Public Lecture by Tsimokh Akudovich at the Free Belarus Museum. From Cooperatives to Magistrates: The Belarusian Tradition of Collective Funding.
How did Belarusians work together for centuries when they could not rely on the state?
Contributing to a common cause is a tradition on Belarusian lands that is far older than it may seem. Guild brotherhoods of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, nineteenth-century associations and societies, the cooperative movement in Western Belarus, mutual aid funds established by Belarusians in post-war Poland and in exile—all of these are chapters of one story: the story of how communities learned to support themselves through their own collective efforts.
During the lecture, we will trace this tradition across different historical periods, explore how it has survived to the present day, and examine its modern continuation. At the end of the talk, we will introduce the Belarusian Magistrates, a contemporary cooperative initiative for Belarusians living abroad.
14 July, 6:00 p.m.
Free Belarus Museum
Foksal 11/1, Warsaw
Admission: donation from PLN 20.
