Vögel fernab der Politik? – Der Kampf um Natur und Demokratie in Belarus

In Belarusian culture, the bird is regarded as a mediator and is a symbol of freedom and the inevitable passage of time. In “Birds Far from Politics?,” it becomes the connecting element between opposing worlds: politics and nature, democracy and dictatorship. The exhibition sheds light on the ecological consequences of the war in Ukraine and the situation of refugees in the Białowieża Forest. At the same time, it demonstrates how closely the struggle for environmental rights and for democracy in Belarus are intertwined.

The exhibition will open on September 15, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. at St. Nicholas Church in Leipzig with an accompanying discussion.

What Links Environmental Activism and Democracy? A Discussion on Belarus Today and the GDR Back Then

Taking as its starting point today’s environmental activism in Belarus and the consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster—which are still felt today—the event draws parallels to the environmental movements in the GDR. The discussion will focus on the following questions: What connects environmental activism and democracy? And what role does civil society action play in promoting freedom, responsibility, and social change—both then and now? The discussion will feature Sofya Kuzmich (RAZAM Leipzig e.V., microbiologist) and Gisela Kallenbach (founding member of the “Ökolöwe” association, former member of the State Parliament and former Member of the European Parliament for the Green Party).

The exhibition will remain on view until October 11, 2026.

An exhibition by RAZAM e.V. in cooperation with Koura Art Initiative and the NGO Ecohome. Presented in Leipzig by the Revolutionale project of the Peaceful Revolution Foundation, St. Nicholas Church in Leipzig, and Weiterdenken—Heinrich Böll Foundation Saxony.