Valancin Ryhoravič Viačorka (, , ; born 7 July 1961) is a

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

ian linguist, politician and former leader (1999–2007) of the

Belarusian Popular Front The Belarusian Popular Front "Revival" (BPF, ; ''Biełaruski Narodny Front "Adradžeńnie"'', ''BNF'') was a social and political movement in Belarus in the late 1980s and 1990s whose goals were national revival of Belarus, its democratization a ...

(BNF), a Belarusian opposition party.

Early life and education

Vincuk Viačorka was born on 7 July 1961 in the Western Belarusian city of Brest. He graduated from the Faculty of philology at the

Belarusian State University The Belarusian State University (BSU) (, ; ) is a university in Minsk, Belarus. It was founded on October 30, 1921. The university was ranked 387th in the world in the 2023 QS World University Rankings. History 1919–1949 On February 25, 1919, ...

(1983) and the Institute of Linguistics at the

Belarusian Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NASB; ; , , ) is the national academy of Belarus. History Inbelkult - predecessor to the Academy The Academy has its origins in the Institute of Belarusian Culture (Inbelkult), a Belarusian acade ...

(1986).

Professional and political career

Vincuk Viačorka worked as a professor at the

Maxim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University Maksim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University also known as BSPU () is a university in Minsk, Belarus. It specialises in teacher training of mathematics, chemistry, physics, psychology, geography, history, languages and others for primary a ...

and the

Belarusian Humanities Lyceum The Yakub Kolas Belarusian Humanities Lyceum () is a private secondary school, formerly located at 21 Kiraw Street in Minsk, Belarus. History It was founded in January 1990 in Minsk as a Sunday school. In September 1991, it became a permanent ful ...

, as a journalist and the deputy chief redactor of the cultural magazine '' Spadčyna'' (). From 1979 on, Viačorka has been an active member of the national-democratic movement in Belarus. He was one of the founders of several juvenile cultural groups and organisations, such as Majstroŭnia (, 1979–1984), Talaka (, 1986–1989), and the Confederation of Belarusian Youth Organisations (, 1988–1989). Vincuk Viačorka ran for a seat in the

Supreme Soviet of Belarus The Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus () was the unicameral legislature of Belarus between 1991 and 1996. It was essentially a continuation of the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR of 1938–1991 immediately after the Soviet Uni ...

, but was not successful. In 1988, he was one of the founders of the

. Viačorka was head of programme documents commission and a member of the party's central board. From 1995 to 1999 he was deputy head of the BPF. In 1999, he was one of the organisers of the Freedom March, a protest against the formation of the

Union State The Union State is a supranational union consisting of Belarus and Russia, with the stated aim of deepening the relationship between the two states through integration in economic and defence policy. Originally, the Union State aimed to crea ...

between Belarus and Russia. Vincuk Viačorka is the founder and head of an educational

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

, the Supolnaść Centre () and was head of the working group of the NGO Assembly of Belarus (1999–2000).

Personal life and family

Vincuk Viačorka speaks several European languages, is married, has two daughters and a son. His wife Aryna is a mathematician. His son Franak is a youth activist for the BNF, and is a former student of the Belarusian Humanities Lyceum. Both Vincuk and his son were featured in the 2006 documentary film by Mirosław Dembiński, ''

A Lesson of Belarusian ''A Lesson of Belarusian'' () is a 2006 documentary by Polish director Mirosław Dembiński. It follows the activities of several Belarusian pro-democracy youth activists in the four weeks running up to the highly controversial presidential re-el ...

''.

Publications

In 2016, Viačorka published the book "In Belarusian With Vincuk Viačorka", a series of essays based on the eponymous

Radio Liberty Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...

internet page programme also run by him. Viačorka encourages his audiences to dissect the rules and principles of authentic Belarusian, a tongue which suffered serious distortion in the wake of Communist mandates on “language merger.” Vocabulary and onomastics, grammar and pronunciation, spelling and syntax are all covered in concise, easy to read lessons. Viačorka gives long overdue attention to a distinct and vibrant language which is an indivisible component of the modern European linguo-cultural space.

Notes

References

External links

Vincuk Viačorka's 2004 parliamentary elections campaignPartyja BNF
- official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Viačorka, Vincuk 1961 births Living people People from Brest, Belarus 21st-century Belarusian scientists Belarusian activists Belarusian democracy activists Belarusian dissidents BPF Party politicians Belarusian State University alumni Belarusian language activists Anti-Russification activists 20th-century Belarusian scientists