Remembering the Holodomor victims
MEMBERS of Rochdale’s Ukrainian Community organised the Holodomor Commemoration on its 90th Anniversary.
Holodomor or ‘murder by starvation’ was a state engineered famine devised by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin between 1932-1933.
It was aimed to crush the spirit of the Ukrainian nation so that it would never again rebel against communist rule which wanted to facilitate Soviet industrialisation and the state collectivisation of farms and to quell what was perceived by Stalin as regional nationalism.
Although the crimes were hidden away from the Western world, British journalists Gareth Jones and Malcolm Muggeridge did secretly visit, witnessed it for themselves and reported on this genocide to the British press.
Ukraine’s borders were sealed and all food was seized and was even exported abroad.
This caused starvation to set in rapidly, people ate anything - grass, tree bark, pets or whatever they could find for food. Between seven and 10 million people died.
The anniversary event was attended by the Mayor of Rochdale Mike Holly and Mayoress Margaret Holly, Sir Tony Lloyd MP, Chris Clarkson MP, Rochdale councillors and former councillors who were instrumental in their support of Ukraine, the recognition of Holodomor as genocide and in the placing of the Holodomor Memorial in the Memorial Gardens.
Also in attendance were members of the Ukrainian community, both locally and from other towns and cities, and other members of the public who wished to join in commemorating the tragic event.
The commemoration commenced at the Holodomor Memorial with a Requiem Service led by Rev Bohdan Lysykanych (Ukrainian Catholic Church), Deacon Volodymyr Dobrianskyj (Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church) and Rev Anne Gilbert (Church of England).
Wreaths were laid by the
Mayor of Rochdale, Sir Tony Lloyd MP, Chris Clarkson MP, and Olga Kurtianyk, chair of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (Rochdale Branch). Individual wreaths were laid too.
After the Hymn Prayer for Ukraine, the commemoration continued at St Chad’s Parish Church where a memorial service took place.
The Chair of AUGB (Rochdale) Olga Kurtianyk welcomed everyone and the memorial service was led by Rev Fr Benjamin Lysykanych. He was joined by Deacon Volodymyr Dobrianskyj and Rt Rev Mark Davies, the Bishop of Middleton.
After the service, prayers, poems and readings were read by members of the Rochdale and Ukrainian community, together with recently arrived Ukrainian refugees.
The Mayor of Rochdale Mike Holly, Sir Tony Lloyd MP and Chris Clarkson MP concluded the service with speeches linking the Holodomor with recent atrocities committed by Russia.
The Final Blessing was given by Rt Rev Mark Davies before the service ended with the singing of the song - Ukraine, I Pray for You, in Ukrainian. Videos of survivors’ stories were also shown on screen.