Im sitting in the press center in the maidan again, where I feel happiest these days. i sit in the corner on the floor not feeling like i deserve a real chair as im not affiliated with a bonified newspaper or tv radio stations. anyway all chairs are taken already by serious looking reporters with real laptops .i have my very compact ipad mini, probably the best choice under the circumstances, we are sitting in what is basically an illegal squat in a building occupied by anarchist types, who are training more groups of thugs to defend this little bit of territory in kyiv. The berkut could theoretically come in anytime, jumping through the windows like the police in a film called 'brazil' gas masks and full black armored combat gear. a scattering of helmeted guys with balaklavas roam around inside and outside the building, the entrances, a tiny gap in fortressed baracades 10 feet wide, spanning layers of barbed wire, bags of ice and sand, tires, stacked benches .are now lined with rows of civilian guards . If this isnt war , i dont know what is.
as i walk through the crowded building and outside in the cold square during nighttime, i look at the faces, its hard to tell who these people are, and what they intend, are there spies among us? most probably. i seem to stick out somehow, different from everyone, maybe i smile too much, have different clothes. for sure im not wearing the obligatory padded greyish or light coloured 80s style coats or fur coats.
I told someone earlier that as a person of ukrainian origin living abroad but now in ukraine, perhaps we could somehow imbue and communicate support and confidence, or maybe the possiblity that you can now be Ukrainian and not let anyone tell you otherwise.
Its hard for some westerners to understand what it is like to be a country proud of your land and heritage and yet for over 200 years to be denied the ability to celebrate and even speak about it. not able to speak your language, read books in your language, describe yourself as ukrainian, being sniggered at if you speak your language in a major Ukrainian city, which by the way still happens today. AND then not only that but a british person would say are you an extremist?
that the only thing missing from this country is the confidence to take back the country. Ukraine has been kidnapped by Russia, and the english media seems to have been bought by putin. two days ago the bbc world news playing repeatedly on tv was reporting that 60,000, or maybe it was 6000 pro-government supporters were protesting in kyiv and and also anti government protestors too. what they didnt report was that there were about 200,000 plus euromaiden protestors in the center of kyiv and that the anti government protestors had been hired and paid to come to kyiv in buses. it was reported that after their stint in the park , they came to the maidan to get healthy home made organic food and warm clothes which are given free at the protest camp.
I wandered around just now and photographed a number of christmas trees now sitting beside the fortified and tents now growing in size, strength, and insulation. frames are being built, doors are now appearing. Christmas trees hung with political cartoons and shiny baubles.
As I sit again on the press center floor, I look around cute dynamtic young guys, mostly ukrainians with concentrated expressions, bring to the world the story about the revolution.
I sit and reminisce the past few days in cherkassy, I laready mis the adventure of trying to catch people paying people for votes.
