Weyburn had a rare learning opportunity over the weekend. The Holodomor National Awareness Tour parked on the site of the old junior high.

 

The tragedy that is Holodomor occurred in the 1930's in Ukraine. The Soviet Union went to extreme lengths to starve the people of Ukraine, killing upwards of 20 million people. Holodomor has been recognized as a genocide in Canada since 2007, Canada is one of 16 countries who recognize it as such.

 

"It's been covered up and denied for so long or it had been that the resources that now exist, well there aren't many of them and second to that a lot of teachers don't know that the could theoretically teach it if they wanted to or that it is there to teach," says Stephanie Bailey Facilitator for Holodomor Tours.

Holodomor Bus

Inside the Holodomor mobile classroom. Photo courtesy Skylar Hansen.

The "mobile classroom" played numerous videos varying in length and content involving Holodomor. The interviews, images, and facts were chilling.

 

The tour has been around for a year and a half presenting and teaching people, many have no idea these events occurred. The media was highly influenced at the time to prevent the world from knowing the truth. Ukranian borders were blocked to prevent food from entering and people from leaving.

 

"We're only now really gaining some serious traction, it's a lot easier to network and get to schools, students love it and the communities tend to love it because they get presented with information that they had no idea existed," says Bailey.

 

The Holodomor tour travels all throughout Canada, all year long. It is very important to learn about our history and being one of few countries to recognize this tragedy we must be well informed.