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WCM opened its first exhibition in Ukraine in June 2021, at the Kyiv History Museum! The Exhibition, focusing on the experiences of children affected by the war in Eastern Ukraine, is a result of two years of research conducted in six regions of Ukraine (Kyiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Lviv, Odesa). With the opening of WCM’s office in Kyiv in June 2020, the research intensified, leading to the WCM documenting the experiences of over 130 children.

At the opening event, those in attendance were welcomed by Dr. Iuliia Skubytska, Director of the WCM’s Ukraine Office, Jasminko Halilović, Founder and Director of the WCM, Olena Rozvadovska, WCM’s researcher, and Zornitsa Popova, Director of the Forum ZFD Ukraine, one of the partners of the exhibition.

In her address, Skubytska emphasized that the exhibition is a result of the effort of a team made up of more than 10 individuals, aided by the WCM central Sarajevo Office, and thanked the “children, teens and youth for their courage to share their experience with us.” She added that this exhibition, the first to tackle war in Eastern Ukraine from children’s perspective, will soon be on view in several other Ukrainian cities.

Jasminko Halilović thanked everyone at the opening event and WCM’s teams in Ukraine and BiH for their joint effort. “This is an example of a successful transfer of methodology and practices within the European cultural scene, which is a rare feat. The research and exhibiting methodology that we developed over the last five years was modified to suit the Ukrainian context and applied accordingly. I am happy that the museum is expanding globally and that we are slowly nearing our goal of being a platform for all those who share this experience, everywhere in the world,” said Halilović.

In addition to the 35 exhibits and stories documented in Ukraine, the Exhibition showcases several exhibits from the WCM’s international collection, namely from BiH, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. For the duration of the WCM’s exhibition in Kyiv, from June 23 to July 12, a range of different events, workshops, and panel discussion will be organized.