I would like to write a follow up to my previous entry where I expressed the connection I have to books, and the difficulty I was having relating to the internet as a source for historical research.
Throughout this program, I will be exploring new ways of thinking about public history and my opinions may change from time to time. And in this posting I would like to share some exciting news that has helped me identify more with digital history, because I have found an example that I can relate to.
I recently had an email forwarded to me from the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and it was one that, as I said, had me very excited. It stated that the Canadian Government was going to support the Ukrainian Canadian Congress in launching a website project on the famine in Ukraine (Holodomor), where all sorts of information could be accessed, including: art works, photographs, books and articles on the subject. Visit: http://www.ucc.ca/media_releases/2008-09-18/index.htm
When I read about this digital project, all I could think about was the accessibility of this information for not only Ukrainians, but for so many others who have little or no knowledge of this genocide. (The Canadian Government recently recognized the famine as an act of genocide and declared there to be a day of remembrance. Visit: http://www.ucc.ca/media_releases/2008-05-30/index.htm )
As I have mentioned before, throughout my undergraduate career my research was concentrated around the Holodomor, and what I found to be disturbing was that so many people were completely unaware that this tragedy had even occurred. Scholars have estimated that anywhere from 3 million to 10 million people were killed during the famine between the years of 1932-1933. Honestly, with such a high death toll, how could so little be known about it? As a person of Ukrainian descent, this troubled me greatly. For this reason, in my undergraduate art classes (painting, photography, and performance studies) I sometimes used the Holodomor as my subject matter. It gave me a chance to educate myself and others on the subject.
This digital project is therefore an incredible opportunity for Ukrainian Canadians to teach and preserve the memory of the famine in Ukraine, and it is being accomplished through one of the most accessible mediums – the Internet.
The prospect of this website has made me truly appreciate the value of the internet, for in using this technology we will be able reach a much greater audience, educating people on subjects that many know little or nothing about. And that is a very good thing!
Photograph: Poster of the Famine in Ukraine
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