The name of the late Vedzhie Kashka is known to every Crimean Tatar. She devoted her life to the struggle for the restoration of the rights of the Crimean Tatar people and the right to live freely in her historical Motherland. She always walked in the forefront of the national movement. How does she look like in the recollections of her children and grandchildren – read in the material of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, which was prepared in the frame of the project “Hostages of the Occupation”.
In April 2019, it turned fifty years since the late Vedzhie Kashka and her family returned to Crimea. Expelled from home at the age of ten, not knowing the exact date of her birth, Vedzhie Kashka celebrated her birthday on April 24, the day she first set foot on Crimean land. For their commitment to live in Crimea, the Kashka family was repeatedly expelled from Crimea, was even forced to live in the Kuban. Only after the meeting A.D. Sakharov and his personal mediation, the family was allowed to obtain a residence permit.
This fragile woman, according to the recollections of children and grandchildren, never showed tears, always walked in the forefront of the national movement, was the glue of her family, and a role model for everyone.
More than two years passed after her tragic death. It is very hard without her. But she is still alive for her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. In this house everything reminds of her – tamga that she personally folded with her own hands, roses that she planted herself, a flag proudly waving over the house, with the words from the anthem “Ant Etkenmen”, “I swore!”.
Like her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, who were faithful all their lives to this oath, so are her children, who continue to be worthy of their heroic mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Her dream of restoring the Crimean Tatar Republic and strong unity of the people gives them strength.
“Mom is sorely missed,” says Ibrahim, not shying away from tears. “She never feared anything, never cried in public, never complained about life, although her life was constantly tested for strength, throwing difficulties one after another.”
Project manager: Zarema Bariieva
Author of pictures: Lieniara Abibulaieva
Text writer: Alemkhan Sary
Translation into English: Zarema Bariieva
The project was prepared by the Crimean Tatar Resource Center with the support of the Democracy Grants Program of the US Embassy to Ukraine.