Text: Svitlana Prokopchuk
The new column by Svitlana Prokopchuk about a Ukraine that has been transformed by the war almost beyond recognition.
The text explores how death and funerals have become part of everyday life for Ukrainians: photographs of those who have been killed displayed in city centres, the daily minute of silence, military funerals, families waiting for their loved ones, and people who seem to have aged not because of time, but because of years of constant stress and war.
But behind these observations lies a much broader theme: how war changes our very understanding of what normal life is. What was once an extraordinary tragedy gradually becomes part of everyday reality. A funeral becomes a familiar event in the community, the minute of silence becomes a daily ritual, and the pain of loss accumulates throughout society.
At the same time, this is not only a story about loss. It also portrays another Ukraine: a country that, despite the war, continues to live, work, raise children, build and make plans for the future.
Starting from a personal tragedy, the author reflects on the collective experience of a country that has been living with war, death and uncertainty for almost five years. It is an attempt to look at Ukraine from a distance and see beyond the daily news about the war: to understand how the war is changing people, society and everyday life.
Read more: https://journal-b.ch/artikel/und-bei-uns-gibt-es-wieder-beerdigungen/
Illustration: David Fürst
