Our photo exhibit’s record-setting tour comes to a close this year in Olhopil, a village near Chechelnyk in Vinnytsia oblast. For the first time in its 18 years, the exhibit was able to visit 11 places in one year, the most recent destinations being Chechelnyk and Olhopil. In a certain sense, small places set an example to some big cities: here Den is an old acquaintance, a lot of people share our views and are eager to learn more about Ukraine’s history and today’s life.
It is the sixth time that we have visited Chechelnyk and Olhopil. Over several weeks hundreds of locals came to see the exhibit. Yulia Khymyshynets, who was present at the opening of Den’s Days in Vinnytsia oblast, came from a little place called Verbky. This was her second visit to our exhibit. She is a teacher of home economics and visual arts, as well as deputy principal at the secondary school in her village. When she was going home, she had a present for her students: the book My Sister Sofia... and the subscription for Den. By the way, thanks to Den’s old friend Pavlo Kalenych, director of Olhopil Agricultural Company and legislator at the Vinnytsia Oblast Rada, all schools in Chechelnyk raion received such presents.
“Children need to have a versatile education, they must be curious about history, because without that we have no future. The knowledge of history helps us avoid repeating mistakes from the past. We are very grateful for these presents,” says Khymyshynets.
At the exhibit she was impressed by photos taken in Donbas, which virtually has been living in war conditions for a few years now. “I cannot forget the photos of our soldiers. It hurt me to recall the times when it all was just beginning,” shares Khymyshynets. “But I also remember happy and positive photos. For instance, Oleh Nych’s Mother’s Joy featuring a mom with a baby. I was impressed by pictures showing smiling children. You come to understand that today two dimensions overlap. On the one hand, life is going on, on the other, we are going through hard times. It is so good to see happiness in the eyes of young children. This gives hopes that peace will come soon. You understand who you must fight for.”
For the tiny Olhopil Den’s photo exhibit is a big event. Khymyshynets says that it is easier in cities with busy cultural and enlightening agendas: the public has a wide choice of theaters, exhibits, museums. “In a village you are happy when you are visited by an exhibit like Den’s,” explains the teacher. “Our people are preoccupied with their own everyday problems and do not often have an opportunity to go to a city and see something interesting. It is good that culture is coming back to us. This way we can develop. Good books, great works by photo artists cheer you up, and people become kinder to those who surround them.”
Den’s 18th International Photo Exhibit is open at the Olhopil Community Center through September 24.
