Belarus in Faces (part LXXXIV): Borderlands. Беларусь у тварах (частка LXXXIV): памежжа.
From 1921 to 1939 a section of the border between Belarusian lands incorporated into the Polish Republic and Belarusian lands ruled by the Soviets ran through the hills just east, and then south, of the central Belarusian city of Rakau, 25 miles west of Mjensk. Today the former Polish borderlands in this area cradle tranquil villages with neatly-maintained wooden houses, well-tended orchards and garden plots, and old cobblestone streets.
Wandering through the back roads of this area, I came upon the village cemetery in Sidarautsy. Mr. Aljaksandr (1935), taking a short break from his yard work in the cool morning air, was sitting quietly on a bench nearby. We started to chat. Noting with quiet sadness that his wife was buried in the cemetery, Mr. Aljakandr nevertheless radiated openness, good cheer, and a love of life. I asked if I could take his portrait. He agreed and then insisted that I accept a handful of fresh eggs. When I went back a month later to give him a photo, his daughter and a neighbor, who were working in the yard, called him out from the barn. He emerged as energetic and cheerful as ever. A bow and heartfelt thanks to Mr. Aljaksandr.
Паклон спадару Аляксандру (1935) і шчырыя падзякі яму за цудоўную гутарку й за яго адкрытасьць і жыцьцярадаснасьць.
Sidarautsy 2013. Сідараўцы 2013 год.
