Starting from the period of independence of the Ukrainian state, as a sign of respect to the memory of the people who died during the Holodomor, every fourth Saturday of November, candles of memory are lit all over the world.
The entire civilized world, except for the Russian Federation, recognizes the fact of an artificially planned famine, and therefore, one that has the character of genocide against Ukrainians. The arguments are the facts that the lack of food at the time of complete collectivization cannot be called an artificial famine, the victims of which on the territory of the former Soviet Union, according to various estimates, were from eight to ten million people in the period of 1928-1933.
For users of the scientific and technical library of Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design, primarily for students, the exhibition “Holodomor in Ukraine in the language of facts” is dedicated to the 101st anniversary of the beginning of the mass famine of 1921-1923, the 90th anniversary of the beginning of the famine of 1932-1933 and 76th anniversary of the beginning of the massive artificial famine of 1946-1947.
The Exchange Department for Scientific Literature organizes exhibitions of publications devoted to the Holodomor, which are replenished annually because the facts of the terrible events of the destruction of the Ukrainian people are supplemented by scientists-historians and public figures.
So, today, within Ukraine and abroad, the fact that the famine was created artificially is indisputable, and therefore, we are talking about a planned genocide of Ukrainians. Taking into account the historical information, the analysis of the maps (the selection of territories affected by famine), and the testimony of eyewitnesses to the existence of a specially planned famine in 1932-1933 are indisputable.
Today, in the conditions of war, Russia continues to use hunger as a tool of influence and a weapon. Holodomors are weapons of bloody empires. Unfortunately, Ukraine once again became a platform for the use of such weapons. The renewed Russian aggression against the people of Ukraine was supplemented by grain blackmail for the whole world, and for the countries of Africa and the Middle East, it became a threat of famine. After all, Ukraine plays a key role in the supply of grain on the international market. As a result of Russian shelling and the presence of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea, supplies of domestic grain to the countries of North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe were blocked for almost six months.
For historians, the situation related to the famine is obvious. We are talking about the fact that a huge number of people were killed by starvation in 1932. This mass famine was an integral part of the genocide because precisely in those times the main carriers of spirituality, culture, language, and traditions were the peasants. It is worth noting that, among other things, it was the Ukrainian intelligentsia that was killed, and the Ukrainian church was also liquidated because there is no state without language and faith.
Walking through the pages of publications collected in KNUTD library, after analyzing the memories of eyewitnesses, we can say that in an attempt to survive, people used such forms of behavior, which can be called a whole system – strategies of externally determined actions of the population of Ukraine (the main strategies for experiencing hunger). In particular, it is a soft passive adaptation strategy, an active adaptation strategy, and an aggressive adaptation strategy. It should also be said, however, that the experience of hunger, the obviousness of death, and the erasure of the boundaries of humanity due to the total failure to satisfy simple human needs for food not only hurt the psyche of people but also a genetic level is part of the memory that is passed from generation to generation. The sense of involvement of the descendants of the Holodomor victims in the difficult history of their people also gives impetus to heroic deeds and conscious actions today.
For the youth, for all generations of Ukrainians, the day of memory of the victims of the Holodomor must be an inextinguishable candle of memory in the soul and be passed down through the generations in the palms of our hands. After all, a notable aspect of the famine was the government’s efforts to erase it from human memory. Until recently, the Soviet position on this issue was unequivocal: the very fact of the famine was denied, and for a long time the regime forbade even mentioning this tragedy.
Today, we also express our deepest condolences to the victims, those who survived the Holodomor, and their families.
Understanding the consequences of genocide in the public space, increasing awareness of this tragedy, accepting the spiritual, historical, and cultural heritage, and fostering respect for human rights will contribute to the formation of the national identity of Ukrainians today.
We invite readers to review the publication, find new information, replenish the treasury of knowledge, and also light a candle in their palms as a sign of memory and respect for the millions of Ukrainians who died as a result of the genocide.
2. Holodomor electronic archive: consolidated register of archival documents
3. Encyclopedia of the famine of 1932-1933 in Ukraine
4. National Museum “Memorial to the victims of the Holodomor”
5. Monuments to victims of the Holodomor in Ukraine
6. Section of the portal of the State Archives Committee of Ukraine dedicated to the Holodomor
7. Website of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance
8. Special project of “Historical Truth” – “Holodomor in 1932-1933”
9. Ukrainian Scientific Institute of Harvard University. Project. Map. Great famine
28.11.2022
