“We Remember”: Global Holodomor Descendants Network project

The Global Holodomor Descendants Network presented a series of informational videos, and memories, about the genocide of Ukrainians in 1932-1933. The project was created together with students of Ukrainian studies and educational institutions worldwide. Schoolchildren were invited to participate and record interviews with descendants of the Holodomor.

The initiative was implemented with the International Educational Coordinating Council (IECC) of the Ukrainian World Congress. The videos are intended for viewing by both adults and children. All episodes can be found on the Holodomor Descendants Network page or the channel of the project’s information partner, Kontakt Next Gen TV.

These are the stories of Ukrainians whose families survived the Holodomor. For example, in one of the episodes, Angelina Sovych, a high-school student in Chicago, interviews Holodomor descendant Halyna Hrushetsky about Hrushetsky’s family’s horrific experience during the Holodomor.

In another episode, Petro Voloshyn, a student of the Ukrainian American Youth Association, interviews Vira Gugliotta, the descendant of the Holodomor survivor, about her family’s horrific experience during the Holodomor.

The We Remember project was created for the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor genocide in Ukraine.

“As descendants of those who suffered unspeakable horrors at the hands of the totalitarian regime during the Holodomor genocide, we remember. We remember the stories of our families about their experiences and pass them on to our children, who will pass them on to future generations,” Olya Soroka, the chair of the Holodomor Descendants Network, said.

The videos are also relevant today as a way to remember that the suffering of the Ukrainian people continues again. Russia is trying to carry out the same genocide today, Soroka emphasizes.

“We remember that Russia tried to destroy the entire Ukrainian people and steal our history, culture, religion, because they cannot be proud of theirs. We will also remember how Russia is trying to carry out the same genocide today, killing innocent men, women and children barbarically to destroy the Ukrainian nation. We are pleased to welcome you to our We Remember series, where you will hear from third and fourth-generation descendants of the Holodomor, some of whom escaped the current genocide carried out by Russia,” the chair of the Holodomor Descendants Network said.

The Ukrainian World Congress invites you to share these unique memories and show the video in Ukrainian studies in Saturday and Sunday schools around the world before the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor genocide, which Ukraine and the world will commemorate in November.