Belarus election

This town is typical Belarusian autumn scene. This 85 year old woman is collecting what remains of the potato harvest in the small plot of land behind her wooden hut. This is a small village outside of Minsk. She’s being helped by her children and grandchildren. Most of the people in this village work in some form or another at the nearby state run farm. She thought the only change she could think of over the last 25 years is now she has gas and electricity in her home. On the surface, the country appears as if it’s stuck in a time warp, and the capitol which was almost completely destroyed during World War II, is a sea of grey soviet blocks were people mind what they say to foreign journalists. This man told me things in his country are slowly changing. He’s a plastic surgeon and he thinks his business shows that Belarusian society is changing, and that people can discuss the issues now, a positive development. Even on a Monday night in Minsk, you can go out and have a drink and listen to live music. I’ve come here to meet some local musicians who think discussing politics, even here, is still a tough thing to do. They think change will come though. Political change still comes slowly here.