I have been closely following the unfolding of events on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Many rounds of talks in Belarus between Ukrainian and Russian delegations have so far yielded little progress towards a peace agreement.
Just picture or, rather, imagine this scenario: you are a resident in Ukraine and until a few weeks ago you lived a relatively quiet, comfortable life, in a cosy house or apartment; you had a stable job or ran a business; your children, if any, went to school, as should be. Life was normal, pretty much like ours.
Fast forward a few weeks, your country is attacked and you are forced to flee from your home, your country. You leave everything behind, carry the bare necessities along with you, lose your job and take your children with you to the nearest train station in your city to flee to the west.
You are also aware that the chances of ever returning to your own home, or your office, are slim because these would have mostly likely been totally flattened during the bombings by then; everything you owned. Men are ordered to stay behind to fight for their country while mothers and their children are leaving the country.
Your loved one stays on and you do not know if you will ever see him alive again. The only one thing you have left to save is your life and that of your children.
Ten million people have now fled their homes in Ukraine because of the Russian invasion, according to the United Nations. For over a month now, the country has been invaded and bombs dropped over most major cities, destroying buildings, schools, hospitals, homes, anything standing high on Ukrainian soil but, worst of all, killing many civilians, including children.
I have found myself breaking down while watching the news on television, listening to civilians’ grim experiences, their fleeing, leaving loved ones behind. The fearful looks on the faces of children, crying because they want to go back home, young heroes braving the terror of the attacks on their country is beyond heartbreaking.
A TV channel carried a news item that featured children who were cancer patients leaving hospitals in Ukraine, placed on a bus, to head to the west. Their chemotherapy treatment has been halted. Besides their illness, they were suddenly faced with something else: an attack on their country and their having to flee a country where they once felt safe and called it home.
I have found myself breaking down while watching the news on television- Stephanie Mizzi
Many of these children have since arrived in Poland and assessed by oncologists to discuss the continuation of their treatment. One oncologist said that, sadly, some may not survive even though they would be given the required treated in hospitals outside their home country.
In the midst of all this, TV journalists and correspondents reporting from Ukraine have been shot at and, sadly some have been killed. We must not forget their pristine work and their courage for providing us with a detailed insight into what is happening in the country.
We must also bear in mind that, while many of us are condemning Russia, many Russian civilians are against this invasion. Many have taken to the streets in various cities to protest because, like all of us, they want peace. They are also victims because of the sanctions imposed on their country, with some Russian nationals going as far as packing their bags and fleeing to their neighbouring country, Finland.
I do not want to go into the politics of how the Russian invasion in Ukraine was triggered. My piece here is that civilians are suffering and their human rights shattered.
I am constantly finding myself brainstorming ideas as to how we can help them. Watching the news, feeling sorry for them, praying for their survival is not enough.
These people need our support directly. I feel that, from our end, we can donate money, provide them with foodstuffs, clothing, toys for children. We must welcome them to our country and help them settle in until this madness is over and they can safely go back home.
I have come up with an idea of a small project calling on all artists so together we could do our part to help these people. A little from each one of us goes a long way.
When is this war going to stop? When will life go back to normal for the Ukrainians? As things stand, we do not know where this may be heading but my fear is that if no agreement is reached soon things could get out of control.