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E. Morgan Williams, Senior Advisor
U.S.-Ukraine Foundation (USUF)
Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, November 22, 2003
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KYIV, Ukraine....Thousands of candles in small red, green, blue and
white lanterns lit up the entire great square in front of St. Michael's
Cathedral in the center of Kyiv on Saturday evening to honor the memory
of the millions of Ukrainians who were murdered in the genocidal famine,
of 1932-1933 called holodomor meaning death by terror, starvation,
and famine.
The candles were placed in St. Michael's Square starting at the
small Holodomor Monument located next to the wall of the Cathedral
and then spreading out all across the square. The candles were placed
in the square by individual citizens, most of whom came to honor
relatives who lost their lives in the genocidal famine, holodomor, created
by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and his communist government.
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St. Michael's Cathedral Plaza. Saturday Evening, November 22, 2003, 70th Anniversary Holodomor Commemoration in Kyiv
Photo by ArtUkraine.com Information Service (ARTUIS)
(Click on images to enlarge them)
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As darkness settled upon Kyiv and with Ukrainian sacred music playing
in the background the square suddenly became a very special place where
people could come and reflect, pay tribute and shed tears in remembrance
of their many loved ones that were lost in one of the most tragic events in
human history.
The sight at St. Michael's Square was most amazing and spectacular to
witness but the mood was somber, reflective, quite and very emotional for
the thousands of Ukrainians who came and placed a candle on the Square
Saturday evening.
Former Prime Minister Victor Yushchenko, his wife Katya and two
children, and many of their friends were seen placing candles on the Square
in memory of family members lost in the famine.
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The placing of thousands of candles on St. Michael's Square in memory
of the holodomor victims was an historic first but it was reported that
this will become an annual event that will be expanded until 25,000 candles
light the entire distance from St. Michael's Cathedral to St. Sophia
Cathedral. At the height of the famine in the spring of 1933 historians
believe 25,000 thousand Ukrainians died every day.
Earlier in the day, member of parliament and leader of the Nasha Ukraina
(Our Ukraine) party, Viktor Yushchenko and his wife led a procession
of 2,000 Ukrainians from St. Sophia Cathedral to St. Michael's Cathedral
Square where a special commemorative service was held with Ukraine's
religious and governmental leaders. People came from all 25 of Ukraine's
regions to participate in the holodomor procession.
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Viktor Yushchenko in St. Sophia Square just before the Holodomor Commemoration march by 2,000 people began from St. Sophia Square to St. Michael's square, Saturday 10:00 a.m. November 22, 2003
Photo by ArtUkraine.com Information Service (ARTUIS)
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At the morning commemorative service Yushchenko spoke about his
grandfather and the others who lived in the village where he grew up
that died in the genocidal famine of 1932-1933. Political leader Yushchenko
said it is very important not to lose the memory of the many terrible
mistakes of the past that cost the lives of so many Ukrainians and caused
such destruction to the Ukrainian culture and nation.
Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine Andrew Robinson spoke on behalf
of the tens of thousands of Canadian citizens who have Ukrainian heritage
about the millions who died in the holodomor tragedy and the tragic
effect the holodomor had upon the Ukrainian nation.
Ukraine's religious leaders spoke of the evil of the holodomor and the
destruction of so many lives during the tragic time. Thousands of
religious leaders were murdered during the 1930's and 7,000 churches
across Soviet Ukraine were completely destroyed during this time.
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On Friday evening Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine Andrew Robinson,
U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst, Ukrainian political leader Viktor
Yushchenko, his wife Katya and two children also with several hundred
other guests from Ukraine's political, religious and cultural community
attended the opening of the "Ukrainian Genocidal Famine (Holodomor)
1932-1933 70th Anniversary Commemoration Art Exhibition "To the
Dead, and the Living and the Unborn," at the Ukrainian House (former
Lenin museum) located on Kyiv's main street Khreschatyk.
The Holodomor Art Exhibition features over 100 works of art related
to the political famines in Ukraine in 1921-1923 and in 1932-1933 which
were created by various artists from 1921 through 2003. This was
the largest exhibition of it kind ever held featuring such a wide range
of historical holodomor art pieces. The exhibition will be open every
day through Saturday, November 29th.
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Holodomor Commemoration Procession from St. Sophia Square to St. Michael's Square....Nov. 22, 10:00 a.m. In the photograph in the front left to right are: Ivan Vasiunyk, Katya Yushchenko, Viktor Yushchenko, Ivan Plyushch, Victor Pinzenyk, Yuriy Kostenko, Borys Tarasyuk
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A complete color catalog of the exhibition will be published in 2004 and
special traveling holodomor exhibitions will be created for distribution
in Ukraine and around the world. The holodomor art exhibition work is
sponsored by The Public Committee for Commemoration of Victims of
Holodomor in Kyiv, Ukraine.
The members of the committee are: Anatol Lysyj, Coordinating Committee
to AID Ukraine; Minnesota Chapter; Luba Stasiv, Association of Famines
Researchers in Ukraine; Marta Kolomayets, Chief of Party, Partnership
for a Transparent Society; Morgan Williams, Vlad Lavrov and Yuriy
Stankevych, www.ArtUkraine.com Information Service (ARTUIS);
Markian Bilynskyj, Ludmyla Dudnyk, Morgan Williams, U.S.-Ukraine Foundation
(USUF); Natalia Dziubenko Mace, Journalist; Oleksiy Kopytko,
International Foundation Ukraine 3000; Olga Von Stallenberg, Institute
of Ukrainian Studies; Professor James Mace, Kyiv-Mohyla Academy
National University; Victoria Hubska, Manager, Ukrainian Congress
Committee of America (UCCA) office in Kyiv, Ukraine; Volodymyr
Rak, Ukrainian Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Honchar Museum".
The co-organizers of the exhibition are the: All-Ukrainian Association
of Political Prisoners and the Repressed: Association of Famines
Researchers in Ukraine; Bahriany Foundation; Coordinating Committee
to Aid Ukraine, Minnesota Chapter; International Foundation Ukraine
3000; Kyiv City Organization of the All Ukrainian Memorial Society
after V. Stus; Palace of Arts Ukrainian House; Taras Shevchenko
Ukrainian Society "Prosvita"; Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation (UAC);
Ukrainian Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Honchar Museum"; Ukrainian
Congress Committee of America (UCCA); U.S.-Ukraine Foundation
(USUF) and www.ArtUkraine.com Information Service (ARTUIS).
Photo by ArtUkraine.com Information Service (ARTUIS)
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Holodomor Commemoration Service Begins in Kyiv at the Holodomor Monument
Photo by ArtUkraine.com Information Service (ARTUIS)
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