Ukrainian Association of Music Events (UAME) has released a documentary that follows a 5-day journey throughout Ukraine with the representatives of music and culture from Europe, Georgia, and Canada who were invited by the Music Saves UA charity initiative. The project was organized by the Ukrainian Association of Music Events (UAME) as part of its Music Saves UA initiative in partnership with Night Ambassadors.
Video: https://youtu.be/6olbr0zAUGo
Among the guests: Michal Kascak (organizer of the largest music festival in Slovakia, Pohoda), Login Kochishki (founder of the largest music festival TAKSIRAT as well as PIN Conference and D Festival in Macedonia), David Lezhava (head of act4culture), Zviad Gelbakhiani (one of the founders of the BASSIANI club and ISKRA festival), Mathieu Grondin (head of the Canadian organization MTL 24/24, which develops Montreal’s nightlife and economy 24/7), and Ilze Jankovska (publicist, democracy promoter at the Fund for Democracy, volunteer at Easy to Help), Ralf Niemczyk (journalist of Rolling Stone Germany).
The guests spent their first two days in Kyiv: they saw how the capital and its culture function in wartime amidst the blackouts, visited the TAVR media holding, saw destroyed houses and cultural sites in Irpin and Borodyanka, and heard firsthand about the defense of the Hostomel airport, standing near the wreckage of the Mriya plane. Afterward, they discussed ways to help the Ukrainian music industry at the Atlas concert hall.
The third day was a trip to Kherson, which at that time was liberated just a couple of weeks ago, and Mykolaiv.
“Kherson greeted us with explosions that could be heard even in the bomb shelter. This is a new reality that Ukrainians have faced and in which we need to live now. We went to two humanitarian centers* supported by our initiative and talked to local volunteers. They told us how Kherson survived the occupation and how they became a part of the civil resistance, and how the russians, retreating from the city, took everything with them: even hammers, nails, and screwdrivers. As of now, we and our foreign guests have managed to purchase all the necessary tools and cover the needs of the volunteers,” Music Saves UA comments.
*Music Saves UA launches a fundraising campaign to provide heating stations and humanitarian hubs in Kherson with generator fuel. The cost of one month of work equals approximately 3000 USD. You can donate here: https://musicsavesua.com/uk#donate
In Mykolaiv, Ramil Agabekov (representative of the Mykolaiv City Council) spoke about the morning when a russian missile destroyed the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration building in an attempt to leave the city without its leadership.
The fourth and fifth days were spent in Lviv, where the guests visited the Unbroken Center, met with Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, and held a final educational event, sharing their impressions of Ukraine and ideas for future joint projects.
The Music Ambassadors Tour is a social and cultural project with several goals: first, to attract music professionals from other countries to become cultural ambassadors of Ukraine at home. Second, to motivate them to raise funds, provide humanitarian aid, and ensure the stable operation of volunteer initiatives. Thirdly, to discuss ways to develop cultural life in Ukraine, taking into account the realities of the war.
