On May 30, the charitable music and educational festival “ChekaFest 2.0” took place in Lviv for the second time. The event is dedicated to the combat medic of the volunteer medical battalion “Hospitaliers” and the Heroine of Ukraine Iryna Tsybukh with the call sign “Cheka”. She died on May 29 during rotation in the Kharkiv direction, two days before her birthday.
Previously UP. Culture told about the history of the festival and the personality of Iryna Tsybukh. About what this year’s day of commemoration of the combat medic was like in the report.
ChekaFest archive
Birds are singing all around, and there is a pleasant coolness in the air. This is the space of the festival, which became the territory of living memory and love – “ChekaFest 2.0”. This year, the event gathered almost 4,000 visitors.
ChekaFest archive
“Love. The reason why we still exist and have the strength to fight. Love, fight, stand firm, resist, slay evil, and treasure your own, for one day your days together will be a flash of memory“, from a collection of quotes by Iryna Tsybukh.
“ChekaFest 2.0” is an attempt to realize Cheka’s will, to create several days of memory together with his own. This is a place where people will be able to hear what was important to Iryna and continue her cause – through the action and support of those who defend Ukraine today.
“Memory is a verb”
The event began with a moment of silence on the Field of Mars. Later, they moved to the Shevchenkivsky grove, where visitors were greeted by colorful ribbons pointing the way to the educational scene. Following directions, you meet people in embroidered shirts and with smiles. That’s exactly what Iryna would like.
ChekaFest archive
A memorial to Iryna Tsybukh with her photo and things was set up near the stage, and on the other side – a “You’re Missing Here” stand, where you can print photos of those who are no longer with us. People are sitting on chairs on the lawn. There are no empty seats at all, except for two with the inscription “the one who is considered missing could have sat here” and “the one who is now in Russian captivity could have sat here.”
ChekaFest archive
The educational part with the focal topic “Search and formation of identity” opened host Natalya Nekypila in a conversation about the path of self-discovery and the formation of identity with the relatives of Tsybukh – brother Yura, mother Oksana and Iryna’s twin “Lyuty”. It was intimate, sensitive and with love, because this festival was born from her. Relatives shared their memories of Cheka and told how she influenced the formation of their personalities.
ChekaFest archive
“With each year of the war, she became more and more silent, but it was enough for me to just have her around“, Iryna’s mother Oksana Tsybukh.
Ukrainian literary critic Iryna Starovoit and journalist Volodymyr Beglov continued the program with the topic “Who are we – and what are we ready to be?”. Here I would like to take with me a quote from Lina Kostenko’s poem: “We exist because we cannot exist.” The formula of Ukrainian identity, which exists not thanks to, but in spite of, the circumstances, is more consistent today than ever.
ChekaFest archive
The third panel with the participation of the military Masi Nayema and co-founders of the “Honor” organization Kateryna Datsenkowhere they sought an answer to the question: “Does memory shape society or does society shape memory?”. During this conversation, people shared what they were thinking about during the moment of silence. Someone remembers a dead brother, someone tries to remember all the dead by name, and someone thinks about a dead friend.
“Man is prone to forgetfulness. Memory is not eternal, so it needs to be constantly stimulated. And this festival, in my opinion, is an ideal rite of remembrance that helps preserve moments“, says festival visitor Anna.
The final event of the block was a conversation with a dissident Joseph Zisels and a journalist Darka Girna about identity as a weapon and the conscious choice to be Ukrainian in the conditions of war.
ChekaFest archive
“I am fascinated by how united and united we all are around the ideas that Ira professed, and that we are ready to be those people who constantly remember and act on them“, festival visitor Iryna shared.
Musical part
Walking through Shevchenkivskyi Grove, you can see “Spaces of Memory” from the “Honor” organization and the memorial platform “Memorial”, which are dedicated to the fallen defenders of Ukraine.
ChekaFest archive
Near the music stage is a fair of Ukrainian brands, craftsmen and veteran businesses, where more than 28 craftsmen and women presented ceramics, jewelry, accessories, wood products, textiles, leather, embroidery, decor, books and other handmade items. You are always surrounded by music and a rush of delicious smells.
ChekaFest archive
At 5 o’clock in the evening, the musical stage was opened, where Cheka’s favorite performers performed: the bands “Shepit”, “PychkaRyba”, “Pirig i Batig”, “DahaBrakha” and Iryna’s friend – Marina Krut.
Band “DahaBrakha”
ChekaFest archive
The artists were listened to while sitting in hammocks and on the green lawn – on caremats, and sometimes in sweaters or shopping bags. The musical program turned into a kind of recreational picnic. It was about memory with love. That’s exactly what Iryna would like.
ChekaFest archive
The format of the festival recalled the Mexican traditions of the Day of the Dead, which reinterprets the memory of those who have left, not through grief, but through bright memories, culture and a sense of continuous connection between generations.
Celebration of the Day of the Dead
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In the breaks between performances, Marina Krut and the presenters Daria Kolomiets and Danylo Khomutovsky held auctions. Once, Marina even had to read a rap. She promised to do this if the bid for a hat handmade by a Hutsul craftsman reaches 50,000 hryvnias. And the guests accepted the challenge.
ChekaFest archive
The main charitable goal of this year’s event was to collect UAH 1,800,000 for two ground robotic complexes (RGCs) for the 503rd separate battalion of marines, with which Iryna worked during rotations. The fundraiser was organized jointly with the BF “Return Alive”, and so far about 780,000 have been collected, but the organizers are still summing up the results.
In the evening, Marina Krut gathered visitors around the bonfire to perform 10 songs from her friend’s will. The listeners sang songs in unison, including Volodymyr Ivasyuk’s hit “The song will be between us” and the folk song “The sun is low, the evening is close.” Some cried, some smiled, some hugged.
ChekaFest archive
“ChekaFest” is held in order to continue to live and fight as Iryna Tsybukh did, but the event cherishes the memory not only of the Cheka, but also of everyone who died in the war for independence. Here, daily figures in the news find human faces and experiences. While monuments record the fact of death, this festival preserves the memory and allows us to share the pain of loss.
