Saskatoon Holodomor Commemoration
December 12, 2008 -- On Saturday, November 22, members
of Saskatoon’s Ukrainian community marked the 75th anniversary of
the tragic Holodomor/Genocide in Ukraine. Over 100 people gathered
at the Memorial Gates of the University of Saskatchewan at 2 pm and
formed a procession that made its way to St. Thomas More College.
The procession was lead by members of the Bayda Kozaks who carried
a symbolic black coffin with “7,000,000” printed in large white letters
on its side. Members of the sisters of St. Joseph and clergy followed,
leading the singing of “Vichnaya Pamyat’” as the procession made its
way to the College about 10 minutes away. Representatives of Ukrainian
communities carrying their organizations’ flags and the public made
up the remainder of the column.
A
solemn panakhyda memorial prayer service was conducted
by Ukrainian Catholic and Orthodox priests in the St. Thomas More
chapel in front of the spectacular prairie scene mural painted in
the 1970s by Canada’s most famous Ukrainian artist, the late William
Kurelek.
Following the prayer service, the assembly moved downstairs to
the auditorium for the program that began at 3 pm. Chairman of the
proceedings Larry Balion, UCC-SB board member, explained that this
commemorative program was organized by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress
– Saskatoon Branch (UCC-SB). He welcomed the special dignitaries
present, His Worship Mayor Don Atchison and the Honourable Don Morgan,
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Province of Saskatchewan.

In his introductory comments, Balion stated that the Holodomor
was “one of the most heinous crimes in the history of mankind” and
was “the result of a deliberate political strategy masterminded
by Joseph Stalin and was carried out by Soviets who confiscated
every last bit of food from Ukrainian peasants, who were resistant
to collective farming -- and who represented the backbone of the
Ukrainian people.”
“At the height of the Ukrainian famine in 1933, an estimated 25,000
people died each day,” added Balion.
Mr. Balion quoted the President of Ukraine, Victor Yuschenko, who
a day earler had addressed the world on his website. President Yuschenko
said, in part, “Only after cutting the fetters of the communist
totalitarianism, independent Ukraine was able to claim out loud
that in the far 1930s an attempt was made on the life of the entire
nation.”
Yuschenko went on to say, “International support sustains our belief
that historical justice will be restored, and it strengthens our
will to ensure its full assertion. The global community ought to
be aware that it will be impossible to prevent future crimes against
humanity unless past crimes are condemned.”

CBC interview with Slawko
Kindrachuk, UCC-SB president |
Excerpts from two videos were then shown. A clip from “Eternal
Memory”, directed by David Pultz and released by the Cinema Guild,
New York, 2001 was followed by an excerpt from “Holod -- 33”, directed
by Oles Yanchuk, and released by the Dovzhenko Film Studio, Kyiv
in 1991.
Mayor Don Atchision then addressed those assembled. He compared
the daily death total of 25,000 in Ukraine to whole subdivisions
of the City of Saskatoon dying in one day. He commended the UCC-SB
for organizing two events this year, this one and the greeting of
the Holodmor torch on April 29th, that are designed to publicize
the Holodomor to help assure that such acts of genocide will never
be repeated.
Slawko
Kindrachuk, UCC-SB president, ended the program with his own remarks.
He included thanks to our visiting dignitaries for supporting the
Ukrainian community.
A dark bread and water reception concluded the afternoon.
Saskatoon media covering the event were the Saskatoon StarPhoenix
newspaper, CTV and CBC radio.
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