remembrance of holodomor (ukraine)
Candles are being lit. I'm sure each of us, Ukrainians, around the world today has to light a candle and put it on the window in memory of the victims of Holodomor. This eternal fire will support our will to win, which is sure to happen. The memory of national tragedies and dark times unites us, makes us stronger and wiser. |
The Holodomor casts a permanent shadow on Ukrainian history. Ukrainians mark a Holodomor Remembrance Day every year on the fourth Saturday of November. The horror is still fresh and vivid in the mind of the survivors. Also, their descendants can never forget the inhuman treatments once experienced by their grandparents or great-grandparents. The Russian government still owes them a formal apology and acknowledgement; thus, they will continue to fight for their loved ones.
Viktor Yushchenko, the former president of Ukraine, has devoted to his campaign of raising awareness about the Holodomor. His grandfather and a third of his family are all victims of the artificial famine engineered by Joseph Stalin. Therefore, preventing another terrible, horrific crime like the Great Ukrainian Famine from happening has always been on his agenda. The candle-shaped Ukrainian Genocide Holodomor Memorial Museum in Kiev also comes from his idea. In all of his meetings with world leaders and his speeches in countries around the world, the President has taken the valuable opportunity to highlight the Holodomor and the need for world to take it seriously as a tragic chapter in Ukraine’s history. For example, during his visit to U.K., President Yushchenko has opened the exhibition of "Execution by Hunger: the unknown genocide of Ukrainians" in the House of Lords. He has addressed the following sentences during a speech in 2011,
"Preserving the sacred memory of our tragic past, the Ukrainian state is confidently moving forward, building civil society on the principles of rights and freedoms, laying a solid foundation for future generations."
Viktor Yushchenko, the former president of Ukraine, has devoted to his campaign of raising awareness about the Holodomor. His grandfather and a third of his family are all victims of the artificial famine engineered by Joseph Stalin. Therefore, preventing another terrible, horrific crime like the Great Ukrainian Famine from happening has always been on his agenda. The candle-shaped Ukrainian Genocide Holodomor Memorial Museum in Kiev also comes from his idea. In all of his meetings with world leaders and his speeches in countries around the world, the President has taken the valuable opportunity to highlight the Holodomor and the need for world to take it seriously as a tragic chapter in Ukraine’s history. For example, during his visit to U.K., President Yushchenko has opened the exhibition of "Execution by Hunger: the unknown genocide of Ukrainians" in the House of Lords. He has addressed the following sentences during a speech in 2011,
"Preserving the sacred memory of our tragic past, the Ukrainian state is confidently moving forward, building civil society on the principles of rights and freedoms, laying a solid foundation for future generations."
Many young Ukrainians believe that many of the hardships their country is going through nowadays are the aftermaths of the genocide. They will continue to press for change in their country through protests. With a strong sense of identity, nationalism, and unity shaped by their country's tragic past, they are impatient and ardent. They want to live in a normal, civilized country where everyone can live with human dignity and free of suppression.