111 Cultural Post 3

[Taylor Johnson]

Recently, Belarus screened a "documentary" in Russian about the Ukrainian Holy Hundred (the people who were killed by police and the Berkut during the Maidan protests in 2013-2014). The documentary falsely claims that the Holy Hundred were actually killed by protestors, and not by the police. This documentary has naturally caused a stir in Ukraine because people feel that it is hugely disrespectful to the people who lost their lives fighting for their country on the Maidan. This documentary ties in with my cultural project, because I have been finding political songs that are about Maidan and the Orange Revolution. Comparing the difference in treatment of the Holy Hundred in Ukrainian v. Belorussian media is an interesting task, as they both have such different takes on the issue. Despite these different takes, however, it is clear that the Belorussian documentary is completely false propaganda with the goal of discrediting Ukraine in the eyes of Russian-speaking people in Belarus, Russia, and (maybe) Ukraine.