Belarusians in Kazakhstan

According to official data, as of January 12, 2012, 63 694 Belarusians are citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The largest number of immigrants from Belarus live in Kostanay (21 thousand), Karaganda (18 thousand), Akmola (16 thousand), North Kazakhstan (9 thousand) regions. The dynamics of the number of Belarusians in Kazakhstan according to the census: 1926 - 25584 people, 1939 - 31 614, 1959 - 107 309, 1970 - 198 430, 1979 - 181 821, 1989 - 178 325, 1999 - 111 924, 2009 - 66,476.

The first Belarusians appeared on the territory of modern Kazakhstan after the uprising of Kastus Kalinovsky ( Bronislav Zalessky and others). At the beginning of the 20th century, during the Stolypin agrarian reform , Belarusian peasants moved to Kazakhstan. During the Stalinist repressions , Belarusian cultural figures (Vladimir Dudichsky, Petro Bethel, Yan Skrygan , Simon Khursik, etc.) were exiled to Kazakhstan.

With the beginning of World War II, 10.7 thousand workers and employees, members of their families were evacuated from Belarus. Collectives of the Belarusian Opera and Ballet Theater, the Yakub Kolas Drama Theater were brought here. During the period from September 4, 1941 to April 1942, the Kolasovites gave 8 patronage concerts, 12 performances and 21 concerts in military hospitals. The singer of the Belarusian Opera and Ballet Theater Larisa Pompeevna Alexandrovskaya was also in Almaty . She performed with the Kazakh artist Kulyash Baiseitova in the working clubs of Almaty and Karaganda . In 1942, the Belarusian director Vladimir Korsh-Sablin at the Alma-Ata film studio created the first Belarusian films of the Great Patriotic War period - “Belarusian Novels” (“Bee” and “Battle Friends”).

The Week of Belarusian Literature in Kazakhstan (1974) has passed.

By the end of the nineties of the XX century, the national cultural centers of Belarusians were created in Pavlodar , Ust-Kamenogorsk , Astana , Kostanay , Karaganda , Kokshetau , Petropavlovsk . Today there are more than ten of them registered in the republic. An example of well-organized work of national-cultural associations is the Almaty regional NCC - the head is L. Pitalenko, the Pavlodar NCC - the head is L. Bognat, the Karaganda "Foundation for Belarusian Culture" "Heritage" is the leader A. A. Hooka, North Kazakhstan regional NCC - leader R. Solapava, Kostanai NCC - leader L. Shevchenko, NCC “Belarus”, Astana - leader Romanova A. F. The Association of Belarusians of Kazakhstan registered its official name at the inaugural conference in 2002. By that time, the national cultural center Belarus had been operating for 10 years. Its founder and first leader is Senator Pavel Atrushkevich.

• Belarusians are getting married // Enceklapedyya. - Minsk: Belorussian Entsyklapedyya name P. Brokki, 2010. - 480 p. : il. Hard vokladka. In Belarus and Russian Move. ISBN 978-985-11-0534-8

• Information about Belarusians on the website of the Assembly of the Peoples of Kazakhstan