The cafe managed by Belarusian expatriate Sasha Avdevich, with its modern interior and freshly ground coffee, might initially appear as just another fashionable spot in Warsaw. However, the lowered, wheelchair-accessible counter and a sticker indicating the presence of a barista with a hearing impairment in Polish, English, and Belarusian languages suggest that this establishment is anything but ordinary.
Avdevich, who uses a wheelchair himself, established the first "Inclusive Barista" coffee shop in Belarus and rapidly gained recognition as an advocate for disability rights in the country ruled by the authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko. The 40-year-old activist participated in the massive protests that erupted in Belarus following a 2020 election widely condemned as rigged. As Lukashenko violently suppressed dissent, Avdevich realized he needed to escape.
"Many people called me at the time and said, 'Sasha, if you don't want to end up in a coffin, leave the country,'" he recounted to AFP. His escape journey during the Covid pandemic led him first to Georgia, then to the Canary Islands, and finally to France where he sought international protection. Eventually, he relocated to Poland, which is now home to tens of thousands of Belarusians who, like Avdevich, escaped the oppressive regime.
Upon settling in Warsaw, Avdevich initiated barista training for individuals in wheelchairs, organized festivals where trainees served coffee from specially adapted carts, and started planning his first cafe in Poland. Upon finding a commercial space suitable for people with disabilities, near his apartment in the increasingly popular Praga district, Avdevich and his business partner decided to proceed with the venture.
"We had funds for three months of rent, and we thought: 'Let's do it, whatever the outcome,'" he explained. The cafe, which opened in April, employs people with various disabilities and migrants, not just from Belarus. The founders aim for their cafe to be as "international" and inclusive as possible.
Recently, they organized a rap battle and plan to host a speed dating event soon. The cafe is also starting an inclusive DJing school. Avdevich lost the use of his legs following a motorcycle accident in 2011 that damaged his spine. "There's no surgery for this kind of disability... it's impossible to walk again, even if I were Bill Gates," Avdevich joked. Shortly after the accident, he told himself, "OK, I'm alive. What can I do? I have working arms." And now, he's here, in his coffee shop, striving to make the world a better place.
