Andrei Zavalei

Theatre producer, cultural manager, artist, LGBTQ+ activist – Berlin, Germany
Participant International Forum 2023

Andrei Zavalei combines intersectional feminist approaches in his artistic and activist work. For the last nine years, he has been involved in community building, increasing visibility and empowerment projects for the LGBTQI+ community in Belarus. After the 2020 protests and the escalation of political repressions, he continues his work outside the country.
An essential direction of his work is the synthesis of theatre and other forms of arts with the human rights struggle. He is seeking for means of expression and communication to address the deepest emotions, fears and traumas in order to transform them into resources, vitality, strength and hope.
He is author of the Pidor Manifesto on the topic of heteronormative patriarchal oppression in the post-Soviet totalitarian context, following the strategy of reclaiming hate speech. The latest show of HUNCHtheatre “P for Pischevsky”, directed by Vladimir Shcherban and produced by Zavalei, is based on the homophobic hate crime in Minsk and court hearings following Pischevsky’s death. It premiered at HAU Hebbel am Ufer in Berlin in 2022.