“I would like to see Belarus become more like Kansas”
So said Stanislau Shushkevich, former chairman of the Belarusian Parliament, at today’s opening of the Center for Belarusian Studies, at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas.
The Wichita Eagle didn’t offer any elaboration on Shushkevich’s hopes for his country to more closely resemble the sunflower state, but did provide these tidbits:
- They (Belarus and Kansas) are about the same size and feature relatively flat topography.
- Each is landlocked, with residents known for a strong work ethic.
- Belarus has more than 9 million residents — about triple the population of Kansas — and an estimated 11,000 lakes, carved out by glaciers.
Shushkevich, with Boris Yeltsin and Ukraine’s Leonid Kravchuk, declared the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. He was joined at the opening by David Swartz, former US ambassador to Belarus and Southwestern U alum, who said conditions in Belarus have gone from “bad to worse” while other former Soviet republics are making forward progress. The new center’s goal is to “promote the revival of the Belarus nation through higher education.”
To that end, may they reach “ad astra per aspera,” or “to the stars through difficulties,” just like it’s done in Kansas.