TED - How to be fearless in the face of authoritarianism

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On August 12, 2020, two groups of girls went out to protest in Minsk, the capital city of Belarus. They put on white clothes and went barefoot out into the street. In the morning, some went to Komarovskiy Market in the center of town. Later that day, the other group gathered with flowers at the eternal flame under the victory monument. They stood together holding hands, and they started to sing the Belarusian lullaby, waiting for the police cars to arrive. They knew the police would pick them up just like that: barefoot with flowers in their hands, that they would take them to the police station, beat them up and try to humiliate them. And yet they did it anyway.

This year, something changed in Belarus, a country of more than nine million people that has been ruled by an authoritarian leader since 1994. These young women were protesting the latest rigged election result, which had taken [place] just a few days earlier. Their small expressions of protest very quickly expanded into massive, peaceful, women-led demonstrations all across the country.

Within just a few days, a few hundred thousand people took to the streets and demonstrations have continued ever since, the likes of which Belarus has never seen before. All this despite the fact that the president proclaimed himself reelected and that more than 10,000 people have been detained, hundreds tortured and at least six killed.

Many people wonder why the people of Belarus are speaking up now. What makes them keep taking to the streets despite unprecedented police violence, despite state lawlessness? The answer I hear the most is that people have become fearless, and it’s something we have become together.

Because fear is the province of one. It feeds on isolation. It doesn’t discriminate: men, women, children, elderly – all of us can feel fear, but only as long as we are on our own. Fearlessness takes two. It only works if and when we show up for each other. Show up so that your neighbor, your colleague, your friend has courage. And they will do the same for you.

A lot has been made of my own role in the presidential election of August 2020. How I stepped in to run for my husband, Sergei, when he was jailed and it became clear that the authorities would deny him his chance to run himself; how I rightfully won the election and became the elected leader of a democratic Belarus, but the official results only gave me 10 percent of the vote and I was forced into exile with my children; how I still fight for those who voted for me and whose voice the regime wants to steal; how “fearless” I am.

But there were many moments when I was frightened, and I wanted to step down. I was threatened and forced to believe that I’m alone in this fight. And yet the more cities I visited, the more people showed up for the rallies, the less fear I had. And then in the days before the election in Minsk, 60,000 people came to show their support for me, and I was no longer afraid.

I never wanted to do any of this. I was never overly political, and I never planned to run for office. I wanted to be a mom and a wife. But by fate and the will of my people, I was elevated to this position. And I accept this with a sense of duty and pride. I will not give up. And I will show up for people, because they show up for me. Our courage is born from unity. Our solidarity is our strength.

I also now understand that being fearless is a commitment. It is a decision you make every single day. It is a responsibility you take – responsibility for one another. In this regard, I’m no different from my fellow Belarusians. Their support is tangible. Their solidarity grows in progression. When there are two of you, you are daring. When you’re 100, you are brave. When there are thousands of you, you are fearless. And once you are tens of thousands, you become invincible.

Thank you.

Background

2020 Belarusian presidential election

Notes

  • Belarus

    白俄罗斯, Minsk is the capital city of Belarus

  • authoritarian

    adj. 权力主义的,专制的; n. 权力主义者,专制者,独裁者

  • rigged

    adj. 作弊的，以不正当手段操纵的

    But his rival Martin Fayulu claims the vote was rigged.
    但他的竞争对手马丁·法尤卢（Martin Fayulu）称投票存在舞弊行为。

    The rigged polls appeared before the Trump presidential bid began.
    该事件发生在特朗普开始竞选总统之前。

  • the likes of which

    诸如此类的事

    Shapes and colors the likes of which I’ve never seen.
    哇噻 都是我从没见过的色彩和图案。

    Companies are moving back, creating job growth the likes of which our country has not seen in a very long time.
    企业正在搬回，创造就业增长，这是美国很久未曾见过的。

  • take to

    开始，从事，喜欢，形成…的习惯，容易学会

    This week, they took to the streets.

    本周, 他们终于走上街头。

  • province

    the proper sphere or extent of your activities

    If you say that a subject or activity is a particular person’s province, you mean that this person has a special interest in it, a special knowledge of it, or a special responsibility for it. (学识或活动的) 领域; (兴趣或职责的) 范围
    Tattooing is not just the province of sailors.
    纹身不只是水手们才感兴趣的事。

    “it was his province to take care of himself”

  • exile

    vt. 流放, 放逐, 使流亡; n. 流放, 放逐, 流亡

  • regime

    n. 政权，政体；社会制度；管理体制

    政权（英语：Regime）在政府、政治和外交领域是指国家的政体的统治体制，或者特定的行政管理当局；在社会学范畴是指社会的制度，或社会的秩序。

    It is an attempt by the American government to change the regime or the regime change.

    这是美国政府在企图改变南苏丹的政权。

  • solidarity

    n. 团结

  • progression

    n. 前进；连续

    But all this quick progression has come at a cost.
    但所有这些快速发展都是有代价的。

    You know much about the progression of A.L.S.?
    知道肌萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化症吗？

    Let’s go on now to talk about chord progression.
    接下来我们谈一下和弦进行。

  • daring

    adj. 勇敢的, 无畏的

  • invincible

    adj. 不可战胜的;不能征服的