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nesses of the Great Famine. For history’s sake, for future generations, it is imperative that their eye witness testimonies be recorded. According to the words of George Santayana, “Those who forget the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them.” God forbid! These days everyone can readily obtain audiore corders and videorecorders (can be rented), but also it is extremely important to write articles and keep diaries/- journals. The historical happenings are often very fast moving and developing. We have seen how, in the last few months of 1989, the population of Eastern Europe has shed its yoke of communism (Hungary, E. Ger many, Czechoslovakia, Poland, etc.) and we have seen in our Ukrainian community an easing of travel from Ukraine. Newly created groups have sprung up in Ukraine — e.g. “Rukh” (Movement), “Zeleny Svit” (Green World), and “Memorial”. The “Memorial” group seeks to find memorials of the past, particularly discovering sites of mass unmarked graves where victims of Stalin’s exterminations are buried. Such cities as Vynnytsia, Stanyslaviv, Demianovey Laz, Bykovyna are among the gravesites of the enormous tragedies of Ukraine. It does not end there. We must also write about deportations/exiles to Siberia, about the deliberate des truction of Ukrainian history — of its books, libraries, museums, churches, cemetaries, about the displacement of Ukrainian people fleeing their native land after World War II, about forced repatriation — the selling out of thousands of people with the signing of the Yalta Agreement, about post-war trials and witch-hunts against the Ukrainian churches (Catholic and Autocephalous Orthodox) and organizations defending human rights (e.g. Ukr. Helsinki Accords Monitoring Group), about Chernobyl and the catastrophic results of its nuclear tragedy — with farreaching effects for future genera tions and centuries, the chemical and radiation polluti on/destruction of nature and the environment. Besides audiorecorders and videorecorders, as part of documentation, diaries are necessary for a written record, and also a storage of documents and letters with a description of their value. For example — a Ukrainian sent to Siberia for a term of hard labor, was given, at the time of punishment, a piece of paper by the local KGB police: it stated that he was no longer a citizen of the Soviet Union. This man kept the paper. After he was released form prison in Siberia and returned to Ukraine he eventually migrated with his family to W. Germany with many Ukrainian displaced people after WWII. When the Allies began forcible repatriation of Ukrainian dis placed people (according to the Yalta Agreement) he showed the official signed paper to the authorities and saved himself and his family from forced return and cer tain death. Sometimes only years later does an incident or event make sense. A personal example of this follows. In 1962-65 I worked at the Detroit Cancer Institute in research. One day I overheard a conversation between my chief and his friend, a chemist. This chemist-inventor said literally: “I know that this substance (5 Fu) has great potential. It’s a compound waiting for a condition to cure.” Twenty years later we heard about the great success of this unique chemical compound, although it is no longer known as 5 Fu but as AZT for controlling AIDS. Yonger generations of Ukrainians are taking on documentary projects and are doing so very success fully. The film “Harvest of Despair”, first place winner in the documentary category, used newsreel film clips about the Great Famine of 1933, and the testimony of eye witnesses. A second documentary film about the internment of Ukrainians in Canada during and after WWI, and a third about Ukrainians in the Second World War are being prepared. Ukrainian documents are being collected and stored in two main centers. In Canada (Toronto) at the St. Volodymyr (Vladimir) Institute the Ukrainian Research and Documentation Center is headed by Mrs. Iroida Wynnycky, and in the U.S.A. (N.Y.C.) a similar Center is headed by Dr. Taras Hunczak. There is also a chapter in Detroit. Both centers cooperate. Funds for documenta tion are sometimes available through state of federal agencies or through grants (e.g. multicultural), but the majority of funds are collected through private gifts and donations. The work is great, the workers — few. And now some information about conducting docu- mentative interviews. The person interviewing and re cording must conduct the discussions with objectivity and impartiality/distance, although this is oftren diffi cult. On a given subject the interviewer prepares questi onnaires, seeks reliable witnesses, and interviews them in the form of questions and answers, — what, who, where, when, to whom, why, etc. Sometimes the witness testifies about highly sensitive events which might harm others or leave him vulnerable to legal or other conse quences. He may wish to keep his disclosurers sealed for a given time (e.g. 50 yrs. or until his death) or leaves the time to the discretion of the interviewer. The inter viewer abides by the wishes of the witness. Each of us ought to participate in documentary work, even if its only in our own community and family. People are intrigued to know about their own family ancestors, about their genealogy, and about events, both happy and sad, experienced by their parents and ancestors. If we do not write/record important events experienced, then — in time — these will be forgotten, and important facts will not appear in future history books: all traces will be lost to posterity. Let us preserve the memories of the past not only in museums but also in living memory books: let us inform the American/Canadian public about us, Ukrainians. Let us take example of those who will not let the world forget about their holocausts, pogroms. In conclusion, I leave you with the quotation by Edmund Burke — “All that is necessary for evil to tri umph is for good people to do nothing (be silent)”. Irene Pryjma ’’НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ГРУДЕНЬ 1990 17
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