Commemoration in Ukraine: Practice and Affect

What forms of memorialization are emerging in Ukraine today, and do they capture the full range of wartime experiences?

This conversation explore the principles and practices of remembering, the diverse pasts that shape different communities in Ukraine, and how these perspectives influence the way we understand the country in the present.

Speakers:

• Ostap Ukrainets — writer, translator, serviceman, and analyst at the Cultural Forces of Ukraine, on the non-inclusiveness of Ukrainian memory practices and the formation of shared narrative visions.
• Hayane Avakyan — co-founder of the Memorial memory platform, on the platform’s work and the principles guiding the project.
• Kateryna Datsenko — activist at the NGO Vshanui, on the ritual of the moment of silence and other initiatives of the organization.

Moderator: Viktoriia Mizernа, graduate of the MA program Memory Studies and Public History, researcher at the KSE Center for Human Rights and War Memory.

The forum was implemented in partnership with King’s College London, NGO Art Dot, and the Kyiv School of Economics, with the participation of Cultural Forces of Ukraine—a platform bringing together the military, artists, and businesses to support the mental health of Ukraine’s Defense Forces, foster civil-military cooperation, and advance cultural diplomacy.