During more or less long stays in other countries one can stumble in understanding of how little we know about each other… How many stereotypes do we gain? Do many of us actually know what is behind those names Italy, Madagascar, Japan, etc. Do we ask ourselves: who lives there? How do they look like? What do they do and how? How do they spend their days? What do they talk about? What do they drea
m about? What do they keep silent about? What music do they listen, books read, movies watch? What kind of art do they produce? How can we understand the perception of the world even of a single individual if we do not know the environment he/she comes from? How can we feel the country and understand the processes within it, rather than simply read the name and make assumptions, if we know little about the people living there and their culture? In the light of the recent events, it became obvious how easy it is to set up one against the other, forgetting about common human values. How easy it is to build the walls and how hard it is to destroy them, especially within. How easy it is to play chess with our minds, souls, outlooks, freedoms and the most important, lives. Maybe it happens because we do not know the answers to abovementioned questions, or not willing to find them? Maybe because we do not have a personal touch…
This blog is probably a naïve, but sincere attempt to give that personal touch and effort to share some answers. At this point it is an intention to show a little bit more of Ukraine to the outside world: through interviews, discussions, conversations with people, through stories about their lives, activities, dreams, projects and culture, through processes in the country – the view on modern, young Ukraine. It is not about politics more about people whose lives might be at stake. It is hopefully the launch of the process “of meeting” each other and learning about/from each other. Behind every name on the map there are people, there are lives. Therein everything that is behind the name “Ukraine” is going to be in focus here.
