TO:        HOLODOMOR 1932-1933 75TH COMMEMORATION WORKING GROUP
DATE:    Sunday, October 19, 2008
FROM:   Morgan Williams

RE:  NINE NEWS ARTICLES: RUSSIA, MEMORY BOOK, CHICAGO EXHIBITION, EVENTS
 
1.  UKRAINIANS OF RUSSIA STARTLED WITH RUSSIA'S BAN FOR HOLDING INTERNATIONAL
ACTION EVERBURNING CANDLE IN COMMEMORATION OF HOLODOMOR 1932-1933
 
Ukrinform, Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, October 17, 2008 
 
KYIV - The Community of Ukrainians in Russia (CUR) and the Federal National-Cultural Autonomy (FNCA) of Ukrainians of Russia express regret and surprise at the actions of Russian authorities that practically made it impossible to hold the international action Everburning Candle by Ukrainian organizations in Russian regions, the statement of CUR and FNCA reads, UKRINFORM own correspondent reports.

The events on commemorating the victims of Holodomor 1932-1933 planned for October had no political ground, Ukrainian organizations in Russia emphasize. However, Russian authorities prohibited holding the mass educational commemorative events within Everburning Candle which arrived in Russia from Kazakhstan on October 8 on various reasons.
 
Only Ukrainian organizations in Moscow and Saint Petersburg managed to hold large-scale events, even the Russian Orthodox Church refused (except Moscow) to hold commemorations and called them "inexpedient".

As UKRINFORM earlier reported, in 2008, on the initiative of the World Congress of Ukrainians, in view of the 75th anniversary of Holodomor 1932-1933, Ukrainians from all over the world are holding the action Everburning Candle. Its route covers all continents and countries where Ukrainians live.

On October 6, 2008 the Russian Foreign Ministry sent a diplomatic note in which the Russian party, referring to Ukraine's position regarding Holodomor, made a condition either to hold events in line with Russia's position on this issue or to cancel the action.
 
2.  "THE GREAT FAMINE: EITHER IN A .RU WAY OR IN NO WAY"
Ukrainian paper says commemoration of 1930s famine banned in Russia
 
Ukrayina Moloda, Kiev, Ukraine in Ukrainian 10 Oct 08, p 2
BBC Monitoring Service, United Kingdom, Friday, October 10, 2008

The following is the text of an article by Oleh Snihur entitled "The Great Famine: either in a .ru way or in no way" and published in the Ukrainian newspaper Ukrayina Moloda on 10 October:

The Kremlin's official response to the commemoration by Ukrainians living in Russia of the victims of the 1930s famine, a series of memorial events called The Inextinguishable Candle, has resulted in another row in Ukrainian-Russian relations.
 
The events held by Ukraine in association with the Ukrainian World Congress throughout the world and including memorial services, mournful processions and requiems for those innocently killed during the terribly tragic period in the history of the Ukrainian nation faced state censorship in Russia.

First, the Russian authorities agreed to hold the memorial events, scheduled for 6 October, but, before the commemoration, the Ukrainian embassy in Moscow received a note from the Russian Foreign Ministry in which Russians, citing Ukraine's position on the 1932-33 famine and information coming from the Russian regions where The Inextinguishable Candle was to be held demanded that the events either be held in line with Russia's position or cancelled. Official Russian historians insist that the famine occurred all across the Soviet Union and was caused by "erroneous policies" and "droughty years of poor harvest".

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry condemned these actions in an official statement: "Thus there is a suggestion to Ukrainian NGOs in Russia that they should not even remember the biggest humanitarian catastrophe in the history of Ukraine killing millions of Ukrainians."

According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Russia's federal authorities in the regions where the events were to be held exerted pressure on Ukrainian activists and intimidated them.

Oleh Voloshchuk, the press secretary of the Ukrainian embassy in Russia, has told Ukrayina Moloda, that the local officials held 'explanatory sessions' with Ukrainian activists in Orenburg and Ufa.
 
"The Russian authorities simply made it clear that they would not give permission to hold such events because not only do they regard as unacceptable the term genocide but also cannot stand the frequent use of the word Holodomor [Ukrainian for the 1930s famine]," Voloshchuk said. "So we had to give up plans to hold the events, which should have involved the ambassador, in the regions in a public and centralized way."

Russia's Ukrainians will be able to honour the victims of the famine in a fully-fledged way only on the grounds of the Ukrainian embassy on 13 October. Ukrainian diplomats cannot do more, since they have no powers.

"We support in all possible ways activists in the regions but they are Russian citizens, although of Ukrainian descent, and so we cannot tell the Russian authorities how to treat them," Voloshchuk said.

The Foreign Ministry only said that it viewed Russia's actions as "another unfriendly and planned act against Ukraine and Ukrainians in Russia". We can only think now: if only the Ukrainian authorities were as firm towards some activists of the so-called Russian-speaking population whose chauvinistic statements Moscow defends with all possible diplomatic and nondiplomatic means.
 
3.  UKRAINE WORRIED WITH RUSSIAN LEADERSHIP'S OPPOSING ACTION OF EVERBURNING
CANDLE TO COMMEMORATE HOLODOMOR OF 1932-1933 IN RUSSIA

Ilona Yarmoliuk, Ukrainian News Agency, Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, October 10, 2008

KYIV - Ukraine is worried with the Russian leadership's opposing to the action called Everburning Candle held on territory of Russia in frames of the commemoration of the Holodomor famine in Ukraine of 1932-33. This follows from a statement made by the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Ukraine.

"The Ukrainian side is troubled about the information that representatives of the Russian federal authorities in regions, where the Everburning Candle
action is planned, pressurize activists of the Ukrainian community to intimidate them and disrupt the action," the statement reads.

The Foreign Ministry stresses that the Russian side gave its official approval for holding the action on territory of Russia.

The department mentions, on the eve of the action, on 6 October, the Ukrainian Embassy in Russia received a note from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in which the ministry, referring to Ukraine's position regarding Holodomor of 1932-33 and to the information from the regions where the action was to be held, demanded adjustment of the scheduled events to Russia's position or cancellation of the action.

"A large-scale schemed campaign, actually aimed at banning Russian citizens of Ukrainian origin from enjoying their right for historic memory," the
statement reads.

Also the Foreign Ministry stressed that Ukraine concerns over such a political opposing to the action of commemorating the famine victims. "The
Ukrainian side takes these acts as another unfriendly and previously schemed action against Ukraine and Ukrainians in Russia," the statement reads.

At the same time the Foreign Ministry hopes that Russia will realize that the Everburning Candle action is deprived of politicization and that this country will not obstruct manifestation of Ukrainians' will in it.

The international action Everburning Candle started in April in Australia. The aim of the action is to inform the global community on the truth about the tragedy of the Ukrainian nation. In 2008 the action will be held in thirty-three countries where Ukrainians live and will finish in November in Ukraine.

As Ukrainian News reported, in March, Russia called on the United Nations not to recognize Holodomor of 1932-33 as an act of genocide against
Ukrainian people.
 
4.  UKRAINE'S MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS CALLS RUSSIA'S RESTRICTIONS
OF EVERBURNING CANDLE ACTION AN UNFRIENDLY MOVE
 
Ukrinform, Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, October 8, 2008 

KYIV - The Foreign Affairs Ministry of Ukraine has spread a statement over Russia's position on holding in its territory an international action
Everburning Candle in memory of the 75th anniversary of the 1932 - 1933 Great Famine (Holodomor) in Ukraine.

The action organized by the Ukrainian state together with the World Congress of Ukrainians has taken place in 29 countries of the world, and its conduct in Russia with the participation of the Ukrainian community was officially agreed with authorities, the MFA says.

Yet, on the eve of the events, October 6, 2008. Ukraine's embassy in Russia received a note saying that the events being brought in line with the official position of the Russian Federation are cancelled.

The Ukrainian ministry says “Ukraine cannot realize the denial by the Russian party of the generally known facts of the crimes bearing the signs of genocide”.

A source of Ukraine's particular concern is information that representatives of Russian federal authorities in regions where the action must take place pressurize Ukrainian community to frighten them and frustrate the events. “It is a large-scale planed campaign aimed actually as banning the Russian citizens of Ukrainian origin to realize their right to historical memory, memorizing millions of totalitarian rule victims, also recognized in Russia,” the Ukrainian ministry says.

“The Ukrainian party describes this move as a fresh unfriendly and planned action against Ukraine and Ukrainians in Russia,” the MFA says yet voicing hope that Russia realizes that the action has no political background, and there will be no obstacles to the expression of Ukrainians' will in the Russian Federation.
 
5.  UKRAINE'S EMBASSY IN RUSSIA COMMEMORATES FAMINE VICTIMS
 
Ukrinform, Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, October 14, 2008

KYIV - Ukraine's Embassy in Russia honored the memory of the victims of the Famine of 1932-1933 as part of the Inextinguishable Candle international project, an UKRINFORM correspondent in Russia reported.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Russia Kostiantyn Hryshchenko said at the ceremony that these tragic events remain not only in the memory of millions of Ukrainians, but also in the memory of Russians, Greeks, Germans, and other nations that found themselves in the disaster area created by the totalitarian regime.

The events were planned to be large-scale, however, the Russian authorities rendered no assistance in their organization. The ambassador believes that the Russian authorities do not understand what Ukraine wants to achieve through this project.
 
"Russia and the Russian people cannot be accused of crimes committed by the regime, including against Russians. But if we fail to recognize the entire depth of that terror, which the Ukrainian, Kazakh and Russian nations have lived through, and if we fail to restore the proper historical remembrance, we will fail to guarantee that any other tragedy does not repeat in the future," Hryshchenko said.

A requiem for the famine victims will be held in one of the largest cathedrals in Moscow.

Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Yuriy Kostenko said that the Inextinguishable Candle project had already been organized in 29 countries and added that Ukraine does not want to politicize this event and does not want it to be an obstacle to friendly relations with all states, including Russia.

In Russia, the project was held in Tyumen and is also to be organized in Saint Petersburg and Rostov-on-Don where Ukraine has its consulates. After Russia, the project will be held in Armenia.

On October 6, the Russian Foreign Ministry sent a note to Ukraine in which the Russian side, referring to Ukraine's position on the famine, demanded that events honoring the memory of famine victims be held in Russia in accordance with the Russian position or be cancelled.

According to various estimates, an artificial famine, or the Holodomor, which was organized by the communist regime, killed some seven to ten million Ukrainian citizens (25% of the country's population), including around four million children, due to the confiscation of food in the early 1930s.
 
6.  UKRAINE TO PUBLISH MEMORY BOOK OF HOLODOMOR 1932-1933 VICTIMS BY NOVEMBER 
 
Alla Stadnyk, Ukrainian News Agency, Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, October 9, 2008
 
KYIV -  By late October the Cabinet of Ministers will have published 17 regional volumes, one Kyiv's and one All-Ukrainian volume to be included in the National Memory Book about Holodomor 1932-1933 victims in Ukraine. This is stated in a press-release circulated by the Public Relations Department of the Cabinet of Ministers' Secretariat.

Addressing the meeting of the organizing committee for commemorative events on the 75th anniversary of Holodomor 1932-1933 Vice Prime Minister Ivan Vasiunyk said presentation of the project was slated for November 21.

In 2007-2008 Ukraine made a breakthrough in clearing up Holodomor issues, he said calling on Holodomor research not to stop gathering evidence to complete the Memory Book.

Vasiunyk also emphasized the need for thorough planning and coordinated activity of Ukrainian authorities at all levels in preparing and holding memorial events on November 21-22.

As Ukrainian News reported, Kyiv will host on November 22 an international forum devoted to the 75th anniversary of Holodomor 1932-1933.
Yuschenko declared 2008 the Year of Commemoration of the Holodomor Victims. Holodomor 1932-1933 took lives of 3 to 7 million people.
 
7.  "OUR DAILY BREAD" HOLODOMOR EXHIBITION TO OPEN IN CHICAGO OCT. 24
Exhibition to feature fifty-four Holodomor artworks by Ukrainian artists
 
“They put a gun to your head and made you swear you would bring in grain the next day.
Everyone cried. There was nothing left to bring!” Hanna Ikasivna Cherniuk, Holodomor survivor
 
Ukrainian National Museum, Chicago, Illinois, Wednesday, October 15, 2008
 
CHICAGO - “Our Daily Bread”, an exhibition of artworks commemorating the Ukrainian Holodomor-Genocide, opens Friday, October 24th at the Ukrainian National Museum, 2249 West Superior, in Chicago. 
 
“Our Daily Bread” officially opens at 6:30 PM with a program that features a short video by Ukrainian singer Oksana Bilozir and an opening statement by the granddaughter of a Holodomor survivor, Ms. Oryna Hrushetsky-Schiffman. 
 
In 1932 and 1933, between seven and 10 million Ukrainians were deliberately starved to death during the “Holodomor” - or death by starvation. This genocide was masterminded by Joseph Stalin and his inner circle, and was carried out by Soviets who confiscated every last bit of food from Ukrainian peasants who were resistant to collective farming - and who represented the backbone of the Ukrainian people.
 
This year, 2008, marks the 75th anniversary of the Holodomor, and the government of Ukraine as well as Ukrainians around the world have been organizing events in an effort to expose and publicize this crime against humanity while there are still survivors young enough to recall its horrors.
 
EXHIBITION FEATURES 54 HOLODOMOR ARTWORKS
In Chicago, the latest event commemorating the Holodomor is an exhibition at the Ukrainian National Museum opening Friday, October 24th. “Our Daily Bread” features 54 artworks that are part of the “Holodomor: Through The Eyes of Ukrainian Artists” collection. 
 
The founder and trustee of the unusual collection, U.S. businessman Morgan Williams, gathered the over 350 original Holodomor artworks in the collection during the last 11 years in Ukraine.  Williams is director, government affairs, Washington, D.C., for the SigmaBleyzer private equity investment group and serves as president of the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC).
 
Most of the artworks were created after 1988, when Ukrainians were finally free to evoke the suffering and horrors of the Holodomor in the last days of the USSR, right before Ukraine declared independence in 1991. Before 1988 no one was allowed to talk about this tragedy let alone express themselves through artwork or writings.  Many Ukrainian artists may very well have only learned of the Holodomor at that time, after decades of extreme Soviet suppression of the atrocities.
 
The government of Ukraine has officially declared the Holodomor a genocide against the Ukrainian people and is asking the United Nations to do so as well. Just this past September, the United States House of Representatives passed a Resolution condemning the Holodomor and the former Soviet government’s deliberate confiscation of grain harvests, which resulted in the starvation of millions of Ukrainian men, women, and children.
 
It was a devastating chapter of Stalin’s reign of terror that wiped out one quarter of the peasantry - and later included the intelligentsia and other leaders of Ukrainian society who were shot and exiled by the hundreds of thousands in an attempt to destroy the Ukrainian nation. And it was carried out at a time when Ukraine, then officially the Ukrainian SSR, had one of the richest farmlands in the world - “the breadbasket of Europe.” 
 
The exhibition will also include a room depicting what life was like in Ukraine prior to enforced collectivization—as well as an evocative walk-through installation depicting the horrors of the Holodomor.
 
The "Our Daily Bread" Holodomor exhibition is on view through Sunday, November 30, 2008. The Museum hours are Thursday to Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 pm.  The Ukrainian National Museum is located at 2249 West Superior Street in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood. Call 312-421-8020 or visit the Museum's website, www.ukrainiannationalmuseum.org for more information.
 
8. HOLODMOR COMMEMORATION ACTIVITIES
 
From: Nataliya Shulga, Kyiv, Ukraine, October 15, 2008
 
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nataliya Shulga" <[email protected]>
To: "Morgan Williams" <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 12:19 PM
Subject: Holodomor commemoration activities

Morgan,

Here some links to the very valuable events connected to Holodomor activities this year that will take place around the world:

At Columbia: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ufc/cinenews.html

At Harvard: www.huri.harvard.edu and program
http://www.huri.harvard.edu/pdf/2008_famine_conf_prog.pdf

In Ottawa: Fourth Annual Danyliw Research Seminar in Contemporary Ukrainian Studies Chair of Ukrainian Studies, University of Ottawa, 23-25
October 2008 and program:
http://www.ukrainianstudies.uottawa.ca/pdf/Danyliw08_program.pdf
 
9.  HOLODOMOR - EUROPEAN UNION
 
From: Luis Ribeiro, Portugal, Friday, October 17, 2008

----- Original Message -----
From: Luís Ribeiro, [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, October 17, 2008 4:01 PM
Subject: Holodomor - European Union

Dear Mr. Morgan Williams

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/briefing_page/39373-294-10-43-20081014BRI39372-20-10-2008-2008/default_p001c007_en.htm

Best regards, Luís
==============================================
Mr. E. Morgan Williams, Director
Government Affairs, Washington Office
SigmaBleyzer Private Equity Investment Group
President/CEO, U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC)
Publisher & Editor, Action Ukraine Report (AUR)
Trustee: "Holodomor: Through The Eyes of Ukrainian Artists"
1701 K Street, NW, Suite 703, Washington, D.C. 20006
Mobile in Kyiv: 380 50 689 2975
[email protected]; [email protected]
www.sigmableyzer.com; www.usubc.org