At the "Stus Festival" in Ankara, poems by the poet were recited in various languages.
This is reported by a correspondent from Ukrinform.
3 “We are holding this evening to honor Vasyl Stus – a Ukrainian poet, dissident, human rights activist, and member of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group, which fought for the protection of human rights… The ideas of freedom, embodied by Vasyl Stus during the oppressive Soviet era, remain fundamental and decisive in Ukraine today – in our struggle against Russia,” said Oleksiy Chernychev, the acting chargé d'affaires of Ukraine in Turkey, at the event's opening.
4 Representatives of the foreign diplomatic corps, Turkish citizens, and guests from other countries participated in the event, reciting the poet's works in various languages. Stus's poems were recited in Ukrainian, Turkish, Azerbaijani, English, Spanish, Italian, German, Polish, and French.
5 A video was also shown featuring Ukrainian servicemen reciting Stus's poems, along with former Mufti of Muslims in Ukraine, Said Ismagilov.
6 Artist Olha Dovhan-Levytska created a portrait of Vasyl Stus during the event.
“Art is a way to connect times and peoples. Vasyl Stus was and remains an inspiration for everyone who seeks the truth and fights for it. I am grateful to everyone who helped bring this idea to life and draw attention to Stus here in Turkey,” the artist remarked.
7 The “Stus Fest” in Ankara is part of a global festival that took place this month on all continents, even at the Ukrainian scientific station in Antarctica. It is dedicated to the poet's birthday on January 6 and Ukrainian Political Prisoner Day on January 12. In the future, it will be held in Horlivka – the city where Stus lived, which is currently occupied by Russia.
8 As reported by Ukrinform, an exhibition titled “Women in the Crosshairs of the NKVD,” dedicated to repressed women, was opened in Kyiv.
Photo: Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Turkey / Facebook