The Greek Embassy in Delhi will hold an event on Monday to highlight the situation in Mariupol, Ukraine. The event will feature a photographic exhibition and musical performances by ethnic Greeks who are Ukrainian nationals but have been living as refugees since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022.
The European Union mission in Delhi and EUNIC (EU National Institutes for Culture) are supporting the event. Mariupol, a city with a historical connection to Greece, has been on the front line of the ongoing conflict. Pontic Greeks, the indigenous people of the Pontus region, have been living in the city for centuries, forming a significant minority before the conflict, coming just after Ukrainians and Russians in terms of ethnicity.
The exhibition will display photographs by several artists, including Sergly Makarov, Alina Komarova, Victor Dedof, Lev Sandalov, Roman Harkusha, and Olena Sugak. Musical performances will be given by Nina Pelchak, Anatolii Bahdasar, and Liudmyla Dolher. Pelchak, who is the president of the Greek Society of Kyiv and the deputy president of the Union of the Greek Community of Ukraine in Greece, is a Ukrainian activist.
Bahdasar, who was born in Mariupol and is ethnically Greek, now lives as a refugee in Romania. He is a member of the Greek traditional folk song dance group “Sartan Gems” and has represented Ukraine in many events around the world. Dolher, who was born in Maloyanisol village in Donetsk, founded by ethnic Greeks in 1779, now lives in Cyprus. She is a singer and follower of Roumei culture and folk songs.
Greek communities have been living in the area of Mariupol and the Azov Sea in the southeast of Ukraine since the 18th century. The communities have been preserving and developing their unique traditions, culture, music, and dialect, Roumeiki, within an independent Ukraine since 1991, where they have been peacefully coexisting with fellow Ukrainians.
The Federation of Greek Communities of Ukraine was founded in 1995 with 106 communities in 21 different areas all over Ukraine. The federation’s president has been Alexandra Protsenko-Pichagi.
Mariupol had many Greek heritage landmarks before the conflict, but the city and many villages in the surrounding area were turned into rubble following the siege of Mariupol in February 2022. Many Ukrainians in the region became refugees.
The event aims to raise awareness of the plight of ethnic Greeks in Ukraine and to celebrate their culture and heritage. It will be an opportunity for the community to come together and show solidarity in the face of adversity.
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