Women and armed conflict
An exhibition telling little stories of everyday victories has opened at the Ukrainian House
The event is timed to the “16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence” international campaign, which is held every year from November 25 to December 10. The exhibition is organized by the UN Mission in Ukraine, the Ministry of Social Policy, and the Ukrainian Women’s Fund.
The organizers have collected more than 40 portraits of women who have courage and resilience in common. For example, 86-year-old Antonina Veremiivna is hard at work knitting socks for Ukrainian soldiers. Liudmyla Kuzmina, a repair factory worker, is pictured focused at cleaning grid of an optical sight. Teacher of foreign languages and foreign literature Alla Fedorchenko is dressed in a camouflage uniform, for the girl has volunteered to serve in the Sich commando battalion. One of the heroines is a cook, and a photo shows frontline cook from Vinnytsia Oksana Buha preparing borscht flavorings for soldiers, so tasty that they have already become famous in the trenches.
First Lady of Ukraine Maryna Poroshenko shared her impressions of the exhibition with us: “The photos show many female faces, full of strength and weakness, courage, anxiety, and pain. These people are different, but they have that unbending attitude in common.” Chairwoman of the Ukrainian Women’s Fund Natalia Karbovska noted that Ukrainian women were fighting not only violence against themselves, but also an aggression against their country. “We have collected many photos, taken by professionals and amateurs alike. All of them show how Ukrainian women are negating gender stereotypes and joining the fight for the future of Ukraine on an equal footing with men,” Karbovska stressed.
One work put on display as part of the project was created by Larysa Poluliakh, who leads volunteer group from Vinnytsia, called the “Fighting Bees.” Its members equip soldiers, help the injured, disabled, and children evacuated from the Donbas, provide psychological support for released POWs, and develop drones and cars for reconnaissance units. Poluliakh’s photo pictures volunteer girls taking stock of the aid they had collected for the soldiers: biscuits, canned food, running shoes. “We send about one ton of cargo to partner volunteer groups and to the east every week,” she told us. “I see no reason for any gender differences to influence our work. All people should do what they can best.”
Another photo’s subject is Maryna Komarova, member of the Army-SOS volunteer movement. The activist was photographed next to a shell fired by a Tornado multiple launch rocket system which fell in a field in Luhansk region. Komarova collects help for Ukrainian soldiers daily and goes to the east a few times a month. “I think I just have to do it,” she said. “Soldiers are very happy to have girls visiting them. Men are stern beings, they deliver aid, shake hands and go away, while a female volunteer present in the anti-terrorist operation area provides powerful psychological support, causing soldiers to think of home and family.”
The organizers plan to have the exhibition tour the country, accompanied by discussions on women in conflict and gender-based violence. Chairwoman of the Ukrainian Women’s Fund Karbovska emphasized: “Ukraine is in trouble now. I do believe that little stories of our women will soon deal with victories only, as will our country’s larger story.”
The exhibition “Women and Conflict in Ukraine” can be seen in the Ukrainian House in Kyiv till December 10.
