From October 9 to 20, Esch/Alzette hosted the first Ukrainian Days in the Esch-sur-Alzette festival, a project by LUkraine that introduces and promotes various aspects of Ukrainian art, culture, history, and creative industries.
The event was co-hosted by LUkraine and the city of Esch-sur-Alzette and featured 5 events:
- “War Time Graphics”. An exhibition of war posters by contemporary Ukrainian artists
- Round table “The role of art in a wartime”.
The speakers were Vlad Troitskyi, a world-renowned Ukrainian theater producer, director, playwright, and scenographer; Mariia Manuylenko-Riabchun, co-founder of Art-Territory Ukraine and The 1st Ukrainian Gallery US, as well as the project manager of the International Triennial of Eco-Posters, the 4th Block; Iryna Pukas, the Head of the Culture Department of Esch-sur-Alzette’s twinning city, Stryi, in the Lviv region of Ukraine; Christian Mosar, Head of Konschthal. - “A Mother’s Heart: Children Keep All Our Tears”. Documentary and musical performance directed by Vlad Troitskyi, a world-renowned Ukrainian theater producer, director, playwright, and scenographer.
- The qualification football match U21 Luxembourg – Ukraine
- “The War and the Peace”. Photo Exhibition Featuring Pictures by World and Ukrainian Photojournalists Depicting the War in Ukraine.
UA Days in Esch participated in around 500 visitors in total.
UA Days in Esch-sur-Alzette marked the first anniversary of the first Luxembourg-Ukrainian twinning with Stryi (Lviv region, Ukraine). It symbolizes the unity and solidarity of both countries.
“Such a twinning is first and foremost a symbolic decision, a symbol of support for the Ukrainians. It is also a call to other cities and Luxembourg municipalities to embark on such twinning,” states Georges Mischo, Mayor of Esch-sur-Alzette. “Hosting Ukrainian Days in Esch demonstrates our city’s support for our sister city and the people of Ukraine. This is the premiere festival of Ukrainian culture in Esch that is about to become an annual event.”
Inna Yaremenko, Vice President of LUkraine, highlights that despite Ukrainian culture being at the center of the world’s attention and going through its renaissance, Russian invaders deliberately continue to commit cultural genocide. As proof, since February 24, 2022, 1,624 cultural infrastructure objects have been damaged (excluding cultural heritage monuments). Almost a third of them (591 objects) were completely destroyed. In total, 769 cultural clubs, 610 libraries, 93 museums and galleries, 30 theaters and philharmonic halls, as well as 122 art education institutions, were damaged. Thousands of works of art and historical artifacts were stolen. The total amount of damage is more than $7 billion. “Culture has always been a powerful tool for nations to express themselves during challenging times. We are grateful to the Esch-sur-Alzette City Council and Mr. Mischo not only for being a reliable partner for our organization and standing with Ukraine but also for giving Ukrainians the opportunity to speak out and ensuring that their voices are heard,” says Inna.
This year, UA Days in Esch featured 4 events:
- “War Time Graphics”. An exhibition of war posters by contemporary Ukrainian artists
- Round table “The role of art in a wartime”.
The speakers were Vlad Troitskyi, a world-renowned Ukrainian theater producer, director, playwright, and scenographer; Mariia Manuylenko-Riabchun, co-founder of Art-Territory Ukraine and The 1st Ukrainian Gallery US, as well as the project manager of the International Triennial of Eco-Posters, the 4th Block; Iryna Pukas, the Head of the Culture Department of Esch-sur-Alzette’s twinning city, Stryi, in the Lviv region of Ukraine; Christian Mosar, Head of Konschthal. - “A Mother’s Heart: Children Keep All Our Tears”. Documentary and musical performance directed by Vlad Troitskyi, a world-renowned Ukrainian theater producer, director, playwright, and scenographer.
- The qualification football match U21 Luxembourg – Ukraine
- “The War and the Peace”. Photo Exhibition Featuring Pictures by World and Ukrainian Photojournalists Depicting the War in Ukraine.
Karin Heiz, a Head of Photo Club Esch, says, “It’s very important to bring this kind of show to people’s attention. Especially at a time when people begin to get tired of hearing about the war, it’s with this type of art that people will be kept awake and motivated to continue their support for the Ukrainian people. ”
All the money raised during the events will be donated to LUkraine’s projects.
Project partners: Musée National de la Résistance et des Droits Humains, Photo Club Esch, Escher Theatre, Federation Luxembourgeoise de Football, the Embassy of Ukraine to the Kingdom of Belgium and to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
