The exhibition is centered around the story of Mykola Burlaka (1923–1978), a forced laborer from the village of Rozumivka, Oleksandrivskyi (now Kropyvnytskyi) district in the Kirovohrad region. In October 2022 the NGO “After Silence” Team managed to purchase his letters through an online auction.
The exhibition highlights the experiences of over 140 of his fellow villagers who also endured forced labor. Their fates have been reconstructed through photographs and documents from the Museum of the History of Rozumivka, Ukrainian and German archives, and family collections of their descendants.
The exhibition title features a quote from the song “About Germany,” performed by former forced laborers from Rozumivka.
The exhibition opened on September 27, 2023, at the Rozumivka Village Cultural Center.
Photos: Oleksii Kaprytsia, NGO “After Silence”
Publications:
The “After Silence” team searched of descendants of ostarbeiters in Rozumivka – Persha Elektronna Hazeta
“After Silence — comes speaking: A Photo exhibition of local ostarbeiters will take place in Rozumivka” – Persha Elektronna Hazeta
Names of 142 individuals were identified: An exhibition about the fates of local ostarbeiters was opened in Rozumivka, Kirovohrad region – Viktoria Voloshanenko, Suspilne
The exhibition was created by:
Andrii Usach – Project researcher
Andrii Dostliev – Artist, Designer
Anna Yatsenko – Coordinator in Ukraine
Olena Martynchuk – Project researcher
Viktoria Eismunt – Literary editor
Ihor Khorkavyi – Audio editing
Iryna Dutkevych – Photo restoration
Yuliana Dradrah – Accountant
We extend our gratitude for the help and support in preparing the exhibition to Liubov Zhurba, Anna Horobets, Mykola Khrystenko, Valentyna Kovalenko, Liudmyla Korneieva, Hanna Kovalevska, and all those who shared materials about their relatives.
This exhibition was created in cooperation with the Rozumivka Village Community with the support of Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).