Somewhere over there is my Ukraine.Now we have more than one home, but our roots are always with us and we decide where to grow them. We value our national identity and hope to inspire others to attend to their roots. What can we do to maintain our connection with our country when abroad? In this sunrise above the trees at Lake Joondalup I saw the city on fire. Here in the sky an explosion of light is taking place evoking grief and sorrow for my home. Every displaced person finds their own way to reduce the longing for their home, one of them is participation in the choir. Ukrainian songs give me inner strength necessary for life in faraway Australia. We are also proud to showcase our national culture in Australia. “Ukrainian varenyky are for your beauty and strength. Eat healthy and live in peace!” (Ukrainian song) I wish we could stop the war as easily as we can stop a bus in Australia. Unfortunately, it’s not possible. Australia, Stirling Range, Bluff Knoll summit (the highest point of Western Australia). We breathe freely and conquer Australian peaks with Ukraine in our hearts. They say an embroidered shirt is the genetic code of our nation. Our calling is to protect and pass these traditions to the next generations regardless of where we are. Australian apples on a tea towel patterned with traditional embroidery remind of Ukraine’s orchards and meadows rich in harvest. Rubik’s Cube. We see the colors of our native flag even in small and unexpected places. The annual rings on this cut tree symbolize the history of our country, which has been filled with many tragic events. Sunflowers are the flowers of my Ukraine. They grow in Australia and invoke memories of my country. The sunflower is a symbol of Ukraine. It turns its head to the sun. Ukrainians are like sunflowers because they cannot live without Ukraine.
Wherever we are, Ukraine is always in our hearts
Displacement means “forced”, or “involuntary”, movement of people who had to leave their homes not by choice but due to the external forces out of their control (United Nations’ 2019 “Glossary on Migration”). While feeling grateful for the opportunity to find safety, Ukrainian DPs remain strongly connected to their homeland, the cities and towns they had to flee, and friends and family who are still in danger back home.
Everything around reminds of home as Australia has an abundance of yellow and blue landscapes: the sand and the ocean, the desert and the sky, the fields and the rivers. On the Ukrainian flag, yellow stands for fields of wheat (Ukraine is one of the largest producers of wheat and sunflower oil) and symbolises fertile land, hard work, and prosperity. Blue stands for the sky, a symbol of freedom and peace. Having access to healthy food and feeling safe are essential human rights. Through this theme, the participants also wanted to share more about their rich culture and history.
