Dear Revolution
Dear Revolution is a contemplative video set in an Amsterdam apartment, yet its true stage is Arlova’s mind. Her thoughts and heart are in Minsk, and while a revolution in Belarus fails to materialise, coffee brews and milk boils over in the Amsterdam kitchen. She reflects on her circumstances and on the long-anticipated revolution in Minsk. From the safety of her home in the Netherlands, she recalls past experiences and expresses her hope for change in her homeland. Torn by doubt, she weighs whether to remain or return and risk her life for a fuller democracy.
The video’s intimate focus mirrors the larger story of Belarus. In 2020 and 2021, thousands of Belarusians demonstrated against Aleksandr Lukashenko, who has been in power for 31 years. As Europe’s longest-serving head of state, he has ‘convincingly’ won the last six elections, the most recent in 2020 with 80% of the vote. Political opponents are imprisoned, exiled or forcibly disappeared. Demonstrations are violently dispersed, with protesters arrested and subjected to torture.