Stories, poetry and music brought the Lawrence community a little closer to war-torn Ukraine on the other side of the globe Monday evening.
The event, held at Maceli’s, aimed to show support for Ukrainians at home and abroad, as part of a larger effort to support Ukrainian students at the University of Kansas and enable KU to host displaced Ukrainian scholars on campus.
KU has been collaborating with Ukrainian Global University, an emerging consortium of higher education institutions in Ukraine to identify needs and hosting opportunities for displaced students and scholars. Dr. Tymofii Brik, assistant professor of sociology at the Kyiv School of Economics and current acting war-time vice president of international affairs, was among the feautred speakers Monday evening.
As of Thursday, the ongoing fundraiser had raised almost $15,000 of its $50,000 goal, according to its LaunchKU website. Organizers are hoping to get closer to that goal, and they’re still accepting donations at this link.
Photos courtesy of Wyatt Haywood
Some drawings shown on screen during the event were by Ukrainian artist Alevtina Kakhidze, who was a visiting artist at KU during fall of 2021, in part through a CEC ArtsLink International Fellowship. The one at right represents the atrocities at Bucha, which is 47 minutes from the artist’s home. It depicts herself, holding her heart.
Some professors in KU’s Department of Theatre and Dance also read Ukrainian poetry during the event.
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Note: A caption in this post has been corrected from a previous version.