On Friday January 30th, the Centres for Art & Politics and the Study of Global Postsocialisms (GloPost), with the generous support of the Alex Danchev Fund, hosted the Toronto-based Ukrainian music group, Daughters of Donbas in School III, St Salvador’s Quad. Their tour—entitled “Songs of Stolen Children”—directly addresses the Russian war crimes of abducting young people from Ukraine and illegally relocating them into Russia.
The lecture-conversation and performance included a nineteen-year-old singer in the group, Liza, who was abducted by Russian forces when Mariupol fell but managed to escape. In a hosted discussion with the radio producer and journalist Dan Rosenberg, Liza discussed her time in captivity and what she witnessed in Russian occupied areas of eastern Ukraine, as well as read from the diary she kept whilst held captive. Victoria Donovan, Professor of Ukrainian Studies from the School of Modern Languages, introduced comments about life in Donbas from her recent book, Life in Spite of Everything. The larger ensemble joined the conversation about the challenges and necessities of producing art in wartime, and how the conflict has changed their music. A public reception for the artists followed.
Aired on Saturday, January 17th, was an interview between the BBC and Daughters of Donbas members, Liza and Marichka. Beginning at 36:20, feel free to take a listen here.
