Yulia Berezhko-Kaminska is a Ukrainian poet and cultural manager who, due to the war, relocated from Bucha to Krakow. Despite the evacuation, she continued her creative pursuits and organized artistic activities in her new city.
UAinKrakow.pl spoke with Yulia Berezhko-Kaminska and learned about her initiatives and how the full-scale war changed her life.
Life before the full-scale invasion and evacuation from Bucha
Yulia Berezhko-Kaminska is a journalist and editor by profession. She serves as the secretary of the National Union of Writers of Ukraine, working with young authors. She writes poetry and has eight published poetry collections and over 70 books co-authored.
Born in Chornobaivka in Kherson region, she has lived in Bucha for the last 12 years. There, she experienced the full-scale invasion with her two children.
„We lived in the basement for two weeks. Battles were taking place on nearby streets. The city was cut off, and the bridges were blown up. We managed to escape from there during the few days when they allowed a 'green corridor.’ There were no more opportunities to leave Bucha during the occupation,” says Yulia.
At that time, the poet was leading several publishing projects. She had just launched, along with a team, a literary award for debut books. Two days before the full-scale invasion, she sent her own collection 'Gravity of the Word’ to print.
At first, the artist, along with her children, came to Chernivtsi. Despite a short stay in the city, the writer, together with the bard Oleksandr Madey, managed to organize a poetry evening where people from many regions of Ukraine, who had also evacuated to Chernivtsi, attended. Later, Yulia was invited to Krakow.
„When I left Bucha, I didn’t know where to go next. Everything was changing rapidly, places for refugees were filling up. I asked my friends on Facebook where I could stay. I received offers from 20 countries. Among them was an invitation from Krakow. And I felt in my heart that I had to go there,” recalls the poetess.
Relocation to Krakow and new cultural projects
In Krakow, Yulia and her children were welcomed by the family of renowned musicians: pianist Kevin Kenner and violinist Katarzyna Chechlak. They allowed her to live in their apartment in the center of Krakow, near the Planty.
„For about a year, I and the children lived in a large apartment with pianos. I am still impressed by the warm reception, how people opened their home to us, even though they didn’t know or see us because they live in the USA. They didn’t take a penny, but they cared for us and supported us in every way they could,” says the poet.
„Yulia admits that at the beginning, she faced difficulties with obtaining a PESEL and social assistance. Despite this, she immediately started implementing her own creative projects.
She hosted programs about Ukrainian culture, 'Krakow Guests’ and 'ActionWord,’ on Polish Radio. In total, Yulia recorded about 50 episodes.
Together with the Krakow branch of the Polish Writers’ Union, the artist organized over 25 meetings with Ukrainian writers, translators, directors, and journalists.
„Ukrainians and Poles came to us. These evenings were very rich and interesting,” recalls Yulia.
As part of the International Poetry Festival, Yulia coordinated the project 'European Family’—literary readings in Polish and Ukrainian.
„In the first weeks when I arrived, I thought about how I could be useful to the Ukrainian people. After all, I’m not fighting, not healing, so I decided that I would popularize Ukrainian culture abroad,” says Yulia Berezhko-Kaminska about her motivation.
The artist also organized collections of Polish and Ukrainian books. Initially, in collaboration with the National Writers’ Union of Ukraine, she organized a collection for the Voivodeship Public Library in Krakow. As part of the campaign, Ukrainian authors and publishers donated 700 books, including classical and contemporary literature.
Later, the poet conducted another collection, this time for Polish books. From Krakow, 20 boxes of Polish works were sent to the Lesia Ukrainka Library in Kyiv. The goal of the campaign was to meet the cultural needs of the Polish minority in Kyiv.
Over the past year, Yulia Berezhko-Kaminska has participated in numerous international festivals, become one of the heroines of a photo portrait exhibition of Ukrainians and a film by the Institute of Literature. She has also given numerous interviews to media outlets from Ukraine, Poland, the UK, Germany, and more.
In addition, the Ukrainian writer embarked on a true tour of Europe, during which she presented her book, read poems, and talked about Ukraine. She showcased her work in Vienna, Paris, Prague, and other cities.
Summing up her creative projects, the artist says:
„Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve found understanding and support from the Poles. People demonstrated their deep awareness of what is happening in Ukraine and empathy.”
Ukrainian Salon in Krakow
„In Krakow, Yulia Berezhko-Kaminska managed to find Ukrainians who are also involved in creative activities. In April of last year, she created a Facebook chat for resettlers living in Krakow and engaged in prose or poetry writing.
„At that time, Ukrainians who found themselves in Krakow came together, and we began jointly organizing various events. At this moment, we realized that we should stick together,” the poet adds.
Soon, in Kevin Kenner and Katarzyna Cieślik’s apartment, the artist organized a Ukrainian salon. Artists gathered there, listened to music, talked, and exchanged thoughts. Both Ukrainians and Poles attended.
„These were meetings that helped us revive. Among ourselves, we called our home an artistic rehabilitation center,” recalls Yulia.
„I saw how Poles treat their heritage, how they value it, how they love it. It inspired me to create many projects. Everything Poles do is in Polish. Everything is done to popularize their own, and it is done with skill and taste. We are just moving towards that now. I hope that the events happening in Ukraine will help Ukrainians realize themselves, their identity, and not be ashamed of being Ukrainian,” shares the artist.
Creativity during times of war
In addition to coordinating actions and events, Julia found time for her own creativity and new artistic collaborations. Two literary residencies helped her in this regard, making her a participant in these experiences.
The first residency was organized by the Institute of Literature in Krakow. During this residency, the writer spent eight months. She moderated the International Documentary Contest for Ukrainians, where compatriots submitted their works describing their own experiences of war, evacuation, and assistance from Poles. A book containing these stories will be released soon, and it will be presented in both Poland and Ukraine.
The second residency took place in the Karkonosze Mountains with the hospitality of an artist family.
„This family provided the opportunity for Ukrainians to live in their artistic house in the mountains. They took care of us, organized excursions, held a creative evening in the library in a nearby town, and gave us a chance to relax a bit. But I was actively working on the documentary book 'Ukraine: Hellish 22nd’,” says Yulia.
Another new creative project was born thanks to the collaboration between Yulia Berezhko-Kaminska and pianist Kevin Kenner. It is a concert program in which the musician performed works by well-known Ukrainian composers such as Mykola Lysenko, Boris Lyatoshynsky, and others, while the writer read her poems from the collection „Gravity of the Word” and a new cycle of war-themed poetry.
The culmination of the project was their joint concert at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. The well-known Ukrainian opera singer Olga Pasichnyk also joined the event.
„Kevin Kenner, one of the most prominent pianists of the 21st century, attracting thousands of listeners, is now discovering Ukrainian culture, promoting it, and performing in Ukrainian embroidery. And soon— in the spring of 2024— he will come with a charity concert to Ukraine, which we are currently working on together with the National Philharmonic,” says Julia.
Recently, the writer has prepared for publication an anthology of war poetry called „Rymova. War,” which includes works by 90 Ukrainian authors. She is also actively working on non-fiction about the globally renowned Ukrainian academician Viktor Glushkov. Moreover, this fall will mark the start of Julia Berezhko-Kaminska’s tour across Ukraine with presentations of her new books.
This publication was prepared with the support of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of UAinKrakow.pl and in no way can be considered to reflect the views of UNHCR. For more information about UNHCR and assistance available in Poland: https://help.unhcr.org/poland/uk/
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Text: Olena Lysenko
Photo: from the archive of Yulia Berezhko-Kaminska
