what: a zine on commemoration practices in the anti-authoritarian movement in Ukraine
who: Solidarity Collectives
language: English; German coming up soon
The background introduction
Solidarity Collectives emerged as an initiative in 2022 following the full scale invasion in Ukraine. Before 2022 we already collaborated with some people and initiatives in the framework of the project Cultures of remembrance. We can say that our partnership has been at the roots of the project on its early stages.
For this collaboration chapter it was important for us to create something meaningful together. Partially as a way of paying tribute to all the work that have been and is still being done by the Solidarity Collectives amid the ongoing war. The idea of the zine was born spontaneously and seemed like a fitting format to accumulate small part of the experience of our partners. It was also important for us to come up with something that we can spread and raise awareness about what is going on in Ukraine.
About the zine (parts from the zine intro)
This zine would not exist if russia had not launched its full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022. […]
Alongside resistance, loss, and grief became part of our new reality. Over these past years, we have lost 27 people from our community. This is roughly one person every two months. This number may seem small compared to the overall losses in Ukraine, where dozens of people are killed every day. For us, these losses are personal. We are losing friends and comrades from our movement with whom we shared values, hopes, and dreams. Together, we built radical grassroots projects, organised cultural events, attended demonstrations and gigs, and tried to change the world. Sometimes we are left with fear, anger, grief, and emptiness. However, we also have a responsibility to carry on the memory of these people and their ideas as a foundation for our movement and resistance. This is how we ensure that what they fought for and dedicated their lives to does not disappear. […]
In this context, culture of remembrance and archiving in Ukraine is not simply about preserving the past — it is a form of resistance, survival, and self-determination. During the war and occupation, imperial narratives attempt to overwrite our history and erase our culture, so commemoration and archiving practices safeguard the memory. They allow communities, especially marginalized ones, to document their existence on their own terms, ensuring that their voices persist even when institutions, homes, and lives are under threat. […]
We are faced with the questions: how do we preserve collective memory? How do we keep memories without glorification and remember them as people with their beliefs, weaknesses, and strengths?
This zine is an attempt to address these issues. We want to discuss the ways in which we try to preserve memory and history. We don’t have any ready-made answers, and even this writing is still a ‘work in progress’.
Presentation of the zine
Drawing done by Paula Mittrowann during the presentation of Solidarity Collectives
The official presentation of the zine happened during the educational trip to Moldova in April-May 2026. It was also an official part of the International Queer Voices Film Festival program.
During the presentation our partners from Solidarity Collectives shared small part of their experience and current conditions of their work. They introduced the audience to the process of the zine creation, read parts of it and showed the interview with one of the Ukrainian fighters that didn’t make it to the zine.
At the moment the zine is available in English. But the German translation is coming soon. You can download the English version of the text here:
Facilitators
Solidarity Collectives
a range of grassroots initiatives by individuals and organizations united to support the Ukrainian resistance movement and people affected by the russian invasion. An official partner of the project Decolonising Cultures of remembrance.
Initiators
Educat – Educational Collective
Educat e.V. is a collective of education workers from Dresden, Rostock and Berlin, who do diversity- conscious and critical education, work on remembrance and emancipatory and experimental educational formats. Together with a lot of partners and comrades Educat is facilitating Cultures of Remembrance since 2021.
Project partners
The project has been carried and inspired by a huge network of comrades, activists, artists and educators. For the recent episode of “Cultures of Remembrance” together with Educat Collective, there is Art Platforma, Human Constanta, Prismatica and Solidarity Collectives involved as main partners.
