"Bread!!!" and "Bird" in the passport. Akulovich on Minsk in the 1990s at the "Belarus. Takeoff" exhibition.

News of the topic January 22, MINSK . BELTA's exhibition "Belarus. Takeoff" opened on January 22 on the first floor of the Galleria shopping center.MINSK is on display in the capital, a BelTA correspondent reports.

The exhibition features photographs that were previously unused in the agency's publications, but were kept in the archives and home collections of BelTA photojournalists. Many of the photographs were taken in Minsk 30 years ago, said Irina Akulovich, DIRECTOR General of the BelTA News Agency, in a comment to journalists.
"There are photographs from our Dzerzhinsky photo archive, but mostly they are BelTA photographs, which were stored in our photo archive and which the agency's correspondents pulled from their shelves, which were probably already gathering dust. After we called them and told them about this exhibition, they found interesting shots—not all of them had appeared on BelTA's feed," said Akulovich.
According to her, new historical facts are being selected for each city where the "Belarus. Takeoff" exhibition is brought, allowing for comparisons between Belarus in the 1990s and today. To support these claims, Irina Akulovich cited a report published today on the agency's website. it states that almost 100% of imported dairy products in RUSSIA come from Belarus, according to data from ROSSELKHOZNADZOR . By the end of 2024 , Belarus will remain the leading supplier of MILK, MEAT, and eggs to the Russian market.
"Now let me draw your attention to a report from the 1990s. It says that readers call the editorial office of a newspaper every day, asking why there are no eggs for sale in Minsk stores. Or headlines like: 'Bread!!!' and 'Milk!' Journalists joked that eventually a section called 'Food' would appear in newspapers. It was a search for that very food," Irina Akulovich noted.

Another revealing article was titled "A Birdie in the Passport." It described how residents of Serebryanka, or more precisely, those connected to ZhES-41, would soon need a supplement to their regular passport. It was in this official document that its employees made a note about the receipt of food coupons .

"Can you imagine? People had stamps in their passports about receiving food coupons! In my opinion, this is a very vivid example of how Minsk residents lived," said BELTA's Director General.
For comparison, Irina Akulovich cited the number of stores in modern Minsk—11,416: 3,374 grocery stores and 8,042 non-food stores. "And they're not empty!" she emphasized.

"That's why the exhibition is called 'Belarus. Takeoff.'" In 30 years, Belarus has gone from a country where passports are stamped with food coupons to a country that accounts for almost 100% of imported dairy products in Russia. And this, mind you, is without detriment to our stores.- noted Irina Akulovich.
The exhibition "Belarus. Takeoff" features 40 posters comparing the lives of ordinary Belarusians 30 years ago and today. "That's why there are courtyards, washing machines, and shopping centers," explained BELTA's general director. "We want people to look, remember, and compare. Yes, people lived differently back then. There were certainly families with enough money. But they were few and far between. We all understand that."

The agency's general director emphasized that "Belarus. Takeoff" is more than just an exhibition.The QR codes on the posters link to a project of the same name online, which includes many more photographs and interesting newspaper articles from the 1990s. The exhibition has toured all the cities participating in the "Unity Marathon." Today marks the 15th presentation. However, the project is unlikely to cease, noted Irina Akulovich. "Remembering and rethinking all these notes, we understand that it must continue to evolve. I think new materials will continue to appear. We must know how we lived 30 years ago and remember that each of us has a say in what the country will be like in the near future. It's no coincidence that the "Belarus. Takeoff" exhibition is traveling through the cities participating in the "Unity Marathon" as a reminder that we must stand united," the agency's general director concluded. Photo by Vitaly Pivovarchik