Karazin Students from the Munich Educational Center Took Part in the Joint Project “Italian and Ukrainian Students between Memory, War, and Future Perspectives”

“For the fourth year, Ukraine has been living under the conditions of a full-scale war. For some of our fellow citizens, this is not only daily news from the front, but also the experience of losing their home. Cities to which it is no longer possible to return, streets that no longer exist, the space of childhood that lives only in memory. Explaining this experience to those who have not lived through it personally is extremely difficult. That is why it is so important for those who have gone through it to speak,” wrote Associate Professor Yuliia Tahlina, a lecturer at Karazin University, in her article about the trip to Milan.

Ms Yuliia accompanied students to Milan, where they presented the film “Eyes of Humanity,” created jointly with students of the Brera Academy of Fine Arts (Milan, Italy). The Italian side provided professional support in visual language, editing, and artistic design, while Ukrainian students became the authors of the content, sharing personal stories about the war, loss of home, and forced displacement. The film is based on real interviews.

This trip was implemented within the framework of the joint project “Shared Narratives: Italian and Ukrainian Students between Memory, War, and Future Perspectives” between V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University and the Brera Academy of Fine Arts (Milan, Italy). The cooperation between the institutions is conceived as a path of education, research, and artistic creativity that integrates different forms of knowledge, practices, and perspectives.

The project was initiated by the Director of the Brera Lyceum, Professor Emilia Ametrano, while coordination on the Italian side was carried out by producer Stefania Donno. From the Ukrainian side, a key role was played by Mariupol-based artist Iryna Fedorenko, the art curator of the film “Eyes of Humanity.” Financial support for the trip was provided by Fondazione Terre des Hommes Italia with the assistance of the Brera Lyceum, and organizational coordination was carried out by the NGO VITAWORLD under the leadership of Natalia Siassina.

It is extremely important to show young people the war through the eyes of their peers. This is no longer just hearing the news, but feeling and experiencing at least a small part of what the people of Ukraine are going through. Students from four faculties, currently studying at the Karazin University branch in Munich, took part in creating the film and the trip. The students lived with Italian families, which was also very important both for them and for the host families, who sincerely grew attached to the students, empathized with them, and supported them.

The project became part of the international initiative “Athletes of Art,” which opens the cultural programme of the Milan–Cortina Olympics. The film was screened twice, and both times the hall was full. Many journalists attended the screenings, and the students gave interviews.

In addition to the screenings, there were numerous cultural events, including visits to museums and meetings with artists and other cultural figures. The programme was very насыщена and meaningful both for our students and for the host side.

Olia Koval (Karazin School of Business, 2nd year) spoke on behalf of the entire team: “It was an incredible experience and an opportunity that is hard to overestimate. We learned a lot, met new people, and exchanged the cultural heritage of our countries. It was extremely important for us to be able to speak about what truly hurts, to tell our stories, and to present them to an international audience. We are very grateful for the support and organization. The programme was so intensive that sometimes we could hardly keep up with the number of events and emotions, but it was a pleasant kind of fatigue.”

More than twenty publications about the film have already appeared in different countries. The organizers are currently negotiating new screenings in European cities.

Once again, we thank our Italian partners for giving our students the opportunity to express themselves. We are very grateful to the Director of the Brera Lyceum, Professor Emilia Ametrano, and to the Italian-side producer Stefania Donno. We also extend our sincere thanks for organizational coordination to the NGO VITAWORLD under the leadership of Natalia Siassina.

We sincerely hope that this film will become a small drop of understanding of the full horror of war for young people in other countries. It is a quiet, yet still powerful cry: “Help stop the war.” And we are grateful to the caring Italian youth, to the people who are ready to listen, support, and help.

Presentation by Karazin University students about their experience and impressions