Sunday, May 1, 2016

May Day Parade


My friend Nataliya Semchynska shared this interesting document:
" ~ a permit for the May 1 demonstration in 1986 ~
just several days after Chernobyl. What is interesting, one needed a permit with ID to participate (which proves that these demonstrations were controlled by kgb) , on one hand, and on the other - we were forced to participate by authorities to play a pretend show to the West that nothing serious has happened in the USSR. this specific permit was for a secondary school pupil (children were also forced to go out in radiation)."

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The following passages are taken from
Voices from Chernobyl ~ Svetlana Alexievich

"And still we had a great time on May 1 [1986].
We came home late at night, and my window had been
blown open by the wind. I would remember that later on."


from "Monologue About How the Frightening Things in Life
Happen Quietly and Naturally"
Zoya Bruk, environmental inspector (164)

" . . . maybe the moral is simple . . .
You should come into this world on your tiptoes,
and stop at the entrance? Into this miraculous world . . . "


from "Monologue About Answers"
Aleksander Revalskiy, historian (173)
"And the May Day parade? No one forced us to go-- no one forced me to go there. We all had a choice and we failed to make it. I don't remember a more crowded, cheerful May Day parade. Everyone was worried, they wanted to become part of the herd -- to be with others. People wanted to curse someone, the authorities, the government, the Communists. Now I think back, looking for the break. Where was it? But it was before that. We didn't even want to know the truth. We just wanted to know if we should eat the radishes."
from "Monologue About Why We Love Chernobyl"
Natalya Roslova, head of the Mogilev Women's
Committee for the Children of Chernobyl (214)

More from Chernobyl on my latest book blogs:
"Until We Seek Until We Find Ammonia Avenue"
& "Preponderance of War"
@ Kitti's List"


Previous May Day Posts
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014

1 comment:

  1. https://www.facebook.com/kitti.carriker/posts/10208140403695297:0

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