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Sudbury Ukrainian Community, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
December 1, 1999
In response to the proclamation of an International Day of Remembrance of
Famine Victims by the current government of Ukraine and in recognition of
66th anniversary of this Forced Famine of 1932-1933, Sudbury's Ukrainian
community has unveiled a new educational project aimed at assisting those
studying xenophobia and genocide to understand the "Holodomor" (Forced
Famine) being commemorated.
On the eve of the remembrance day, Friday November 26th, the Sudbury
Regional Council of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress donated to the Sudbury
Public and to the Laurentian University Libraries video copies of a Canadian
award-winning, authoritative film entitled "Harvest of Despair". In April
1985, this film won First Prize and a gold medal at the Houston
International Film Festival. It skillfully explores the reasons why this
designed man-made famine remains so little known and exposes the campaigns
of concealment.
Commenting on this educational effort the president of the UCC's Ontario
Provincial Council, Mr. V. Walter Halchuk, noted:
- "As we prepare for the new millenium, few Canadians are aware of the fact
that Ukraine lost more of its population than any other country this
century. Millions perished in Soviet and Nazi death mills. Stalin's
executions by starvation in 1932-33 contributed in large part to this
carnage. Hunger was and remains just as lethal as a bullet.
We are particularly fortunate to have these facts depicted in English, in
video form, making them accessible to a broader viewership. In 1932-33,
roughly one quarter of the population of an entire nation was killed by
deliberate starvation. This film provides testimony of a lost generation
that has been silenced for too long. It provides an eloquent legacy for the
future, making sure that the generations of the 21st century recognize the
evil that brought about this great European tragedy. We hope that teachers
as well as students will make use of this valuable tool to help students
come to grips with one of the greatest episodes of genocide in the 20th
century.
The UCC Ontario Provincial Council supports an inclusive Museum, where
genocides like the Soviet Ukrainian Famine, an instrument of Soviet State
policy that liquidated more than 7 million Ukrainian landowners in 1932-33
will be remembered and learned from."
For More Information Please Contact:
Mr. V. Walter Halchuk, President, Ontario Provincial Council, UCC: (705)
675-1166, uccont@isys.ca
Mrs. N. Slipenky, Vice Chair, Sudbury Regional Council, UCC: (705) 566-4275
Mr. D. Harasymchuk, Ukrainian National Federation, Sudbury Branch President,
(705) 673-0890
Ukrainian Canadian Congress SUDBURY Council
P.O. Box 1464, Sudbury, Ontario Canada, P3C 5K4, Fax: (705) 675-8440 E-mail:
uccsud@isys.ca
For Additional Information, Please Contact:
V. Walter Halchuk
Ukrainian Canadian Congress, SUDBURY Council
http://www.prweb.com/releases/1999/12/prweb10595.php
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