Holodomor exhibit explores genocide

A travelling exhibit, to commemorate the 1932-1933 famine which killed millions in Soviet Ukraine, is visiting Niagara this month.

Known as Holodomor, the famine was deliberately created by the Soviet Union to help stamp out Ukrainians’ desire for independence from the totalitarian regime, according to the Canadian Ukrainian Foundation.

As a result, millions of men, women and children were condemned to death by starvation.

That’s why the Canadian Ukrainian Foundation is touring Ontario with a 40-foot RV turned into an exhibit to bring awareness and educate people about Holomodor.

Participants will learn about the events of the genocide and the effects it had on democracy, freedom, tolerance and human rights as we know them today, both in Canada and globally, according to a press release from the city of St. Catharines.

The exhibit rolls into the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre on July 11 and will be set up in the parking lot for the day, shows starting every hour on the hour.

“The personal stories of the Holodomor survivors are inspiring,” says Kathleen Powell, curator of the St. Catharines Museum.

She says participants will gain an appreciation of how different history has shaped our world, as well as inspire people to protect Canadian values of freedom and democracy in a world where doors are shutting instead of opening.

“The Holodomor remains one of the worst atrocities committed in humanity’s history,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a 2016 official statement regarding a Holodomor Commemoration on Parliament Hill.

“Despite this horrific and hateful act that saw many millions perish, the Ukrainian people endured through the famine. The independent country of Ukraine stands testament to their perseverance.”

It has been debated whether Holodomor fits the legal definition of a genocide, with many organizations choosing the leave the wording out of their acknowledgement of the events.

The European Parliament recognized Holodomor as a crime against humanity in 2008, according to their website. The United Nations recognized it as “a national tragedy of the Ukraine people,” in 2003, according to their educational, scientific and cultural organization.

Both the Ukraine and Canada consider Holodomor a genocide, according to the Ukrainian Embassy in Canada.

The Russian Federation considers it part of the Soviet Famine of 1932-1933, according to the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group.

The exhibit will also be at the Niagara Falls History Museum on July 13.

The show is free and will take place every hour on the hour from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The fourth Saturday of November is designated Holodomor Memorial Day in Canada.