Association of Belarusians in Great Britain

The Association of Belarusians in Great Britain (Belarusian: Згуртаваньне беларусаў у Вялікай Брытаніі, Zhurtavańnie bielarusaŭ u Vialikaj Brytanii) is the oldest Belarusian organisation in the United Kingdom uniting members of the Belarusian diaspora since the late 1940s until the present day.

Association of Belarusians in Great Britain
Згуртаваньне беларусаў у Вялікай Брытаніі
Formation1946 (1946)
Location
  • London, United Kingdom
Head
Mikalaj Packajeu
Websitewww.zbvb.org.uk

History
Commemorative meeting of the Association, sitting then chairwoman of the organisation Helen Michaluk, London, 2001’

After the end of World War II, several thousand ethnic Belarusians landed in Britain. Most of these people were former soldiers of the Polish Anders Army. Some of them were stationed in Britain during the war (1st Polish corps), with the bulk arriving from Italy with the 2nd Polish corps. The ranks were further swelled by arrival of so-called ‘displaced persons’ who found themselves outside Belarus during the war.[1]

In 1946 the Association of Belarusians in Great Britain was established, with Dr. Vincent Žuk-Hryškievič as its chair. It soon became a “well-established and growing organisation”.[2]

The organisation had branches in London, Manchester and Bradford and acquired several buildings for its activities, including the Belarusian House in Islington, London. It became the first organization of the Belarusian diaspora established by the wave of emigrants from Belarus after World War II.[3]

With the support of the association, the Anglo-Belarusian Society was established in 1954 with the aim to promote Belarusian-British contacts.[4]

Invitation card for a reception on the occasion of commemoration of the centenary of the Belarusian Democratic Republic at the Palace of Westminster, London, 2018

Present day

The Association’s present-day activities include among others:

Speaking Stanislaŭ Šuškievič, the first head of independent Belarus, at a reception on the occasion of commemoration of the centenary of the Belarusian Democratic Republic, London, 2018

In 2018 the Association organised celebrations of the centenary of the proclamation of the Belarusian Democratic Republic at the Palace of Westminster.

Mikalaj Packajeu is the current head of the Association.

Notable members

References
  1. Nadson, Alexander (2006). Ceslaus Sipovich: the first Belarusian Catholic Bishop in the 20th century (1914-1981). pp. 36 at al.
  2. Жук-Грышкевіч, Раіса (1993). Жыцьцё Вінцэнта Жук-Грышкевіча [The Life of Vincent Žuk-Hryškievič, by Raisa Žuk-Hryškievič]. Toronto: Выдавецкі Фонд Успамінаў зь Беларускага Жыцьця. p. 83.
  3. "Станаўленьне" [Establishment]. Association of Belarusians in Great Britain (in Belarusian). Archived from the original on 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  4. "Далейшая дзейнасьць" [Further activities]. Association of Belarusians in Great Britain (in Belarusian). Archived from the original on 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  5. Гардзіенка, Наталля (2010). Беларусы ў Вялікабрытаніі [Belarusians in Great Britain, by Natalla Hardzijenka]. Minsk: Згуртаванне беларусаў свету Бацькаўшчына. p. 230. ISBN 978-985-6887-63-8.
  6. "Сёньняшнi дзень" [Present day]. Association of Belarusians of Great Britain (in Belarusian). Archived from the original on 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  7. "Мікалай Пачкаеў:Толькі давайце, калі ласка, без "Россотрудничества"" [Mikalaj Packajeu: Let's do it, please, without "Rossotrudnichestvo"]. budzma.by (in Belarusian). Archived from the original on 2019-11-29. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
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