Ribwort

In the embrace of poetry, Hanna Komar found solace, her art a lifeline. Ribwort offered a space to face pain, a heal like ribwort leaves on wounds. As she heals, she also becomes a medicinal leaf for others.

In 2021, Hanna's book was rejected by a publisher in her native Belarus, who feared that her protest poems would lead to further repression. Independent publishers suffered, books were labelled 'extremist', writers were persecuted and people imprisoned. The nation stood up against rigged elections and the violence that followed. It gave birth to an awakening, but it also struggled with learned helplessness and disillusionement.

As well as protest poems, Komar's book explores her relationship with her parents, with herself, with her lovers, with her homeland and with civil resistance. Each section has the healing touch of a ribwort. These pages bear witness to a journey of healing, hope and resilience amidst the storms that ravaged a nation's soul.