Sakharov Prize
The mural is to bring back the memory of the Sakharov Prize, which was awarded to the democratic opposition in Belarus in 2020. This prize is the highest distinction granted by the European Union for the defence of human rights since 1988. It is a token of recognition for individual persons, groups and organisations that have made an outstanding contribution to the defence of the freedom of thought. Among laureates there are, e.g., Nelson Mandela, Oleh Sencov, the Ladies in White opposition movement in Cuba or Reporters without Borders.
‘On the occasion of the prize award, discussions on human rights were held with laureates. Now, because of the pandemic, such meeting was not possible. Therefore, we wanted to create a permanent reminder of the prize for the Belarusian opposition. Wroclaw is a city of murals, and a large Belarusian minority lives here, too,’ explains Gaś.
The author of the mural is Anna Redko – an artist living in Belarus. Belarusians living in Poland were also among the creators of the painting. Apart from that, two films about the mural are under preparation; their trailers will soon be displayed in Wroclaw means of public transport.
‘The mural will be a timeless symbol reminding us how important it is to care about human dignity and rights,’ says Tatsyana Andrushka, the representative of the Mayor of Wroclaw for inhabitants of Belarusian descent.
The Belarusian community in Lower Silesia consists of at least 20,000 persons. These are mainly political refugees, economic immigrants and students.
Wroclaw supports and helps
Since the beginning of protests following the announcement of presidential election results in Belarus (August 2020), Wroclaw has expressed its solidarity with people fighting for freedom. ‘These are initiatives held together with representatives of the Belarusian minority living in Wroclaw; the municipal stadium was illuminated in the colours of the flag of free Belarus several times, and the Wromigrant point provides consultancy in the legalisation of stay and work,’ says Sara Blejwas from the Foreign Co-operation Bureau of the Wroclaw City Office.
