On Thursday, October 8, an exhibition Hostages of the Occupation was opened in Odesa, which acquainted residents and guests of the city with the stories of 20 Crimean Tatars families who became hostages of the occupation of Crimea: 10 internally displaced, 10 families residing on the peninsula. The organizers believe that such practice will facilitate the establishment of intercultural and interreligious dialogue, attract more attention of the state bodies of Ukraine and the international community to the problems of the Crimean Tatar people and the occupation of Crimea. The exhibition, which will last until October 16, can be viewed in the Hrushevsky Odesa Regional Universal Scientific Library (Troyitska st., 49/51).
The organizers of the exhibition were the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, the Hrushevsky Odesa Regional Universal Scientific Library with the support of the Democracy Grants Program of the US Embassy in Ukraine.
Iuliana Amelchenko, Director of the Hrushevsky Odesa Regional Universal Scientific Library in her welcoming speech expressed her gratitude to the CTRC, because the exhibition Hostages of the Occupation will continue to familiarize the library readers with the tragedy of the occupation of Crimea.
The Head of the Board of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, a member of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Eskender Bariiev spoke about the occupation of Crimea and the goals of the Hostages of the Occupation project.
“Within the framework of this initiative, the team of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center sets itself the following tasks:
– to attract media, both Ukrainian and international public attention to the problems of the Crimean Tatars in the mainland of Ukraine and in Russia occupied Crimea;
– to promote socio-cultural adaptation and integration of Crimean Tatar IDPs – – into the local Ukrainian communities;
– to acquaint the citizens of Ukraine with the culture, traditions and problems of the Crimean Tatar people”,- said Eskender Bariiev.
“We are convinced that in the future this will contribute to the observance of the rights of the Crimean Tatars and eventually enable the de-occupation of Crimea”,- added the Head of the Board of the CTRC.
Opening remarks via online communication were delivered by Walter Braunohler Cultural Affairs Officer.
“The US Embassy, by the Democracy Grants Program , is honored to support this powerful, creative event. In July 2018, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo published the Crimea Declaration, which clearly states that Crimea is Ukraine, and the US will never recognize the Russian Federation's attempts to annex it. This policy remains unchanged to this day. We stand shoulder to shoulder with the Ukrainian people, including the Crimeans, and we call on Russia to immediately end its aggression, both in Crimea and the Donbas. Thanks to everyone who joined the organization and holding of today's event and once again reminded that Crimea is Ukraine”,- said Walter Braunohler.
The opening of the exhibition was attended by the family of Mustafa and Sevilia Urkumetov, who became the heroes of the Hostages of the Occupation project. At the time of the occupation of Crimea, they were serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and in April 2014 they were forced to leave their homeland. The main motivation was their military oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian people. Although there were various proposals to continue serving in Crimea, the spouses remained true to their principles and ideals.
“Once, back in my school years, I remembered the following phrase from my father: “If a person gave his word, he must keep it under any conditions.” So the solution was obvious to me. On the free territory of Ukraine, I have all the conditions, like a military man, to develop, teach children and so on. But you understand, in the Crimean Tatar there is such a word – asret. This is longing. We feel homesick. Hugging your mother, reading a prayer at your father's grave – such simple things are inaccessible to us. But we should not lose heart, and everyone in his place should bring closer the de-occupation of Crimea”,- Mustafa Urkumetov said.
Also, a welcoming speech was made by Oleksii Plotnykov, senior lawyer of the Tenth April NGO and Fevzi Mamutov, the chairman of the Crimean Tatars of Odessa NGO.
“There is a clash of two worldviews in Crimea. The first must remain forever in the 20th century, which has led to numerous human suffering and a worldview that must become the worldview of the future based on the peaceful existence of people”,- said Oleksii Plotnikov.
He also noted that a policy is taking place on the peninsula, which consists of the cultural eradication of the Crimean Tatar people.
“Which too interferes with the plans of the occupation authorities”,- the expert emphasized.
“Today is a very significant event. This exhibition illuminates the fate of people who, despite not all the difficulties that have arisen to oppose the occupation of Crimea, inspire us to new achievements, ideas and their implementation”,- Fevzi Mamutov emphasized.
At the event, Emine Urkumetova, the daughter of Mustafa and Sevilia Urkumetov, performed the Crimean Tatar song Güzel Qırım.
We remind that on February 26, 2020, a presentation of the album and exhibition Hostages of the Occupation took place in Kyiv, which tells about the fate of 20 Crimean Tatar families after the annexation of the peninsula. On March 10, the exhibition opened in Vinnytsia, on September 24 – in Dnipro.
The project was implemented by the Crimean Tatar Resource Center with the support of the Democracy Grants Program of the US Embassy in Ukraine.