THE NATIONAL UNION OF
JOURNALISTS OF UKRAINE
The Zaporizhzhia Journalists’ Solidarity Center (JSC) of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) cares not only about the safety and social and everyday needs of journalists who became displaced people due to the war with the russians but also about the mental health and emotional state of media workers. Journalists were able to test the healing properties of music by attending a concert at the Zaporizhzhia front-line philharmonic called The Magic of Spain.
Thus, visits to the philharmonic for both displaced and local journalists became possible thanks to the invitation of the Director of the Philharmonic and Honored Worker of Culture of Ukraine, Iryna Konareva.
The Magic of Spain concert program was presented by the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Philharmonic under the leadership of the chief conductor and Honored Artist of Ukraine, Vasyl Koval.
Spectators, among whom were Zaporizhzhia journalists, seemed to have made a journey through the land of the sun, flamenco, and bullfights.
The presenters of the concert – Svitlana Kholod and Mykola Petiuk, warned the audience that the event would take place in compliance with the necessary security requirements under martial law.
“The air alert that went off during the concert did not frighten us,” says Alla Shamrai, a journalist from Enerhodar. “One thought: “Perish, you ruscist [russian] creatures! Let there be music!” So we waited until the alert ended and the music returned. We enjoyed the concert in the company of media workers from our NUJU‘s Journalists’ Solidarity Center!”
“Today’s difficult day ends on a high note; we sincerely thank the Philharmonic team for a wonderful artistic event and the Armed Forces of Ukraine for protection and the opportunity to hold such concerts!” said the journalist.
Call the Zaporizhzhia JSC at 096 277 5352 (Nataliya Kuzmenko and Valentyna Manzhura, the Zaporizhzhia JSC coordinators). The Center’s address is 152 Sobornyi Avenue.
ABOUT JSC
The Journalists’ Solidarity Centers is an initiative of the NUJU implemented with the support of the International and European Federations of Journalists and UNESCO. The initiative is designated to help media representatives working in Ukraine during the war. The Centers operate in Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipro and provide journalists with organizational, technical, legal, psychological, and other types of assistance.
ABOUT UNESCO
UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. It contributes to peace and security by promoting international cooperation in education, sciences, culture, communication, and information. UNESCO promotes knowledge sharing and the free flow of ideas to accelerate mutual understanding. It is the coordinator of the UN Action Plan on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, which aims to create a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers, thus strengthening peace, democracy, and sustainable development worldwide. UNESCO is working closely with its partner organizations in Ukraine to provide support to journalists on the ground.
The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this digest do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area or its authorities or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
The authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this digest and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit to the organization.
Tamara Bort
Photo by Svitlana Kostiuk, Alla Shamrai, and Serhii Lavrov
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