Belarus is not sexy

• Natallya Kalyada
• 4.10.2011, 10:15

“Belarus is not sexy,” said my friend, trying to explain Western diplomats their apathy towards Belarus.

Ten years ago one of American diplomats, an acquaintance of mine, who had been working in Latin America for many years, said: “Women are very beautiful in Belarus, but they are not sexy as Latin American ones.”

I was trying to prove the opposite in words.

After many years I began to understand what he meant. But not by an example of the women, but by an example of my country. Observing actions of world power towards other states, which are coming through the same complex political processes as Belarus, one understands: the only possibility for a country to attract attention to get naked for the whole world to see.

Sex appeal of a country is oil, gas, diamonds, access to the sea, mountains. Belarus is the only country in Europe which does not have mountains or see. Belarus is plain. It does not attract anyone, ever the closest neighbours. Even if we accept it is beautiful… Nevertheless, it is definitely not sexy. e have only one see, the Minsk Sea, an artificial reservoir lake. The highest point of the country is on the Minsk Upland, 300 metres. We have two skiing resorts. To construct them workers had to dig the ground in order to make something like a mountain.

For the country to get attention, one can carry out mass murders, as it had happened in Rwanda, Iraq, Libya, Tibet… It is so attractive when a husband chops children into bits, frying them on a fire, and making his wife who had just born the child, to eat slice after slice. And after she refused, to cut open the Caesarian operation, put the gutted newborns there and stitched it up.

Is the world waiting for that? Yes, it’s waiting for that. But as Rwanda has taught, even when such things are happening, the world needs at least three months to start action and stop refined violence. It is easier to treat it as a fascinating film, a dynamic, colorful, with unpredictable ending.

Closer to the end of the story one of European politicians, having torn himself away from the TV screen and taking a gulp of whisky, would say to another politician: “This has happened, it’s time for us to take action.” One of such European politician has recently said: “Involving the dictator in relations with democratic countries is an integral part of modern politics.” It looks is like alluring a sexual maniac with his favourite redhead with ample curves, but every time be mistaken about the place and time of the next weird rape.

Later all of them will be united in one gush of enthusiasm the UN Security Council to resuscitate the teenage girl. To bring her back to life in order to be given in return good sex in the form of part of the territory or property. They are dead themselves, and only clean flesh could become the oxygen cushion which would return interest in life for them for a while.

Belarus has only people. But people does not sell well, they do not attract.

People who have been driven into a confined space destroy each other, creating an energy vortex of sexual aggression. The part of the society which possesses power and authority, suppresses those who are weak and defenseless.

A black throng… thousands and thousands… marching, shouting, roaring, knocking truncheons on their shields… Black leather gloves with iron bars, high boots, lacquered helmets… Jumping on the bodies to hear them crack… breaking heads with the sound of cracking watermelon… Shouting at you, calling you “bitch”, “cunt”, “slut”… “I will explain you the intended use of chair legs”… “The Nazi will seem children for you.” “Lie down, you bitch”… “I’ll take you to the forest now, and we will stay there, just two of us”…

And then they fingerprint you. Taking a little roller, putting your fingers in black paint slowly, and turning up your sleeves the way it seems they are going to make a print of the whole your body. Taking each of your fingers, slowly rolling little parts of your finger phalanges, palms… Pressing them from the top by two of their sweaty hands, so that you cannot stop being suffocated by vomiting reflex.

After that you cannot wash it away. You have been fingerprinted.

But no one cares about you. Everyone just pats their hands on their thighs and regret “it just so happened.” It just so happened, that there is no one to protect you. You are asexual. You cannot give anything. Just your teenage fragile body. That’s all. Not much.

The girl will grow. Her body would become wise and will understand that not only big breasts, long legs, not only crimson plump lips sell well. Creativity is the thing selling the best in sex, it’s when you can do something others cannot. And if she becomes accustomed to violence, she will become a brilliant sadomasochist, which will make the world shudder.

Hearing the crack of a whip, one will give a start and realize – the girl has become an adult.

Natally Kalyada, Belarus Free Theatre co-founder

This text was written for the performance of the Belarus Free Theatre “Letter to Kathy Acker. Minsk’2011”, (Vladimir Shcherban's production) which was awarded the Grand Prix of Edinburgh Theatre festival. The performance include about a dozen of texts written by members of the Belarus Free Theatre company.

The text is published owing to the political events of this week.