Marina BONDAS: “Maidan helped me to regain my Fatherland”

MUSIC

First of all, could you please introduce yourself for our readers?

“My name is Marina Bondas. I was born in Kyiv. I have been living in Germany for 22 years. I graduated from a German conservatoire, I’m a violinist. I work in the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, one of the oldest orchestras in Europe. Apart from that I work on projects beyond the orchestra: we perform not only classical repertoire, but also folk music, as well as klezmer and swing.”

Doesn’t a member of orchestra have an inner stress connected with the fact that in conservatoire everyone considers themselves future Paganinis – but have to be average performers in a huge ensemble, far from the leading ones?

“Such problem exists, and this is a usual thing. Yes, when we study, we perform solo repertoires and dream of becoming soloists, but we all know the reality and get prepared for the orchestra as well. But an orchestra like mine is a dream place to work, too. It is a wonderful team, we travel across the world, perform jointly with wonderful soloists and conductors. Of course, there is routine, because you come every day, they put music sheets for you, and you play the music from the sheets before you. Everything depends on your attitude.”

What is reward for an orchestra member?

“When you perform a work you like and when you perform well. And the applause is not a bad reward either. In orchestra little depends on an individual performer, you should blend into the general sound. And when you blend and hear not only yourself, but the entire orchestra, this is wonderful already, the rest are subjective things.”

Is it true that academic music is popular in the West and enjoys a high social status?

“Yes. But not always, of course; in Germany classical music is appreciated very highly, musicians often have high salaries and get governmental and private support. In Germany there are many orchestras, and many members of these orchestras are doing well, which is already an indicator. There are usually full houses in music venues. In schools, no matter whether you will become a musician or not, children are taught violin or ballet as a part of general education. It seems to be amateurism, but on the other hand, I have come to appreciate this, because since childhood people remain in live contact with classical repertoire. Therefore, incidentally, they have many amateur orchestras, like orchestras of doctors or lawyers. This is really educating the middle layers of population, not as much in terms of music, but in terms of cultural background.”

Have you had any purely Ukrainian music projects?

“Now we hold charity evenings: for example, on February 21 we held an evening of commemoration of the Heavenly Hundred in the Zionskirche Church, as well as exhibits and readings. Hopefully, there will be more. We are looking for premises and contacts, because in Germany you have to plan everything in advance, and it is really hard to find premises, and you have to pay for the hall. We hold charity events, try to raise money. That was the second time we cooperated with Zionskirche. They are very sympathetic and they even thanked us for performing in the church. Hopefully, other churches and halls will wake up, too.

“Generally, I dream, when I accumulate contacts, to invite Ukrainian artists to Germany, so that the Germans saw that not only builders come to Germany from Ukraine, but also people who are able to contribute to art. This is very important. Political activity and demonstrations are good, but the more you shout, the less you are listened to. And if you try to find contact with the help of art, you can achieve more, your sorrow will be felt more acutely.”

GERMANY

Talking about compassion, are Germans very compassionate?

“It varies. The political actions are supported by Germans, who are innumerous, but active. For example, a weekly picket with a demand to free Nadia Savchenko is organized near the Embassy of Russia. It is organized by a man from Eastern Germany who has served a term in a GDR prison and knows everything about this. So, Germans join the movement, even if there are not many of them.”

By the way, shouldn’t the people who have lived in the GDR feel this topic more acutely?

“The situation is similar to the situation of Russians here: there are people who don’t need any explanations, my orchestra colleagues are quick to understand, whereas there are former GDR residents who will never change. They perceive the same information differently.”

On the whole, has the perception of Ukraine in Germany changed over the past year?

“My circle in Germany is quite broad. Some people made their opinion back in the time of the Maidan events. At that time people whom I hardly knew warned me on the Internet ‘not to get involved with fascists.’ I had to explain that I have friends and acquaintances in Ukraine, and what fascist can Matvii Vaisberg make? But people started to woke up namely after the Crimea events. The split became sharper. People got divided into three, not two, categories. There are pro-Russian, pro-Ukrainian categories, and also those who are trying to keep neutral. Frankly, sometimes I want to beat them for this so-called objectiveness. They are very good people and wish well, but they say: ‘I understand that Putin is an evil, but…’ And people have really woken up over the past three or four months, when they understood that the Third World War is quite real. There were some farsighted journalists, experts, human right champions among the Germans who were yelling during the Crimea events that things would have a bad ending. Now the situation has changed. Although people are afraid of the Third World War, they still assert that Ukraine does not need any military support. And there are unique individuals who are totally confused: they go to actions, but at the same time talk nonsense.”

Germans are very sensitive to the topic of ultra-right forces in the legal political field. How efficient is the Russian propaganda in this sense?

“It is incredibly efficient, on the level of reflexes. When I need to explain the difference between Tiahnybok and real Nazi, it becomes rather complicated. I explain that Freedom Party is a problematic element, but still they are not the Nazis who have been at power, and they will never come to power, because they lack people’s support and have even lost at the latest parliamentary elections. But in Germany these reflexes are very deep-rooted.”

VOLUNTEERING

How have you personally become a Ukrainian activist?

“I think it found me. At first my activity was limited to Facebook. When I watched videos and photos from Kyiv, which I had visited long time ago, saw Khreshchatyk, Hrushevskoho Street, Maidan, the Ukrainian House, where I used to give concerts, the places I know to a T and with which my best childhood memories are connected, it really touched me. It was impossible to get distracted.”

What did you begin to do?

“At first everything was taking place on the Internet. A lot of information did not reach Germany because of the language barrier. The translators’ sotnias appeared on Facebook. They were monitoring the information, reading lots of articles, verifying the facts, and translating. I was involved in this: as my German is fluent, I translated texts about Maidan. For over six months I have been actively involved in this, but later I got too emotional, I was depressed by the news. I get burnt out at once, I cannot let go. I decided to act in the field that is closer to my profession.”

How did it look like?

“In December we arranged our first benefit concert. Within its framework I was playing a small cycle of melodies of the nations of Ukraine: I performed Hungarian, Romanian, Polish, Russian, and Jewish music – just to familiarize the audience with our versatility which is hardly known in Germany. This had an effect. Many people attended the concert and they made big donations. Another pleasant result: people got acquainted, exchanged contacts, so the cause exceeded the limits of a small party. Culture is efficient in this sense.”

What activities have you been involved in except for music?

“In Ukrainian community we have several coordinators connected with many people who help and organize, for example, flea markets: since May people have been bringing things every week and we sell them on Sundays to raise money for the wounded, for children, and for medications. This is a hard work, we haven’t raised too much. We had a stand at the Christmas fair. Men also organize information tables at other exhibits or concerts with thematic that is close to ours: we stand there, answer the questions, sell souvenirs, like motanka dolls, and raise funds. It looks like a big anthill from outside. A real team. Everyone knows what to do. I simply have no time to go to pickets. The same medications or linen – to buy them, calculate everything, sort, pack, and send them, or organize a charity auction. There is a lot of documentation, you must know the legislation. I lack time for these things. In December we had three to four actions at the same time. Markets, readings, and pickets. So, I found a hall and with a German – he gave an impetus to me – we created a program, I realized what help was needed, someone brought people. We know the strong sides of one another and what help everyone needs. People will always secure. You don’t need to supervise, everyone is very responsible. They are clever and well-disciplined.”

How active is the Diaspora?

“There are people who don’t care. But there are many more people who are involved in something, you don’t simply see them. Many volunteers don’t make their work public, but this should be changed to get more support. People know the least about those who do the most. Therefore I would not consider the number of people present at the actions a reliable index. And Diaspora got united very much from the very beginning. Before Maidan I didn’t know how many Ukrainians lived in Germany. We have become close like one family. And not only Ukrainians: we are joined by Russians, Georgians, and Chechens.”

What event was the largest?

“Up to 1,000 people created a live chain from Brandenburg Gates to Ukraine’s Embassy – I think we lacked people for the entire route, but still it was impressive.”

UKRAINE

And the last question. What is the reason for hope for every one of us?

“That it will be over soon. It will be over. And in spite of everything it will end well for Ukraine. I have relatives in Russia, and sometimes I even feel terrified for Russia. In Ukraine, in spite of the death notices, the society is different. See, why I was so much drawn to this? The society suddenly changed.”

How?

“When we were leaving the country in the 1990s, we, like many emigres, gave up on Ukraine. It was a stepmother, not a mother to us. I did not feel a part of it. I am a stranger in Germany, but I have been accepted here, I have been given a change I had not have before. But after Maidan, and especially in April, when I came to Ukraine for the first time after emigrating, I had a culture shock in a good sense. The reason was that I felt in Kyiv at home. I had not expected this to happen. Maidan helped to regain Fatherland. I felt my roots, I felt that this was my Fatherland, and not because I love it, but because Fatherland received me like I am a part of it, the society accepts me like I am a part of it. This is a very important factor which will help the country to go through all this: people have united, outstanding qualities have come to the surface. This is fantastic, and this is the reason to hope.”