Vitebsk regional organization of "Belarusian Language Society" ("Tavarystva Biełaruskaj Movy imia Franciška Skaryny, TBM") sent an open letter to the chairmen of the executive committee and Vitebsk City Council with a proposal to rescind its decision regarding approval of a work written by Tamara Krasnova-Gusachenko, as the anthem of the city. The reason TBM treatment to the authorities served facts coercion pupils in schools to study this work.

Here is the text of the open letter of TBM.

Open letter to the Board of Vitebsk regional organization of NGO "The Belarusian Language Society"

To Chairman of the Vitebsk City Council of Deputies Nickolay Romanovich Smunev;
To Chairman of the Vitebsk city executive committee Viktor Pavlovich Nikolaykin

The board of the Vitebsk Regional organization of NGO "The Belarusian Language Society" discussed the fact of distribution in schools of the text entitled "Hymn of Vitebsk" demanding his study. As you know, this "poem" has been proposed as an anthem in June 2012. It was actively discussed by the public, particularly the Internet. The comments on the text and the city council's recommendation not to approve this "poem" as the anthem and the board made the regional organization of the TBM. Our assumptions were made and the leadership of the City Council orally and in writing.

It seemed that after the formal adoption at the City Council this text as an anthem of the city it will be finalized, rid of semantic, grammatical, lexical, stylistic and other inaccuracies. But this did not happen.

During the 2013 text of "anthem" was not published in the newspaper "Vitbichi" and site executive committee as required by the order. However, in late December 2013 indicated the product is sent to the schools of the city with the instruction to learn it.

In connection with the foregoing, we are forced to once again draw the attention of the public and city leaders on this issue.

Leaving aside the very expediency of such a fact as the official anthem of the city, we consider it necessary to speak on the art itself and linguistic characteristics of the proposed version of anthem.

In the first row is used infrequent in the modern Belarusian literary language excuse cieraz (cieraź viaki). By origin, it is a blueprint from Russian word cherez. Therefore, in Belarusian usually speak and write praz.

The following syntagma extremely poorly constructed metaphor, where the verb lacić can not be recognize logical: Chram Uśpieńnia bialutki lacić. “Chram lacić” is an unfortunate language "gem". Next: Volha mudraja ŭzmacham ruki / Zahadała: “Tut horadu być!” Uzmacham ruki zahadała - it is also questionable artistic detail. Not to mention that Olga has not any relations to the base of Vitebsk. Every serious historian will confirm that the legend was invented.

In the next stanza - Załatych kupałoŭ cichi śviet / I słavutaj historyi himn, / Honar horada – ludzi tvaje, / Nazaŭždy ty ŭ sercy maim - it is not very clear what does it mean the "słavutaj historyi himn".

The chorus - Horad nad Dźvinoj, / Niby bieły ptach… - object of comparison - ptach - designated colloquial noun (TSBM , V.4, p. 513), which is completely inappropriate for this kind of texts. Stylistically marked in the text token anthem - is nonsense.

In the next stanza - Tvaje talenty słavić suśviet: / Miž suzorjaŭ niabiesnych planet, / Navukoviec, mastak i paet / Svoj vysoki pakinuli śled - this is a meaningless set of words. What does it mean "suzorjaŭ niabiesnych planet"? And if Vitebsk School of artists really known worldwide, who is hiding under synecdoche navukoviec and paet - remains a mystery. And only if "navukoviec" and "paet" primarily determined on the city's development over the centuries? How ridiculous combination of looks and "vysoki śled": footprint in height? What's this?

In the “Tyja ordeny, što na ściahach” noun ordeny used in the plural, although only one Vitebsk awarded the Order - in 1974. So what kind of orders we talking about?

We can still continue the list of deficiencies in the text approved as the anthem of the city. Probably responsible persons, approved the above text, not considered critical views expressed by the public. Otherwise hardly vitebchane would have such a dubious artistic value of the work. And even more absurd to recommend it for study in schools. Therefore, we strongly suggest to the city authorities to rescind its decision regarding the approval of the works as the anthem and considers it one of the songs of Vitebsk.

Chairman of the Board of Vitebsk regional organization of NGO "F. Skaryna TBM" /I. Navumčyk/

According to Vitebsk Popular News