Ilja Aviarjanaŭ - Taiwanese Oolong and Eastern Slavic rap music

# 67 – in conversation with Belarusian cultural entrepreneur and XianCha Tea founder, Ilja Aviarjanaŭ.

A cozy living room chat with Ilja Aviarjanaŭ, the creator of XianCha Tea — a tea shop dedicated to promoting Taiwanese tea culture across Germany and Europe. This episode explores the surprising connection between Oolong and rap music in Eastern Slavic countries.

The podcast begins with a calming tea ritual led by Ilja, setting the tone for a deep and reflective dive into his passion for tea and the beginnings of his healing journey through tea drinking and supportive community. Along the way, we talk about tea clubs — perhaps the successors to Soviet kvartirniki — as spaces for tea events and rituals, and for some a safe environment to process collective trauma and find connection, especially in these precarious and uncertain times.

References:

XianCha Tea shop: https://www.xianchatea.com/

XianCha Tea spirits: https://www.xianchatea.com/tea-spirits 

Paris Tea Festival https://www.paristeafestival.com/en

Tea Festival in Cieszyn, Poland https://swietoherbaty.pl/pl/

Song ChP by Basta and Guf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRm54SJxcao (Rappers from Russia. In 2017, Basta was banned for three years from entering Ukraine as he had performed in Crimea after the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea. In January 2023, Ukraine imposed sanctions for his support of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.) 

Kvartirniki: https://www.in-formality.com/wiki/index.php?title=Kvartirniki_(Russia)

RAZAM e.V. https://razam.de/

Music played on the podcast:

Song by Den Da Funk https://open.spotify.com/track/7mA4wUjVaJYzPZdHP0NA4W?si=435becdd37b140d1 (Rapper from Ukraine)

Song by HKHKT https://open.spotify.com/track/6pldRNsy7qxvfsqfaPOfkj?si=d1f07c255c65422d (Rapper from Belarus)

Ilja's favourite home food: Syrniki and Belarusian potato babka

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Recording & editing: Patrycja Rozwora

Mix & master: Jonas Kröper