Francišak BahuševičФранцішак БагушэвічPoet & DramatistMarch 21, 1840 - April 28, 1900 |
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A monument to Belarusian poet Francišak Bahuševič (1840-1900) was unveiled in the city park in Smarhon (previously called "Kushlyany"), Hrodna region, on September 6 [2009].The ceremony was timed to coincide with the 2009 Belarusian Written Language Festival hosted by the city on Sunday.
Ihar Zhuk, deputy head of the Hrodna Regional Executive Committee, said that Bahuševič was a “renowned son of the Belarusian people, the first national poet, a representative of Belarus’ scholars, a leader of national revival and the democratic movement for national liberation.”
“He was a lawyer by training, a poet by heart and a people’s defender by way of living and political beliefs,” Mr. Zhuk said.
Bahuševič sought to “make the native tongue the center of the people’s existence and their spiritual culture.” “Bahuševič identified the language as a key issue in the nation’s life,” he said.
Ukrainian Ambassador Ihor Likhovyy described Bahuševič as a great Belarusian poet and patriot, a true knight in word and deed and the defender of the native tongue and people’s dignity. He said that the poet, who lived in Ukraine for almost 20 years, is a symbol of friendship and cooperation between the two peoples.
Alyaksandr Vyarsotski, deputy head of the Hrodna Regional Executive Committee, has expressed hope that local residents would treat the monument as a national holy thing.
The monument was authored by Syarhey Humilewski, his son Lew, and architect Yawhen Mitsko, whose design was picked through a contest held as far back as 1989.
The 3.6-meter bronze statue is mounted on a granite boulder and a meter-high granite pedestal. A bronze plaque on the pedestal bears Bahuševič's famous quotation: "So, do not forsake our Belarusian language lest you pass away."
The statue depicts Bahuševič in a thoughtful posture with a book in his hand, a straw hat and a long garment fastened by a belt.
Source: Naviny (BelaPAN) (September 7, 2009)
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