon membership.  We have already received donations and WPI membership dues to the tune of $1,850 -many thanks to those who have contributed already!
 
Moving forward, Political Salons will be free of charge for WPI members, and a nominal fee will be charged to non-members to help cover costs. The fee is $20 for those employed in the private sector, and $10 for non-profit professionals, and those in media, government, and academia. For more information on joining the World Policy Institute's Membership Program, visit http://www.worldpolicy.org/membership
 
To ensure that everyone present has a chance to actively engage in the discussion, we are intentionally limiting the number of participants. Political Salon events are by invitation only, and invitations are not transferable. If you would like to bring a guest, please let us know in advance (including the person's name, affiliation, and email) and we will do our very best to accommodate them.

Payment & Registration

Advance payment and registration are required. 

To register please email politicalsalon@worldpolicy.org.
 
Payments can be made online via PayPal HERE
*please be sure to write `Political Salon` in the `Note to Seller` box.

Call the World Policy Institute Events line at 212.481.5005, Option 2, with any event-related questions.