Open Mic at ABC

Speak about what is important to you

It’s not common in the Netherlands to use platforms like Open Mic events to speak about the Russo-Ukrainian war, and I wanted to change that. When I performed on the stage of the American Book Center in Amsterdam, it was so heart-warming to see that even people who were just passing by stopped to listen to my story.

Without advocating for stopping the war or taking urgent actions to prevent further ecological catastrophe, I simply talked about what Ukrainian warriors’ favourite snacks are, why we use a term ‘warrior’ rather than a ‘soldier’ when referring to Russo-Ukrainian war and about pain which manifests in different ways when one looses a close person because of the war. I believe it’s the simple things that make people relate to others’ pains and challenges.

Most of all, I am grateful to founders and organisers of platforms like this one, where everyone is welcome, amongst other topics, to talk about significant events happening in the world.