Holodomor awareness
November 28 is Holodomor Remembrance Day in Canada, and Prime Minister Trudeau issued a statement in which he called the Holodomor “one of the darkest chapters of human history.” He pointed out that the Holodomor “tried to break the Ukrainian people, but they endured, persevered and ultimately won their independence. Their descendants continue to make immeasurable contributions in countries around the world – including right here in Canada. …On this somber anniversary, we pause to remember the victims, families and communities who suffered as a result of the Holodomor, and we strengthen our resolve to continue promoting and upholding basic freedoms, rights and dignity to help ensure that atrocities like this never happen again.”
The prime minister also took the occasion to underline that “Canada stands firmly against Russia’s ongoing military aggression in Ukraine. We believe that, along with the international community, Canada can play an important part in bringing this conflict to an end. As a country, we also remain committed to helping rebuild the democratic, economic and security institutions that will help Ukraine flourish once more.”
In order to spread awareness in Canada of the Holodomor, the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) came out with an innovative project: the Holodomor Mobile Classroom (HMC). A 40-foot RV was customized with the installation of audio-visual multi-media capabilities such as 12 commercial televisions; it provides a 21st century learning experience about the Holodomor. This federally funded initiative is intended to educate Canadians about the Famine-Genocide engineered by Joseph Stalin in Ukraine in 1932-1933. Bohdan Onyschuk, past chair of CUF, the lead organization on the project, arranged for the purchase of the vehicle, while its outfitting was funded by the Canadian government through its Multiculturalism Inter Action program. The award of the funding was announced by Minister for Multiculturalism Jason Kenney who said, “It is by remembering the tragedies and atrocities of the past that we can equip ourselves to prevent them from happening again. That is why this national tour, which will reach Canadians of all ages and backgrounds, is an important initiative.”
The project also received support from the provincial ministries of Manitoba and Ontario. The CUF is working in partnership with the UCC, the UCRDC and the Holodomor Research and Educational Consortium (HREC). Valentina Kuryliw is overseeing the development of the high school teaching content. In its first year, the HMC said it would focus on visits to schools in Ontario, as well as festivals and community events. In subsequent years, the HMC will tour the country.
The Holodomor Mobile Classroom was the focus of a commemoration at the Ontario Legislative Assembly on November 24. The customized RV with the words “Holodomor – The Ukrainian Genocide” emblazoned across it – was a striking sight. Ontario Minister of Education Liz Sandals and MPP Yvan Baker cut the ribbon to launch the mobile classroom.
Holodomor National Awareness Tour
The Holodomor Mobile Classroom was launched at the Ontario Legislative Assembly at Queen’s Park.
As noted by Minister Sandals, “The province of Ontario committed $750,000 to raise awareness of the Holodomor in public schools, who will benefit from the state-of-the-art audio visual experience featuring a 28-foot video wall. A facilitator will lead an interactive lesson that develops critical thinking skills, lessons that underscore the importance of human rights and the rule of law as well as the concept of genocide.”
Ms. Kuryliw, director of Education for the Holodomor Research and Education Consortium, conducted six workshops in southern Ontario on the topic of the Holodomor. “April has become a time for recognition and remembrance of those who have fallen victim to and survived genocides, and it is important that we ensure the place of the Holodomor in these commemorations,” Ms. Kuryliw explained. On April 24, the Canadian House of Commons passed a motion designating April as Genocide Remembrance, Condemnation and Prevention Month, recognizing and commemorating the victims and survivors of the Holodomor, the Holocaust, the Rwandan Genocide and the Armenian Genocide.
Ms. Kuryliw conducted a workshop for history and social studies teachers titled “The Genocidal Famine in Ukraine, 1932-1933, its historical significance in the past and present” at the Professional Development Day of the Toronto District School Board. She also held workshops for history teachers and curriculum leaders of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board on April 21 and for teachers and administrators at the “Equity and Inclusivity Conference” which included sample lesson plans, information on new resources, new published materials and DVDs, and a pamphlet on the Holodomor Memorial Day that is held annually on the fourth Saturday in November.
The teachers were particularly pleased to receive handouts detailing the curriculum applications of the Holodomor materials. Students were especially interested in making connections between events in the 1930s and what is happening in Ukraine today, Ms. Kuryliw noted. HREC said it plans to publish “Holodomor in Ukraine, the Genocidal Famine of 1932-1933,” a workbook for students and educators.
The Ukrainian Canadian Research and Documentation Center embarked on a new oral history project, funded by the Temerty Family Foundation – interviews with children of the survivors of the Ukrainian Holodomor. The project coordinator – archivist Iroida Wynnyckyj, stated that “The UCRDC has the experience and infrastructure needed to undertake an oral interview project of this kind, and indeed, it will be the first such project about the second generation of survivors of the Holodomor to be embarked on.” A sense of longing, mourning, burden or distrust, degrees of communicativeness and coping and the strength and resilience of survivorship all have an impact on the successive generation’s identity and feelings of cohesiveness with their communities, the UCRDC noted.
The purpose of this oral history project is not to record the history of the Holodomor’s genocidal trauma but rather, to find out what became of the children of the survivors of the Holodomor and what do they see as the Holodomor’s legacy for Ukrainians,” stated the project’s interviewer, Sophia Isajiw. “The fact that the project is being done in North America is equally valuable because it will enable a discussion of how the Holodomor has become a diaspora marker of Ukrainian identity.” Each interview is video recorded in English and transcribed and will be accessible for further study in the UCRDC archives.
As part of the Holodomor commemorations, a monument “Bitter Memories of Childhood” was unveiled at the Saskatchewan Provincial Legislature in Regina on May 12. The memorial is a bronze statue of a little girl with a sheaf of wheat and is made from the same cast as the one in Kyiv on the grounds of the National Holodomor Museum. It is the work of sculptor Petro Drozdowsky.
“This addition to the Saskatchewan Legislative Building precinct will foster greater awareness of the Holodomor and provide a permanent place in our province for everyone to reflect upon the terrible tragedy,” said Deputy Premier Ken Krawetz. Saskatchewan was the first province in Canada to recognize the Holodomor as genocide in May 2008. Some 130,000 Canadians living in the province identify themselves as having Ukrainian ancestry.