Ukrainian poetry nights in Berlin keep language alive

It has been almost two years since Russia started its invasion of Ukraine, and millions of Ukrainians are still living as refugees in other European countries. In the German capital Berlin, some of them meet once a month to recite Ukrainian poetry to each other – a way to stay connected to a homeland in crisis. About a dozen Ukrainians are meeting up to share poetry with each other, and for an hour and a half forget about their lives as refugees in a new country. The event is organized by Nadia Telenchuk, a Ukrainian poet who moved to Germany before the war broke out. “The main goal of these poetry evenings is to make Ukrainian words heard and to keep Ukrainian literature alive,” she says. During war, a nation of course needs weapons, bullets, and provisions. But the culture is also used to rally people to defend the country, says Telenchuk. “It is also important to keep the word and the culture in your heart. It is important to keep the language alive. Because language, and culture, and literature is one of the main pillars which define a nation.” Telenchuk grew up in a small village near the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine. She left the countryside to study and work, but she'd often visit home. But the farm that had been passed down her family's generations is all but gone. To cope with her loss, she writes and performs poetry. And she encourages other Ukrainians in Berlin to do the same. Alisa Poplavskaya is a therapist and artist from the Ukrainian city Mykolaiv which was on the front line at the start of the war. She is exhibiting her paintings in the ARTdespite gallery, where she can share her work with other Ukrainian artists and writers. All of the proceeds from sales of the art are donated to organizations working in Ukraine. This article was provided by The Associated Press.