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How to be fearless in the face of authoritarianism | Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more. How do you stand up to authoritarianism? And what does it mean to be “fearless”? In this powerful talk, housewife-turned-politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya describes her unlikely bid to defeat Belarus’s long-time autocratic leader in the nation’s 2020 presidential election. Painting…

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Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more.

How do you stand up to authoritarianism? And what does it mean to be “fearless”? In this powerful talk, housewife-turned-politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya describes her unlikely bid to defeat Belarus’s long-time autocratic leader in the nation’s 2020 presidential election. Painting a vivid picture of how small acts of defiance flourished into massive, peaceful demonstrations, she shares a beautiful meditation on the link between fearlessness and freedom, reminding us that we all have what it takes to stand up to injustice — we just need to do it together.

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52 Comments

  1. bazilek

    November 26, 2020 at 7:41 am

    Could’ve I imagined that I voted for such a brave woman. Could’ve I imagined that Belarusian women make all of us fearless. Could’ve I imagined that I was standing in a solidarity chain, detained and beaten. Could’ve I believed in freedom and justice in Belarus? Now I’m sure.
    Long live Belarus

  2. Eva Dmitrieva

    November 26, 2020 at 9:46 am

    She is my president. I was never proud of my previous president, only ashamed. And now I am proud. I am crying of how brave and strong this woman is. Thank you Mr. Sviatlana, your are INCREDIBLE.

  3. BorisForOffice

    November 26, 2020 at 10:35 am

    Great talk for when Biden gets into power and then Kamala and then some AOC-type socialist with her “lists of Trump supporters”. I hope the American people will rise up and fight for freedom like the founders did and like the people in Belarus are now doing.

  4. Дмитрий Брунько

    November 26, 2020 at 10:41 am

    Пусть весь мир узнает! Спасибо, Светлана!

  5. Aurora Australis

    November 26, 2020 at 10:48 am

    💞

  6. Maria

    November 26, 2020 at 11:42 am

    Long live Belarus! Love to see the president I chose at the TED stage

  7. DiDi Fabregas

    November 26, 2020 at 3:21 pm

    Only one legitimate president of Belarus! Жыве Беларусь!

  8. Palina Daroshchanka

    November 26, 2020 at 4:39 pm

    Long live Belarus!

  9. Василиса

    November 26, 2020 at 4:53 pm

    Очень горжусь этой женщиной❤️🙏🏻

  10. Karolina Myers

    November 26, 2020 at 5:54 pm

    Светлана Вы невероятная, очень рада видеть Вас на TED❤

  11. Михаил Владимирович

    November 26, 2020 at 7:39 pm

    Расскажите лучше, как транснациональный капитал выжимает все “соки” из африки, там не 6, там миллионы гибнут.

  12. Sasha 2212

    November 26, 2020 at 8:36 pm

    Thank you and your husband. See ya in updated Belarus.

  13. РОМАНОВСКИЙ

    November 26, 2020 at 8:55 pm

    Жыве Беларусь

  14. Guilherme Haack

    November 26, 2020 at 8:56 pm

    <3

  15. seancloser

    November 27, 2020 at 2:30 am

    My heart goes out to u. Like you guys, HK ppl are under the threat of authoritarianism. We stand in solidarity with u.

  16. Bandera UK

    November 27, 2020 at 8:31 am

    Soros/CIA puppet

  17. Bandera UK

    November 27, 2020 at 8:39 am

    SAD SAD SAD. Do your job right, I get it, your masters financed your little coup.
    BUT DO YOUR JOB. cause everything you do, cause everything is from MY TAX MONEY.
    this is SAD, your globalist masters choose a weak leader, I imagine how nervous they are cause you failed and they won’t get a big piece of the pie from the belarusian state owned economy.. hehe

  18. Bandera UK

    November 27, 2020 at 8:45 am

    How will this puppet-woman PAY EM BACK? The FINANCERS of the COUP D’ETAT must be MAD cause the economy of the BELARUS won’t be PRIVATIZATED and the BIG CORPORATIONS won’t get a PIECE OF THE PIE

  19. AkiNo Ogi

    November 27, 2020 at 11:08 am

    i’m crying. This is the President that our Belarus deserve (even for a short time before re-election). We hope that all of our people will come together to bring our President back to us! Жыве Беларусь!

  20. Justin Kincaid

    November 27, 2020 at 1:00 pm

    You say NO. It’s that easy.

  21. Lucia Montorsi

    November 27, 2020 at 2:45 pm

    Amazing woman!

  22. Abhishek Gaekwad

    November 27, 2020 at 4:11 pm

    just age old verbal diahrea, assuming she knows better than the people who live under real tyranny do rather than the make believe tyranny she is talking about, the biggest evidence of is that she is still alive while khashogi was cut into pieces

  23. Mayya Korsik

    November 28, 2020 at 3:08 am

    This is very touching and inspiring. Thank you Sviatlana!

  24. Mukhammadyunus Mukhtarov

    November 28, 2020 at 10:17 am

    Alexander Lukashenko must be president of Belarus 5 or 10 years more 😆😆😆

  25. Mukhammadyunus Mukhtarov

    November 28, 2020 at 10:20 am

    Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya won’t be able to be President of Belarus

  26. Astana Almaty

    November 29, 2020 at 11:37 am

    👎👎👎👎👎👎

  27. Osik Ooo

    November 29, 2020 at 2:31 pm

    Long live BELARUS !!!!

  28. Youtube Freak

    November 29, 2020 at 7:24 pm

    How ironic: A CIA coup puppet talking about standing up against tyranny in this time of Covid hoax reset.

  29. mickey 0001

    December 1, 2020 at 7:31 am

    She’s our president, proud of her !

  30. k. wolf

    December 1, 2020 at 12:50 pm

    strange your president was the only one to reject covid lockdowns and instead of saying thanks for having still your liberties you think he is a dictator

  31. BD Education

    December 1, 2020 at 1:24 pm

    Thanks

  32. DimaShirshkov1

    December 1, 2020 at 4:31 pm

    Ничего удивительного в том, что Светлана появилась на TED. Привет братьям-беларусам из России/Nothing surprising in seeing Svitlana’s appearance on TED. Greetings from Russia to our brothers in Belarus

  33. Сергей Сухоруков

    December 3, 2020 at 10:40 am

    В дни оккупации Белоруссии было классно говорить по немецкий! Таких называли ПРЕДАТЕЛЯМИ. Сегодня она обращается к белоруссам? Сейчас она говорит на английском но под теми же флажками- оочень показательно. Ты не будешь сдаваться пока тебя кормят и танцуют иностранные посольства и разведки! Свою речь тебе надо было закончить словами алкаша и предателя русского народа-храни бог Америку. А то что люди живут не богато и не оочень хорошо-это и без тебя знают все. А вот вопрос-что ты сделала для того чтобы они жили лучше???? Санкции против своей страны-ВСЕ ЧТО ТАКИЕ КАК ты И МОЖЕТЕ!!!!кухарки

  34. Olga 7КО

    December 3, 2020 at 8:16 pm

    Bravo, Svetlana!!! Thank you very much for your courage! ЖЫВЕ БЕЛАРУСЬ!

  35. KY eun

    December 4, 2020 at 1:05 am

    I was so moved by her speech.. and really hope your fight will end with a victory!

  36. 나 너 싫어

    December 4, 2020 at 1:05 am

    I was so moved by her speech.. and really hope your fight will end with a victory!

  37. 그림러 로나 Lona TV

    December 4, 2020 at 1:05 am

    I was so moved by her speech.. and really hope your fight will end with a victory!

  38. Культурный Дотер

    December 6, 2020 at 7:04 am

    I’m amazed how our new president has done more for the country in half year than the old one in 26 years
    Finally, the day has come when I can say that I chose my president, I’m proud of my president, and I want to shake her hand and say thank you for everything

  39. Stroofin

    December 6, 2020 at 8:55 am

    I’m very excited , three girls led by Svetlana were able to defeat Lukashenko’s authoritarian regime, Belarusians, you will succeed. FreeBelarus!

  40. Андрей Андрей

    December 6, 2020 at 7:02 pm

    🔥🔥🔥

  41. Frank Delahue

    December 8, 2020 at 10:25 am

    Fearless? Like a woman who spilled nerve toxin on Kim Jong Un brothers face?

  42. Marina

    December 10, 2020 at 8:02 pm

    I’m so happy to see Sviatlana here on TED!

  43. Heserel Oggee

    December 10, 2020 at 9:27 pm

    I can’t recollect any other president on TED. So cooooll

  44. Heserel Oggee

    December 10, 2020 at 9:29 pm

    TED has been honoured😍

  45. Edgar Arenas

    December 13, 2020 at 7:15 am

    Thank god in America 🇺🇸 , we have real Democracy! The President can’t just declare himself winner of an elec……..ooooooh…never mind.

  46. Ульяна Астровская

    December 13, 2020 at 8:24 pm

    Great! ♥️♥️♥️

  47. Survivor Belarus

    December 23, 2020 at 12:28 am

    *I hope this shame will not be forgotten! Tihanovskaya is not about saving Belarusians from a bloody dictator! All blind ??*

  48. Skyler Thompson

    December 26, 2020 at 7:09 am

    coughs google coughs biden coughs my guts out. Thanks God.. its a freedom or death thing if yall didn’t get it

  49. Оксана Комиза

    December 26, 2020 at 11:30 am

    Svetlana is amazing! Long live Belarus!

  50. KK

    December 29, 2020 at 7:56 pm

    Do not be afraid! It is the only tool they have to control us. Without this they have nothing.

  51. desaster unfolded

    December 31, 2020 at 9:16 pm

    u better god damn listen to what this lady is saying, because authoritarianism is on the rise all around the world, and if we don’t act, we have simply failed as a generation.

  52. CS Lee

    January 2, 2021 at 1:09 pm

    Hats off to you, President! You’re a true iron lady!

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