Remembering Chernobyl in Belarus

In order to help improve the conditions of living of the populations of the territories contaminated by the Chernobyl disaster, PSF decided to join the International CORE (Cooperation for Rehabilitation) Program that had been initiated by the Belarusian Committee for the Minimization of the Consequences of the Chernobyl Disaster.

The different needs in terms of rehabilitation were divided into four areas of intervention:
-    Monitoring the quality of health conditions;
-    economic and agricultural development;
-    monitoring radiation levels;
-    radiological culture and intergenerational memory.

PSF conceived two different actions that corresponded to the “radiological culture and intergenerational memory” area of intervention. The first was concentrated on the recuperation of the collective memory of the villages that were abandoned after the disaster of Chernobyl, and the second sought to propose different activities that helped young generations express their thoughts on the radiological issue.  

- Lost Villages, Searching for Forgotten Landscapes
- “Tell Me a Story, Mr. Cloud”

Lost Villages, Searching for Forgotten Landscapes

The key of this project was the participation of the local population in the recuperation of the collective memory of the Chernobyl disaster. By recuperating the individual and collective memory of the villages that disappeared during the catastrophe, we tried to construct a product that reflected and promoted the value of this very particular heritage.

In order to pass on the memory of these lost villages, PSF organized an exhibition that regrouped different kinds of testimonies that had been collected by the local population. The inauguration took place on April 26th 2006 during the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster at the Braguine Museum, and was later presented in several Belarusian cities and neighboring countries.

Location	Duration	Beneficiaries	Related book
Districts of Braguine, Slavgorod, Stolyn and Tchetchersk in Belorussia.	March 2005 - December 2006	Local populations of the concerned districts and cultural and educational institutions.	XXX

Goals Achieved

• Engage the local population in a process of appropriation of the memory of the forgotten villages;
• collectively identify cultural elements that could help promote the cultural heritage of the forgotten villages;
• intensify internal and external cultural exchanges;
• organize an exhibition in Braguine and in other cities;
• draw the international community’s attention to this issue. 

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“Tell Me a Story, Mr. Cloud”

Goals Achieved

• Raise awareness on issues related to the use of nuclear energy by organizing artistic workshops in their schools;
• produce a DVD in order to share the kids’ stories with everyone;
• promote the experience by presenting its results during different cultural events.

Location	Duration	Beneficiaries	Exhibition related
Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Austria, Spain, Lebanon and France.	2006 - 2008	students (ages 7 to 15) of the schools that participated in the project.	XXX

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