Displaced Ukrainians
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Art Project by ANNA KAKHIANI
How often do phrases such as “don’t cry” or “keep smiling” go out of place or are opposite, making us feel better? As a starting point of Anna Kahiani’s artistic research, she refers to speech patterns and recognizable phrases in situations that require empathy based on recurring situations that happen to refugees and migrants.
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Ukraine at the 54th Poetry International Festival Rotterdam
This week, from June 6 to 9, the largest poetry festival in the country took place in the Netherlands – the 54th Poetry International Festival Rotterdam. Oksana Stomina, a Ukrainian poet from Mariupol, was invited to the festival.
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Introducing the winning projects of the Letterenfonds Foundation!
We have great news to share with you! Five artists from our Ukrainian community won grants from the Support Programme for Ukrainian Artists 2024 financed by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands! This means that very soon you will be presented with very diverse Ukrainian…
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CHRISTMAS CAROLING
This Christmas, VATAHA went caroling in the Randstad to spread holiday cheer the Ukrainian way. The caroling group strengthened their Christmas traditions by singing Ukrainian Christmas classics such as “Bog sja rozdaje”, “Shczedryk” and “Nevobo I zemelja”. The caroling raised 4,120 Euros for the Ukrainian armed forces.
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Meditative Voice Classes
VATAHA is collaborating with voice instructor Olha Bessherstna to help displaced Ukrainians rediscover the power of their own voice. Vocal healing classes combine elements of meditation and breathing techniques to reduce stress factors. The human voice is not only an important tool for physical and mental self-regulation, but also for identity creation.
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Ukrainian Children at The Ocean Race
During the 2023 Ocean Race’s stop in The Hague in June, displaced Ukrainian children hoisted their self-painted sail to express their patriotism and homesickness for their home country.
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Second Konovalets Station Meeting
Podcast group Konovalets Station held its second meeting together with VATAHA in April 2023. It brought Ukrainians together to share their personal experiences with different waves of emigration from the past and present. The event also explored building community development via social capital.
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Run for Heroes
In memory of the fallen Ukrainian soldiers, VATAHA organized a Run for Heroes throughout Rotterdam in August 2022. Each of the 80 participants ran a distance of 2km under the name of someone they had lost — in many cases a personal friend or cherished loved one.