People in Need marks Ukraine war anniversary with series of events
A series of events, organised by the NGO People in Need, will take place in Prague this week to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They will include a video mapping on the building of the Ministry of the Interior, as well as special film screenings and an exhibition documenting the war month-by-month.
On Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening, visitors to Letná Plain will be able to see two light installations, prepared by People in Need together with the XLAB technological art agency.
The first will be a light projection on the facade of the Interior Ministry’s building, which will aim to convey the atmosphere of life in an occupied country, says People in Need’s media coordinator Milan Votypka from the NGO’s Relief and Development Department:
“We prepared this light installation because we want to present the everyday life of people in the midst of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and we want to give viewers a space to reflect on the event. At the same time, we would like to promote solidarity with Ukraine and ask people to support the country for as long as possible.
“We have chosen this particular place because it is connected with Czech history. Any time something important happened in Czech history, it happened on Letná Plain.
The second light installation will take place in the park outside Ministry of Interior building. It will present a time loop that will show the misery, destruction and devastation that the people of Ukraine have been facing for a year.
Another event organised by People in Need is a film screening at the Světozor cinema in Prague, followed by live debates. One of the films is the Oscar nominated documentary The House of Splinters, the winner of last year’s One World Film festival. The other film, When Spring Comes to Bucha, depicts life in the small Ukrainian town, which has become a symbol of Russian war crimes.
As of Thursday, people can also see an exhibition by photographer Alberto Lores entitled When War Comes to Your Home at the Langhans Centre, says Mr. Votypka:
“Alberto Lores has been in Ukraine since the start of the war and he has brought back some really extraordinary photographic material. Also from Tuesday on, there will be an opportunity to see the situation in Ukraine month by month through the eyes of local residents and the staff of People in Need, thanks to virtual reality.”
The series of events will also highlight the importance of humanitarian aid, which has been provided by People in Need since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine:
“We have been providing core aid, like water, food and non-food-items close to the battle line. We also provide psychological help to people and equipment for the so-called “collective centres” where internal refugees receive help.
“In the Czech Republic, we provide aid focusing on the integration of people who escaped from Ukraine. Among other thing, we assist them in dealing with the authorities and provide assistance to their children in schools.”
