The motto is aimed at awakening the national civil sense, the consolidation of the Belarusian people to protect the freedom and independence of their country, language, and national culture.[1]
History
Belarusian poet Janka Kupała ended his 1905–1907 poem "This is a Cry That Belarus Lives" with this phrase.[2]
In December 1917, the First All-Belarusian Congress displayed the flag with the inscription "Long Live Free Belarus!".[3]
It is displayed on the logo of a major state-owned newspaper, Narodnaya Gazeta. However, there have been cases of arrests for publicly calling out the motto at demonstrations.[4][5][6]
^Аляксей Каўка. Жыве Беларусь! // Энцыклапедыя гісторыі Беларусі. У 6 т. Т. 3: Гімназіі — Кадэнцыя / Беларус. Энцыкл.; Рэдкал.: Г. П. Пашкоў (гал. рэд.) і інш.; Маст. Э. Э. Жакевіч. — Мн.: БелЭн, 1996. С. 377. (in Belarusian)
^"Родныя Вобразы / Вершы / Гэта крык, што жыве Беларусь / Купала Я." March 6, 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-03-06.
^"Племяннику Козулина дали 7 суток за лозунг «Жыве Беларусь!»". «Комсомольская правда». 2006-03-24. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
^Татьяна Карюхина, Антон Кашликов (2007-07-16). "Няхай «жыве», если «за»". «БелГазета», №28 (598). Retrieved 2015-07-15.
^Melnichuk, Tatsiana (13 August 2020). "Shocked by violence, Belarusians lose their fear". BBC News.
^"People are seeking change in Belarus. Instead, they're being mercilessly beaten and detained ǀ View". euronews. 13 August 2020.
^"On the National Anthem of Ukraine". Legislation of Ukraine (in Ukrainian, English, and Russian). The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Retrieved 3 March 2022.