BELARUS STATE
ECONOMIC UNIVERSITY

30.04.2026

Telecommunications Project with CIS Countries “Through Culture to Mutual Understanding”: Art as a Memory of War

On April 29, the Faculty of International Business Communications of the Belarus State Economic University hosted an international event — a telecommunications project with CIS countries titled “Through Culture to Mutual Understanding,” dedicated to the theme “Art as a Memory of War.”

In a videoconference format, students and faculty from Kazakhstan, Russia, and Belarus joined the dialogue: teams from the Faculty of International Business Communications of BSEU, the Philological Faculty of Aktobe Regional University named after K. Zhubanov (Kazakhstan), the Department of English Language and Professional Communication of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, the Russian State Social University (RSSU), as well as students from the “Design” program at ARU named after K. Zhubanov.

The project aimed to reveal the multifaceted contribution of women from CIS countries to the Victory in the Great Patriotic War through the prism of art, documentary evidence, and real historical destinies. Special attention was paid to preserving historical memory, fostering intercultural dialogue, and developing academic communication skills among the young generation of researchers.

Participants presented comprehensive research works united by a common theme but reflecting national specifics and unique archival materials:

• The BSEU team revealed the image of Belarusian women in the war: from partisan artist Sofia Li, who created art directly during wartime, to the feats of female underground resistance fighters (Elena Mazanik, Maria Osipova, Nadezhda Troyan), pilots of the legendary “Night Witches” regiment, and nurses who saved lives under fire.
• Students from ARU named after K. Zhubanov (Kazakhstan) presented an analysis of the painting “Collective Farm Threshing Floor” (1944) by Abyllkhan Kasteyev, People’s Artist of the Kazakh SSR, showcasing the scale of the labor feat of Kazakh women on the home front. Through a detailed visual study, participants demonstrated how art captures the “invisible front” — the daily toil of mothers, wives, and daughters who replaced men who had gone to war.
• The team from the Financial University (Russia) prepared emotionally rich material about women — contemporaries of the Victory — whose names did not make the headlines but without whom victory would have been impossible: schoolgirls who shouldered the heavy burden of home-front labor, nurses, and factory workers. Special attention was paid to memorial culture and monuments dedicated to women of war.
• Participants from RSSU (Russia) presented a literary analysis of wartime poetry, examining the work of four female poets: Elena Vehtomova and Vera Inber (besieged Leningrad), Charlotte Delbo (Auschwitz), and Zuzanna Ginczanka (Warsaw). Through linguistic-stylistic analysis of the poems, participants showed how the female voice in poetry conveys the existential experience of war — not as heroic epic, but as personal tragedy and a struggle for survival.
• Students from the “Design” program at ARU named after K. Zhubanov revealed the role of visual culture in preserving memory: from mid-20th century poster design to modern memorial complexes. Special emphasis was placed on how the female image in art becomes a symbol of resilience, self-sacrifice, and the preservation of life.

During the discussion, participants addressed:

• The role of art as a universal language of memory, overcoming linguistic and cultural barriers;
• The specifics of national representation of female heroism across different CIS cultures;
• Possibilities for integrating historical and cultural research into educational programs in philology, translation studies, and international communications;
• Prospects for developing telecommunications-based cooperation formats between universities across the Eurasian space.

The project “Through Culture to Mutual Understanding” confirmed the high effectiveness of inter-university collaboration in the format of telecommunications platforms. Participants not only exchanged research experience but also laid the groundwork for further collaboration, including the preparation of joint publications, the development of interdisciplinary educational modules, and the organization of new international student projects.

The organizers express their gratitude to all participants for their meaningful dialogue, professional openness, and commitment to preserving historical memory through culture and science.

The next meeting within the project is planned for 2027. New university teams from CIS countries are invited to participate!