“The fate of Ukraine is in our hands”

The Den’s Photo Exhibition, held in Lutsk April 3 through 19, was a sold out event several times over. Lesia Ukrainka Eastern European National University’s library, where the exhibition took place, was crowded. Students, intellectuals from Lutsk and all over the region, clergy, and government officials were in attendance... Every visit of Den’s team to Volyn is eagerly awaited by the locals. Lutsk is a special city for our newspaper, because it was there where the International Exhibition went on show for the first time outside Kyiv, and the first ever presentation of Ukraine Incognita book was held there as well, giving rise to a whole series of books that has changed the worldview of many people.

About an hour before the opening of the exhibition, a group of students led by a faculty member attracted our attention, even as the crowd was already numerous, for many came in advance on purpose, wishing to view the photos while the venue was not overcrowded. These students looked at photos in a particularly attentive manner, and many of them had notebooks at hand. It was a group of future children’s social workers, brought to the show by deputy dean of the university’s Pedagogical Institute Oksana Bartkiv. She has been introducing her students to Den’s Photo Exhibition for seven years. They always stay for a meeting with this newspaper’s editor-in-chief Larysa Ivshyna as well. The teacher is convinced that such events offer a powerful educational opportunity to young people just out of childhood who come to the city from villages which are remote even by the standards of Volyn, as they see and hear what will become a major aid for them, making them to see the world differently, or actually to see the wider world at all. Bartkiv always finds students understanding her, as they are very receptive to everything new. It was the students themselves who offered her to write short essays about what they saw and experienced with their hearts at Den’s Photo Exhibition this year.

These essays have turned out to include more than thoughts about what they saw in the photos, involving also musings about their places in life and Ukraine’s place in the world.

“DEN’S PHOTO EXHIBITION IS A PHOTO CHRONICLE OF LIFE”

Iryna KRYSHCHUK:

“Trials tempered the Ukrainian soul. I am confident that what we saw on the photos will add a lot of ‘building blocks’ for the improvement of this soul. It is the most truthful chronicle of the past year, as experienced by Ukraine and the Ukrainians. Looking at the faces in the photos, I understand that the country we live in has already changed compared to even a year ago. May the war live only in photos, in our minds, and may respect and appreciation for those who defended us live in our hearts. I am sincerely grateful to Larysa Ivshyna for her sensitivity and appeal for peace on Earth.”

“WE SHOULD TAKE CARE TO STAY HUMANE AND KIND PEOPLE”

Bohdana PROKOPCHUK:

“I really liked Maksym Liukov’s Human Warmth. It pictures a young Euromaidan protester with a puppy in his arms, even as fires and ruined buildings are in the background... This photo confirms that the Ukrainian nation retains its kindness, even amid war. I really liked the photo exhibition, for pictures of this high artistic level are better able to convey the atmosphere of the time and events. We see different Ukrainians in them, for some photos depict pain and suffering, while others show people in joy and love. Therefore, my conclusion is that despite all the challenges, we have stayed unbreakable believers in a better future for our country.”

“THE COUNTRY WILL BE PROUD TO HAVE SUCH CITIZENS”

Marta VAVRENIUK:

“After viewing the photo exhibition, I realized that the fate of our country is in our hands, and we should not rely on someone: the president, Europe, the world... We will get no help unless we go ahead instead of just complaining and failing to change anything. After all, we have made the first step and have no right to retreat now, if only because the best people of Ukraine have already sacrificed their lives for its future. A lot of pictures have impressed me. Episodes and people which they record are already history, but we must understand that our participation and help, even small-scale, may save someone’s life. Therefore, we have to care about events which determine the country’s future.”

“EVEN PEOPLE WHO NEVER GAVE IT A THOUGHT ARE BECOMING PATRIOTS NOW”

Olesia ZUBRYTSKA:

“Den’s Photo Exhibition presents a hundred and a half photographs. I cannot select any, for all of them are impressive. These pictures have come from our very recent past. Even if one has never been to the Maidan, each photo makes one awake to patriotism, even those who never gave it a thought. On seeing it, people want to do good and help the Ukrainian nation. We see in the photos the eyes of     people who themselves have experienced those events and seen indescribable things. Asking them to tell their stories is superfluous as their eyes will tell you everything. Recounting the terrible events experienced by Ukraine saddens me. However, they have already happened. We keep hoping that the undeclared war against Ukraine will be over, provided we keep faith and hope of victory. These feelings are what one gets from visiting the show.”