Today, Ukraine celebrates the memories of the victims of the Holodomor, the mass starvation in the Ukrainian Famine of 1932-1933. Why do you feel concerned when you are French?
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| Photogr. Unkn. |
I wouldn't get into a History lesson (I'm fond of History!), but if you want to learn about it, some interesting videos are available on the Web:
As you can imagine, these tragic events have passed from generation to generation and live actively in the Ukrainians of today - could it be otherwise? But I would like to explain today why the French woman that I am feels so concerned by Holodomor.
The first time I've heard about it, I was about 14. During the History course, our teacher told us that, in France, a few people knew about it... and that they kept silent! It was a frightening thought for me to imagine that here, in the country I was living in and where the motto is "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity", we let so many Ukrainians starve to death... How could this happen?
Well, today I know that there were a lot of reasons (this is no excuse, but rather an explanation). Anyway, as it is the case regarding many of the tragic events in History, I can't help thinking a lot about it.
History is the past. You cannot change it. But I believe that, together, we can create a bright future!
Let me tell you that my grandmother was German. She lived at a few miles from a concentration camp. I don't know what she exactly knew about it. I only know that she had a lot of children and she worked hard to feed them... I think that she behaved like the others: she did not want to know. She probably had to face a lot of problems... and when you feel your life is in danger, you become selfish and hard of heart. (I am not making any value judgment: neuroscience has revealed the way it works.)
But when she arrived in France, it was difficult. It was hard to be considered as "The German". Did she sometimes feel responsible for what happened in Poland - even if she did not play any role in it? I don't know: we were not close and... she never wanted to speak of her youth!
Sometimes I wonder what I would have done if I had lived at that time, in such circumstances. I do not know... And I hope I'll never know. I wish happiness for all of us!
I li a candle and I placed in on the balcony... My heart is in Kiev right now.
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| Photogr. Unkn. |
See also:
- Holodomor 1932-1933 - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
- Holodomor Facts and History - http://holodomorct.org/
