A Journey of Remembrance and Triumph

An International Project to Commemorate 80^th Anniversary of the Holodomor

… We all knew. In 1932 there was a very good harvest. They couldn’t even ship all the [grain] out.

At the railroad stations, there were piles of grain that they hadn’t been able to ship out yet.

And during the winter of 32-33, this grain lay under the rain and snow, and if someone, hungry, tried to go there and take a handful of grain, they were shot on the spot.

Maria Lysenko,

Holodomor Survivor

The international community has been enriched over recent years with the courage of individuals who have revisited their painful memories and opened their hearts to the world by sharing their personal experience of the Holodomor, Ukrainian Famine-Genocide of 1932-33. Despite the permanent scar this has left on their life and on the lives of their family members, they have shared their stories. They have understood the need for the world to hear the truth and the impact this truth will have on the future of a nation. For their strength and determination, as a community we are eternally grateful.

In 2013, to mark the 80^th anniversary of the Holodomor, the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) is calling upon descendants of survivors and victims to participate in a very unique Journey of Remembrance and Triumph. Remembrance – of the millions of lives lost. Triumph – of those who survived and of the Ukrainian nation’s spirit, which has flourished. 

On this journey, descendants will travel to Ukraine, the centre of the 80^th anniversary commemorations. They will visit Ukrainian oblasts to share the stories of their family members with the people of Ukraine and document the stories of the Ukrainians they meet to share with the diaspora. Along the journey, stalks of wheat will be collected, creating sheaves that will become the focal point of international commemorations around the world.

More information on this journey is available on the UWC web site: www.ukrainianworldcongress.org/Projects_en_584cms.htm