The meeting was arranged by “Vilnius Media Seminar”. VMS is a Belarusian-Lithuanian initiative launched in 2006. It aims at creating an independent platform for research and popularization of media activism in both countries, primarily among students.

The 4 December session focused on tactical media. Short movies that appeared on the web during the recent election campaigns in Belarus and Lithuania were taken as an example.

A media activist from Minsk, Aliaksei Kryvalap, noted that Belarusian media activism is extremely politicized. Yet, it is more popular with individual activists rather than political parties. In his opinion, the political nature of this phenomenon is mainly caused by the lack of alternatives to the official propaganda rather than to the politicians’ efforts.

Examples of media activism in a democratic country were given by an activist from Vilnius, Tomas Tomilinas. Lithuanian politicians view the Internet as a serious resource to work with voters, he said. During the recent campaign, when television political advertisement was prohibited in Lithuania, some parties focused a lot on self-promotion on the web. It helped them win the support of youth and business circles – and a victory.

“In Lithuania they do not have problems with freedom of speech, as we do in Belarus, – Aliaksei Kryvalap said. – So why taking effort to get your point across on the web? When everything is fine, you want fun, not fight. In our country, freedom of speech is very limited, both politically and technically. You can find alternative information on the web, but you need some skills for it. This is why it is still inaccessible for masses. It is important that as many people in Belarus as possible understand that anybody can produce his or her own media product. You can do it even with a tiny video camera in your cell phone. It is a way to become more independent and free. The only serious danger media activists face in Belarus is an ambition to become well-known. It is not welcomed in a totalitarian society. Just like our predecessors — partisans — who disseminated leaflets on the enemy’s territory we usually do not put our names on our works.”

The next meeting of media activists is scheduled for spring 2009. They invite everybody who is interested to join their “virtual battle-front”.