Link to video
Tributes to heroism of Chernobyl firefighters
By Eoin English
THOUSANDS of firefighters who lost their lives in the Chernobyl nuclear disaster were remembered at ceremonies in Cork and Dublin yesterday to mark the 19th anniversary of the accident. They gave their lives to prevent an atomic explosion at the plant which would have made Europe uninhabitable, the Chernobyl Children’s Project said.
Director Adi Roche said fires at the plant could have triggered a nuclear explosion 50 to 80 times the force of Hiroshima.
She paid tribute to the 25,000 “liquidators” who died and the 70,000 who are permanently disabled as a result of making the reactor safe.
While people had a “searing image” of the firefighters in 9/11, nobody had a similar understanding of the heroism of the “liquidators”, she said. She was speaking in Dublin where 19 children, each with a candle and a photograph of a worker, commemorated the men who died.
The Belarussian Ambassador to Britain, Dr Alyaksei Mazhukhou, said 1.5 million people, including 420,000 children, were still living in affected areas.
“Chernobyl remains a great burden for our people and our economy,” he said.
However, the future of recuperation visits to Ireland of children from the affected region remains uncertain.
In Cork, two white doves were released from City Hall during an ecumenical service attended by lord mayor Sean Martin and Ukrainian Ambassador Yevhen Perelygin.
The Greater Chernobyl Cause also announced it is sending an aid convoy to the Ukraine tomorrow. Included is an ultrasound machine that can detect early cancer in patients.
Meanwhile, Ms Roche warned that the consequences of the disaster would not be fully felt for another five decades.
Congenital birth defects have increased by 250% since the disaster, while one-in-four children in Belarus will develop thyroid abnormalities including cancer, she said. Environmentalist Duncan Stewart said the cement sarcophagus that covers the damaged reactor and which contains 97% of the plant’s lethal material is in need of repair, at a cost of €758 million. The Children’s Project called for the international community to help make the reactor safe and rebuild lives.
www.voicesfromchornobyl.com
VOICES FROM CHORNOBYL:
CHRONICLE OF THE FUTURE
“I don’t know what to tell you about – Death or Love? Or is it one and the same?” – Fireman’s Wife
Adapted & Directed by Cindy Marie Jenkins
Produced by Special Arrangement with Galina Dursthoff, Inc.
November 19, 2007
A young Ukrainian haunts me:
I can tell you my story. They tell me not to want children. My mother said it was a sin for us to have children.
These words echoed those of many others in Svetlana Alexievich’s book Voices From Chernobyl; this book incited a 3-year journey to realize the stories into a play. The stories of these survivors of the worst nuclear plant disaster in history brought into light how little the world was aware of this event, and specifically how it affected individual lives. The humanity of the people involved became a secondary discussion topic to the vast scientific and political implications of such a disaster. It became clear that I had to spread their compelling stories and activate my peers to take part in this project. Through the process of producing the play, I’ve been able to bring some attention to their stories but only in a limited capacity. Through these survivors, who live these stories, I wish to promote awareness of the world around us.
Now I have that chance and I need your help.
The UK Conference of Chernobyl Charities asked me to speak at their conference in March and explain how Voices can raise money for the children they help. We hope to present a Demo film of the play at this conference, along with providing the materials needed for future fundraisers.
Voices From Chornobyl has been invited to perform in Washington D.C. & New York this April to raise funds and awareness for the Chernobyl Children’s Project International.
Our goal is to raise $10,000 to present a professional touring production of the play as part of a larger fundraising project. The ultimate goal is to present the play around the world on the 25th anniversary of the accident, April 26, 2009, and for all proceeds to benefit Chernobyl charities.
Any donation of $5,000 or more gives you an Associate Producer credit on the production and our website. Please review the attached sheet for different levels of support and our request for in-kind gifts.
All Donations are tax-deductible, just in time for Tax Season!
Please make all Checks Payable to: The Menander Theatre Company and mail to:
The Menander Theatre Company,
510 N Crescent Heights Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048
Note: VFC to endure that your donation is properly directed.
Sincerely,
Cindy Marie Jenkins
Adaptor & Director
Please check (√) Your Sponsorship Level and Mail Your Check by December 31, 2007 to ensure your Tax Deduction.
Donations received by December 15, 2007 will receive a free copy of the book Voices From Chernobyl , true accounts on which the play is based. All Donors will be named in the Demo’s credits, unless you request Anonymity.
Please make all Checks Payable to: The Menander Theatre Company and mail in the envelope provided. Note: VFC
Orchard ___Yes, I will donate $5,000 and receive Assoc. Producer Credit
Other Benefits: *Credited as Major Donor on Film and all Publicity, including the VFC website
*Free Copy of Demo DVD
*Free Copy of Chernobyl Heart, the documentary
*2 Free all-inclusive Tickets to Summer Fundraiser
*Framed Production Stills autographed by cast and crew
*Free Performance or Viewing for Southern California-based business, organization or school
*Magnet of Show’s Logo
Tree ___Yes, I will donate $2,500 and receive the following Thank-You Gifts:
*Free Copy of Demo DVD (With Name listed as Major Donor)
*Free Copy of Chernobyl Heart, the documentary
*2 Free all-inclusive Tickets to Summer Fundraiser
*Framed Production Stills autographed by cast and crew
*Free Performance or Viewing for Southern California-based business, organization or school
*Magnet of Show’s Logo
Bushel ___Yes, I will donate $1,000 and receive these Thank-You Gifts:
*Free Copy of Demo DVD (With Name listed as Major Donor)
*2 Free all-inclusive Tickets to Summer Fundraiser
*Framed Production Stills autographed by cast and crew
*Magnet of Show’s Logo
Crate ___Yes, I will donate $500 and receive the following Thank-You Gifts:
*Free Copy of Demo DVD (With Name listed as Donor)
*Framed Production Stills autographed by cast and crew
*Magnet of Show’s Logo
Apple Pie ___Yes, I will donate $100 and receive these Thank-You Gifts:
*Free Copy of Demo DVD (With Name listed as Donor)
*Magnet of Show’s Logo
Applesauce___Yes, I will donate $50 and receive these Thank-You Gift:
*Free Copy of Demo DVD (With Name listed as Donor)
*************************************************In-Kind Donations Requested*************************************
Values are estimates and may also be subject to Tax Deductions
300 sheets Epson Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper $75 Value
Guerrilla Marketing Online & Postcard Drops $200 Value
(This service can be done remotely and we’ll provide the info!)
P.A. (2 days of shooting) $100 Value
Camera Rental (so we have more than one) $200 Value
Camera Tapes (900 minutes) $100 Value
Postage $100 Value
House Crew $25 Value/show
Still Photography Package (2 days of shooting) $1,000 Value
Line Producer (Pre-Production & 2 days of shooting) $2,000 Value
Have a service that isn’t listed? Email voicesfromchornobyltheatrical@gmail.com
You probably went looking all over the site for Part 1. It’s not on this blog. It’s on the Women In Theatre blog.
It is quite funny to read about all the things “Enci” when I google my name. But the most interesting thing was this:
European Nuclear Cities Initiative
(ENCI)
Preamble
A key-element in the military nuclear complex of the former Soviet Union has been the creation of 10 cities, closed to the external world, fully dedicated to the various stages of the building of nuclear weapons. These nuclear cities, with an aggregated population of over 700,000 people, still host a body of scientists and technicians of high skill and professionality. As a consequence of the process of downsizing that necessarily involves (and will involve) the Russian nuclear cities, many of these scientists and technicians need to find job-alternatives. Otherwise they may, in the long run, constitute a serious source of proliferation concern. Many initiatives have been taken to address the problems discussed so far. Unfortunately, it is unrealistic to expect that these problems will take care of themselves after a while. Letting time go by, is not a solution. The task of addressing the problems pertaining to the complex of the former Soviet Union, will demand international cooperation for many years to come and at a level that should be much higher than the present one.
Up to now we have seen a constructive cooperation between many countries of the industrialized world and the countries of the former Soviet Union, as in the ISTC and in the TACIS, and specifically we have seen the whole array of US-Russian cooperation initiatives, projects and agreements (Cooperative Threat Reductions, Material Protection and Accounting Program, Nuclear Cities Initiative, lab to lab cooperation, Purchase of Fissile material, etc.).
The task of securing a smooth economic transition and of reducing the proliferation risks of the Russian nuclear cities is of paramount importance and demands prompt attention and, probably, a better effort than the present one. The specific problem of nuclear cities and their economic conversion has been addressed, up to now, in the framework of US-Russian cooperation, by the “Nuclear Cities Initiative (NCI)”.
This can be an area in which European countries could contribute and do more for the nuclear problems of the former Soviet Union and, simultaneously, do more for international security.
Draft Project
The idea here is to promote a “European Nuclear Cities Initiative (ENCI)” project that could complement the US-Russian NCI.
The ENCI could consist of a general framework for European-Russian cooperation initiatives to be carried on at various levels, e.g. Government to Government, Agency to Agency, Lab to Lab, Region to Region, without ruling out a possible direct cooperation between Russia and the European Union.
Coordination with the US-NCI should be obviously guaranteed. The ENCI should aim at fostering non-proliferation, environmental clean-up and economic conversion. The primary reference of ENCI should be the scientists and technicians of the nuclear cities. The proposal of an ENCI is perfectly consistent with the “Common Strategy of the European Union on Russia” adopted in Cologne, Germany, last 4 June 1999.
The cooperation between European Government and Institutions, on one side, and Russian Government and Institutions and the Nuclear Cities could be focused on topics like:
- Advanced energy technologies and energy efficiency
- Monitoring of environmental pollution and environmental clean up
- Controlling radioactive waste
- Fostering commercial enterprises in those scientific-technological fields that are familiar to the scientists of the nuclear cities
- Creation of analytic and modelling computing centres in the cities
The nuclear cities that could be involved in the ENCI program could be, at least at the beginning, Snezhinsk (Chelyabinsk-70) and Sarov (Arzamas-16).
Forum
Under the auspices and with the support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs the Landau Network-Centro Volta (an Italian NGO that, among other goals, promotes cooperation with scientists of the former Soviet Union) - gathering the indications coming from a preliminary meeting on ENCI at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome among Russian, American and Italian experts - will organize, with the scientific/technological collaboration of ENEA, an international Forum in Rome, at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ structure Istituto Diplomatico “Mario Toscano” (Villa Madama), on December 13-14, 1999. The Forum will be aimed at defining and promoting the ENCI program. A preliminary draft agenda includes the following arguments: creation of energy efficiency centres and development “in loco” of advanced energy technologies and demonstration facilities; creation of analytic and modelling computing centres; development of environmental activities (including monitoring and mathematical modelling); analysis of financing mechanisms to involve international investments, to favour technological transfer and to start commercialization activities; analysis of the necessary items for the preparation of a joint statement on EU-Russian cooperation to implement the ENCI and discussions of times, modalities and financing procedures to start and develop the ENCI project from the year 2000.
We expect that the Forum will be attended by scientists and staff from the Russian nuclear cities, representatives of Russian Minatom, of the Russian American Nuclear Cities Initiative, experts and officials of the US and of the EU countries, representatives from enterprises associations. The Forum will be informal in the sense that participants will speak on their personal capacities and that participation will not imply any endorsement from the Institution or the Organization to which the participants belong.
The spirit of the Forum is to provide a scheme of action in the frame of ENCI, which should help the International Community in making a leap forward towards addressing the difficult problems of the Russian nuclear legacy.
How appropriate to be involved in the production of Voices From Chornobyl 