On February 25th, VATAHA organized a memorial ceremony at the St Laurence Church in Rotterdam, titled “Rotterdam Samen Met Oekraïene”: Rotterdam Together With Ukraine.
More than 250 Dutch, Ukrainian and international attendees filled the church to commemorate the four-year anniversary of the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine. This event offered a space for shared grief for the victims of the unjust war, but also for hope and appreciation for solidarity against evil. What began as a solemn event turned into an evening of celebrating Ukrainian folkmusic, dance and song.
Solemn speeches
The venue could not have been more fitting for this special event, with St Laurence’s own history of war resistance, having survived the WWII bombing of Rotterdam in 1940. Moreover, St Laurence is a staunch supporter of Ukrainian arts, host of an exhibition of hand-painted Orthodox icons on war munition crates just last summer.
With the hundreds of attendees settled and silent, the memorial evening began with a speech held in Dutch by Rotterdam Mayor Carola Schouten, subtitled in Ukrainian on a screen behind her.
“Let us take time today to reflect together on each other’s grief, fear, and pain caused by this war. But let us also say at the same time: we are there for each other. Not just me, but the entire city of Rotterdam. With open hearts and arms. With a listening ear and a comforting shoulder.
“Not just as a community, but as one person to another. For it is humanity that connects us, it is dignity that draws us closer. May this commemoration give us the strength to carry on, to continue to believe in the value of every life, in the power of peace and justice.”
Speaking in English, Ukrainian Ambassador Andriy Kostin continued Mayor Schouten’s spirit of solidarity, giving his thanks to the city of Rotterdam for its constant support of Ukrainians in The Netherlands.
“No one wants peace more than Ukraine. russia can end this war at any time. All it has to do is withdraw its troops from Ukrainian territory. But russia doesn’t want peace. Instead, it attacks Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure daily. But Ukraine is holding firm. And we are grateful to the Netherlands for their support from day one. We are grateful to the municipality of Rotterdam for its support of Ukrainians here and in Ukraine.”
After a minute of silence, Pastor Harold Schorren of the St Laurence Church led a communal prayer, written especially for the occasion. “We pray for Ukraine, devastated by fighting, mourning so many who lost their lives on the front lines and in bombardments. We ask you: free us from the enemy’s yoke, from everything that oppresses our lives, as you once freed your people from the house of slavery and made the sun rise on a new morning; a life of peace, joy, and freedom.”
“Mothers” as a central theme
War memorial in Ukraine are not the same as war memorials abroad, says VATAHA co-founder Uliana Bun. “We feel the same pain, but we are not going through the same experiences. Our event in the St Laurence Church focused on the role of the mother, as mostly women and mothers fled Ukraine and reside abroad. It’s the mothers who keep our Ukrainian families connected and strong even if we are not in our homeland.”
The evening began with beautiful a capella songs by the amateur project choir Polonyna in collaboration with the MANO Foundation. “This performance became more than just singing,” said choir member Valeriia Fedisheva.
“It was an opportunity to express my point of view, not with loud words, but with a voice. Singing is my therapy. The pain hasn’t gone away, but I certainly don’t confine myself to it… Singing has become a way for me to breathe more deeply. A way to be together with people who share the same suffering…”
In a sister duo debut, musicians Bozhena and Victoria Hamar performed several folk songs on the sopilka, a traditional Ukrainian flute, and bandura, a traditional Ukrainian string instrument, respectively. One of their most moving songs was a mother’s lullaby to her child.
The Rotterdam folk dance group Mriya, who previously performed at VATAHA’s Christmas market last year, donned flower crowns, red beaded necklaces and long white dresses, resembling new brides in the springtime. Hand in hand, they dedicated their dance to mothers who have lost their children in this war.
Piano player Natalia Abdulina and soprano singer Maria Kalytiak filled the church with high opera notes in an ode to the Virgin Mary. They also welcomed the audience to join them in a folk song: a mother’s lament of her son’s impending loss.
No one way to commemorate loss
Not everyone grieves in the same way. In previous years, VATAHA has organized public memorial walks, but also musical performances, photo exhibitions, crafts workshops and poetry evenings to provide both Ukrainians and Dutch locals with various ways to express their mourning and solidarity.
The same week as this memorial in Rotterdam, VATAHA organized a parallel memorial in Middelburg. The weekend before, we also hosted a multimedia zine-making workshop in The Hague for creatives from the Donetsk region specifically, a long-term occupied region in Eastern Ukraine.
The memorial event in the was hosted in partnership with the Ukrainian House (wmo radar) and the St Laurence Church. Our thanks go to our photographer Anna Bielchenko, our VATAHA volunteers, and all the performers who made this event possible.
