Those Among Us

Fleeing their homes, they share their lived experiences

The escalation of the Russian war in Ukraine marked by the full-scale invasion of February 2022 caused an influx of persons seeking safety in the Netherlands. Amongst them, Ukrainians and people of different nationalities who have studied, worked, and lived their everyday lives in Ukraine. Sharing their lived experience of escaping the horrors of war created peculiar and heterogeneous 'refugee communities'. These communities, differing in language, religion, ethnicity - often enrich each other and open up a discussion around what constitutes the Ukrainian cultural identity. Circulating the orbit of these discussions are local volunteers from Eindhoven, Amsterdam and the Hague, who have come together in a showcase of solidarity and mutual support. Those Among Us is a curated experience that feature stories of individuals from these communities, of life here and of far away. These stories are told in a series of mediums and feature points of interaction where the public can experience elements of Ukrainian culture. Crucially, the stories highlight resilience and innovation that stem from ground up, revealing how volunteer goodwill have plugged systemic gaps in the refugee policy.

Those Among Us is co-organised by volunteers with people who have fled the war in Ukraine

The project adopts methods of interviews and online ethnography, as well as drawing on volunteer experiences, some of whom are Ukrainians themselves. It is an attempt at creating space for collaborative knowledge production about the lived experiences of people who have fled the Russian invasion. Crucially, the project follows and continues from a series of events that raise public awareness around the war in Ukraine and its reverberations felt in the Netherlands. The project also features a food performance and an amount of proceeds will go to a designated charity of choice. This edition of Those Amongst Us at DDW22 is co-organised by Uzvar Collective (NL/UKR) - a group of KABK students, and Collect4Ukraine (NL/UKR) - based in Amsterdam, and Plant Fictions. -- Head to plantfictions.com for more details.

About

Collect4Ukraine Collect4Ukraine is an Amsterdam-based volunteer group.With open hearts and raised fists our firm goal is to help those affected by the war – those who stayed and those who found refuge in other countries. Their vision is independent and thriving democracy and freedom in Ukraine. Their practice – direct help responding to specific needs. They are a group of Ukrainians and internationals volunteering and collecting money to provide humanitarian aid, sponsor water deliveries to occupied zones of Ukraine, support animal shelters, etc. Uzvar Collective Uzvar Collective is a student-led charity group, funded by KABK students shortly after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the russian federation on 24 February 2022. Since then, they organized more than 30 events all over the Netherlands, and The UK and collected more than 35 thousand euros to support grassroots organizations in Ukraine. They also participated in the organization of events and help for Ukrainians in the Netherlands such as children's festivals and workshops. There are five members of the collective: Karolina Uskakovych, Stefaniia Bodnia, Aliona Ciobanu, Vlad Omelianenko, Anastasia Troshkova.